Australia can eliminate coronavirus if cases in Victoria and New South Wales continue to drop

90 per cent of low COVID-19 cases have been reported from Victoria and New South Wales.

Australia Eliminate-Coronavirus COVID-19

Australia would be able to erase novel coronavirus infection if Victoria and New South Wales continue to register a low number of cases. The two states have contributed 90 per cent of the 27,645 COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Australia since February.

The possibility of declaring Australia coronavirus free approaches as Victoria state observes its eighth day with no COVID cases and deaths NSW recording only one locally transmitted case. 

Experts believe the country needs to do two important things to declare itself free of the pandemic.

La Trobe University Epidemiologist Hassan Vally said containing new cases is required. He said, “NSW is the model, we have a low number of cases, the public health response stamps on any clusters and you keep everything under control.”

“No-one knows what will happen over the next week in Victoria, but it's not outside the bounds of possibility that we will see zero cases for another week or so and then technically we've eliminated the virus,” he added.

He said lockdown in Victoria was not to eliminate but contain the virus.

Meanwhile, the chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, Catherine Bennett, believes that continued tracing the known cases is crucial in this time. “Even if the virus is out there, it is more likely to die out than spread,” she said.  

Professor Bennett thinks because Victoria became the worst-affected state with COVID in the country, it came as a forewarning for New South Wales and it turned as an advantage for the state. 

Dr Vally added that it is impossible for any health system to accurately keep contact tracing after numerous cases are diagnosed. 

This information comes as several countries across the world are experiencing the threat of a second wave of coronavirus. 

Also Read: US COVID-19 cases exceed 110,000 in a single-day, establishes a new world record

A month-long lockdown has been announced in England will begin on Thursday after 23,287 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the UK on November 6. 

France too saw a steady rise in cases and after 33,000 new cases being reported in a single day, President Emmanuel Macron declared a lockdown until mid-November with strict rules. Greece has gone for a partial lockdown after a spike of cases since the middle of October.

 

 

 

 



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