For anyone who was expecting COVID-19 to vanish as soon as 2021 came around, I’m sorry to tell you but it isn’t going anywhere. If anything, we’re currently experiencing a second big outbreak in NSW, which has only grown worse over the Christmas and New Years break. Thanks to these graphs from the covid19data website, we can now compare the 2020 outbreak to the recent Avalon cluster, and mates, things aren’t looking the prettiest.
July 10th, 2020. It feels like an entire century ago, but it’s actually the date that marks the beginning of one of the first massive NSW outbreaks, which grew to over 550 cases.
Crossroads Hotel in Casula was identified as a COVID-19 hotspot that lead to a massive outbreak in case numbers, which continued to rise for some days after. In many ways, it was a similar affair to the Avalon RSL outbreak that you may remember more vividly, given the fact that it fucked up NSW holiday plans in almost an instant.
According to the first graph from covid19data, we can see that on Day 18 of the December outbreak, things are currently looking a little bit worse than they did on day 18 of the July cluster. The 2020 outbreak had 155 total cases at this point, meanwhile, right now in 2021, we have 188 cases on day 18.
Here, take a look for yourself.
There’s also a second handy graph that showcases the number of unlinked cases under investigation. The July cluster had 9 on day 18 of the outbreak, while the current December cluster has 13.
Now, hopefully, we’ve learnt something about keeping things under control after almost a year with the virus, and things won’t get too crazy. Right now there isn’t too much cause to fear, but the data is pretty damning. Let’s all just wear our masks and stay inside when we can, please and thank.
As of today, the NSW mandatory mask rule will kick in, meaning anyone who decides it’s a good idea to not wear a mask will be hit with a $200 fine.
So put on that mask and let’s tackle this thing together! I’m sure we would all very much like to avoid another massive lockdown.
