Victoria's former deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen believes no single individual is to blame for the state's botched hotel quarantine, saying a large number of small actions or decisions undertaken by a large number of people was behind the devastating COVID-19 outbreak.
Pressed on who was responsible for the implementation of infection control measures in hotel quarantine, Dr van Diemen said the responsibility lay with the emergency operations centre, made up of a number of representatives from different departments and agencies.
Dr Annaliese van Diemen is giving evidence to the Hotel Quarantine InquiryCredit:The Age
"Is that a serious answer?" said Arthur Moses SC, the lawyer for Unified Security.
"Everybody has responsibility in some way, shape or form though and it was important that all people involved in the program to ensure they were adhering to the standards and the policies provided to them," Dr van Diemen said.
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"Are you trying to blame others?" Mr Moses asked.
"I'm not trying to blame anybody," she replied. "I don't believe that any one individual is responsible for what occurred."
In earlier evidence, Dr van Diemen had agreed with her former boss, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton that the quarantine in Melbourne was run more as a logistics or compliance exercise, rather than a health program, though she had only come to that opinion in retrospect.
About 99 per cent of Melbourne's devastating second wave of the virus escaped from two hotel quarantine sites in Melbourne's CBD.
Sutton identified 'considerable risk' early in the program
Professor Sutton identified considerable risk to the health and safety of detainees in Victoria's hotel quarantine system just two weeks after it began, he has told an inquiry into the botched handling of the scheme.
The revelation comes as Professor Sutton also confirmed that he had wanted to be the state controller of Victoria's response to the pandemic, and disagreed with the Health department's decision not to appoint him.
The Stamford Plaza - the source of a major outbreak partly responsible for Victoria's second coronavirus wave. Credit:Getty Images
The inquiry heard that an email sent by Public Health Commander Dr Finn Romanes revealed "a lack of a unified plan for this program," and that the people running the program were not "satisfied there is a policy and set processes to manage the healthcare and welfare of detainees, for whom this program is accountable."
"There are now considerable complexity and considerable risk that unless governance and plans issues are addressed there will be a risk to the health and safety of detainees," wrote Dr Romanes, a former deputy chief health officer.
The email was addressed to state controller Andrea Spiteri and the deputy state controller. Professor Sutton and his deputy Annaliese van Diemen were copied into the email along with Health Department commanders Pam Williams and Merrin Bamert, and department deputy secretary Jacinda de Witts.
Dr Romanes requested an urgent governance review of the program and said the program needed a clear leader and direct line of accountability to the deputy chief health officer.
Professor Sutton said Dr Romanes talked to him about his views before he sent the email, and that: "I did support this as being called out as something that required urgent review".
"Absolutely, Dr Romanes was acting on behalf of me in highlighting concerns that he had."
In his witness statement, Dr Romanes also made the point that the hotel quarantine program should have been run as a “public health program, implemented with a public health approach”. Instead, “from what I could see, the program was characterised and managed predominantly as an accommodation or logistics program”.
Those leading the program “did not have significant public health experience”, he said, and Operation Soteria meetings “did seem to me to focus heavily on logistics considerations”.
While there were many logistical challenges, “I felt that public health considerations needed to be concurrently addressed,” he wrote.
Sutton wanted to be chief controller
Professor Sutton also confirmed evidence to the inquiry from last week that Health Department deputy secretary Melissa Skilbeck advised her department secretary that Professor Sutton would be too busy to be the state controller of the pandemic. He told the inquiry that he would have preferred being in charge of the state's COVID-19 response.
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Under the state emergency plan, the Chief Health Officer is technically supposed to be the state controller. He confirmed in the inquiry that he did not agree with Ms Skilbeck's decision.
"The position [of state controller] has line of sight of operational elements that I as chief health officer and accountable with all the powers that I'm exercising under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act that it's important for me to have line of sight of the application of those controls and to be appropriately aware, to have situational awareness of those operational activities," Professor Sutton said.
No endorsement from the chief health officers
The inquiry has also heard that chief health officers from across the country did not formally endorse the hotel quarantine program before Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced it.
Mr Sutton said the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, which includes all state and territory chief health officers and was chaired by then-chief medical officer Brendan Murphy, was not wholly convinced the quarantine measure was necessary.
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"As discussed, prior to national cabinet's [announcement] on March 26, 2020, the AHPPC did not endorse the idea of quarantining travellers at hotels (or other designated facilities)," Professor Sutton's statement reads.
Professor Sutton is giving evidence to the $3 million inquiry which is investigating how virus outbreaks among staff and private security guards at two Melbourne quarantine hotels – the Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza – seeded Victoria's catastrophic second coronavirus wave. A transcript of Mr Morrison's announcement of the quarantine program was shown to the inquiry on Wednesday.
Mr Morrison said: "The decision that I communicate from this podium [is] the decision of all premiers, chief ministers, and myself. This is not some personal view of mine, these are the decisions of the national cabinet based on the medical expert advice that we receive in terms of the restrictions that are necessary to deal with the management of the outbreak of the virus in Australia."
The inquiry heard the AHPPC met following the announcement, but there was "still no agreement or resolution to advise to that effect".
Counsel assisting the inquiry Ben Ihle asked Professor Sutton: "Do you agree with that?"
Professor Sutton replied: "Yes."
Returned traveller with COVID-19 released from quarantine
The inquiry also heard that at least one returned traveller left hotel quarantine while infected with COVID-19 and passed it on to the person who drove them home.
The person who was quarantined at the Stamford Plaza was unknowingly carrying the virus, but at the time COVID-19 testing was not mandatory for all returned travellers.
Even those who did test positive to the virus could not be held in hotel quarantine longer than 14 days and were instructed to self-isolate at home, the inquiry heard.
Genomics testing later linked the traveller's virus back to the outbreak at the Stamford Plaza.
Professor Sutton acknowledged other returned travellers could have left quarantine without knowing they were carrying the virus.
"They would have been questioned as to whether they had any symptoms and would have been released on the basis they were symptom-free," he said.
Counsel assisting the inquiry Ben Ihle asked: "There was no power though was there to keep them in hotel quarantine if they were merely demonstrating some symptoms but refusing a test?"
Professor Sutton replied: "No, other than the issue being escalated to me for consideration for an individual public health order for the purpose of testing or for the purpose of isolation for example ... That did not happen."
The Rydges on Swanston hotel - the main source of Victoria's second coronavirus wave. Credit:Justin McManus
Under new laws introduced in June, returned travellers who refused a COVID-19 test on the 11th day of their initial quarantine period could be detained for a further 10 days.
Professor Sutton said he had no control of how crucial COVID-19 infection prevention advice was disseminated beyond his office.
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He said he and his team provided advice on infection control measures to the Department of Health and Human Services.
How that was implemented across the quarantine program was beyond his remit, he said.
Mr Ihle suggested the advice was disseminated across the system at large, "but your team doesn't have oversight into how those policies are being proliferated and whether and how they're being complied with".
"I think that's a fair statement," Professor Sutton replied.
The Chief Health Officer was the first to reveal in July that genomic sequencing carried out by Melbourne's Doherty Institute showed that nearly all of Victoria's second-wave COVID-19 cases could be traced back to quarantine breaches at hotels.
He has previously said he first learnt about major problems with security contractors employed to guard the quarantine hotels when he read it in newspapers.
A Victorian public health official has also claimed he warned senior government figures, including Professor Sutton, that there was considerable risk to the health and safety of people detained in hotel quarantine.
The email, released by the inquiry on Wednesday, was from Public Health Commander Dr Finn Romanes and was sent on April 9, within two weeks of the quarantine program starting.
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Dr Romanes, a former deputy chief health officer, wrote there was "a lack of a unified plan for this program" and the people running the program were not "satisfied there is a policy and set processes to manage the healthcare and welfare of detainees, for whom this program is accountable".
"There are now considerable complexity and considerable risk that unless governance and plans issues are addressed there will be a risk to the health and safety of detainees," Dr Romanes wrote.
The email was addressed to state controller Andrea Spiteri and the deputy state controller. Professor Sutton and his deputy Annaliese van Diemen were copied into the email along with Health Department commanders Pam Williams and Merrin Bamert, and department deputy secretary Jacinda de Witts.
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No individual to blame for hotel quarantine debacle says former health deputy
Tulsi And Ashwagandha Green Tea May Help Beat Stress And Anxiety - Experts Reveal - NDTV Food
Tulsi And Ashwagandha Green Tea May Help Beat Stress And Anxiety - Experts Reveal
As per health experts around the world, herb and spice-infused tea (green, black or olong tea) have often been considered to be a natural remedy for several ailments.
Somdatta Saha | Updated: September 16, 2020 14:11 IST
Tulsi and Ashwagandha are potent adaptogens and can be consumed in form of kadha or tea
Highlights
Tulsi is dubbed to maintain the cortisol hormone level (stress hormone)
Ashwagandha has anti-ageing and de-stressing properties
Green tea is known to have calming effects on our nerves
Every chai-lover will agree to this that there's hardly anything a cup of hot tea can't fix. From reconnecting with your friends and loved ones over chai to rejuvenating yourself at any time of the day, a perfectly brewed tea does it all! And if you wisely add some herbs and spices to it, then it might go a long way to benefit your health too. As per health experts around the world, herb and spice-infused tea (green, black or olong tea) have often been considered to be a natural remedy for several ailments. Two such popular traditional herbs are Tulsi (Holy Basil) and Ashwagandha (Indian Ginseng).
For the unversed, both Tulsiand Ashwagandha have been an important part of traditional medical practice since centuries. These herbs are potent adaptogens and can be consumed in form of kadha or tea. As per Macrobiotic Nutritionist and Health Practitioner Shilpa Arora ND, "Ashwagandhaand Tulsi help balance hormones. It is the root cause for stress, fluctuations of mood and weight gain. Imbalance in hormone also reduces body's energy levels."
We bring you a herbal tea recipe that includes Tulsi and Ashwagandha, along with green tea, which may do wonders for relieving stress and anxiety after a long tiring day.
Benefits Of Tulsi For Beating Stress:
Tulsiis dubbed to maintain the level of cortisol hormone (stress hormone) in the body. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, basil is a potent source of antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.
Tulsi (or Holy Basil) is a rich source of antioxidants
Benefits Of Ashwagandha For Beating Stress:
According to Consultant Nutritionist Rupali Dutta, "This traditional herb has anti-ageing and de-stressing properties. It is used to fight depression, anxiety and boost cognitive functioning. In this regard, one must remember that the ashwagandharoots have several medicinal properties and one can consume the roots in various forms."
Benefit of green tea is no secret to the world. Other than improving metabolism, promoting weight loss and boosting immune system, it is also known to have calming effects on our nerves. It is enriched with Theanine that helps to beat stress and anxiety. A research by the University of Shizuoka, Japan, found that the students who consumed green tea consistently experienced lower levels of stress.
(Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.
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Our robot colleague Satoshi Nakaboto writes about Bitcoin BTC every fucking day.
Welcome to another edition of Bitcoin Today, where I, Satoshi Nakaboto, tell you what’s been going on with Bitcoin in the past 24 hours. As Descartes used to say: Whip it, whip it, whip it!
Bitcoin price
We closed the day, September 15 2020, at a price of $10,796. That’s a minor 1.11 percent increase in 24 hours, or $119. It was the highest closing price in twelve days.
We’re still 46 percent below Bitcoin‘s all-time high of $20,089 (December 17 2017).
Bitcoin market cap
Bitcoin‘s market cap ended the day at $199,641,896,762. It now commands 58 percent of the total crypto market.
Bitcoin volume
Yesterday’s volume of $32,509,451,925 was the lowest in five days, 41 percent above last year’s average, and 56 percent below last year’s high. That means that yesterday, the Bitcoin network shifted the equivalent of 514 tons of gold.
Bitcoin transactions
A total of 332,801 transactions were conducted yesterday, which is 4 percent above last year’s average and 26 percent below last year’s high.
Bitcoin transaction fee
Yesterday’s average transaction fee concerned $1.29. That’s $2.61 below last year’s high of $3.91.
Bitcoin distribution by address
As of now, there are 17,761 Bitcoin millionaires, or addresses containing more than $1 million worth of Bitcoin.
Furthermore, the top 10 Bitcoin addresses house 4.8 percent of the total supply, the top 100 14.0 percent, and the top 1000 34.7 percent.
Company with a market cap closest to Bitcoin
With a market capitalization of $198 Billion, Novartis has a market capitalization most similar to that of Bitcoin at the moment.
Bitcoin’s path towards $1 million
On November 29 2017 notorious Bitcoin evangelist John McAfee predicted that Bitcoin would reach a price of $1 million by the end of 2020.
He even promised to eat his own dick if it doesn’t. Unfortunately for him it’s 100.0 percent behind being on track. Bitcoin‘s price should have been $596,466 by now, according to dickline.info.
Bitcoin energy consumption
On a yearly basis Bitcoin now uses an estimated 69 terawatt hour of electricity. That’s the equivalent of Czech Republic’s energy consumption.
Bitcoin on Twitter
Yesterday 34,641 fresh tweets about Bitcoin were sent out into the world. That’s 66.7 percent above last year’s average. The maximum amount of tweets per day last year about Bitcoin was 82,838.
Most popular posts about Bitcoin
This was yesterday’s most engaged tweet about Bitcoin:
Tulsi (or Holy Basil) is a rich source of antioxidants
Ashwagandha also help to promote overall stamina
Green tea also helps aid weight loss and metabolism
