The release of COVID-19 data to the Geelong public has come under fire from a local opposition MP.
“This government has been noticeably slack in getting information to where it is needed in a timely fashion and that is not only unhelpful but, actually, dangerous,” Member for Western Victoria Bev McArthur said.
“It does nothing to instil confidence in the community.”
Mrs McArthur slammed the release of information for an outbreak at Golden Farms Poultry processing plant in Breakwater.
The site’s owner Turosi on July 24 stated an employee had tested for COVID-19 and listed another nine confirmed cases on July 27.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) did not list cases linked to the site as an “outbreak” in its daily updates until July 31 but has since linked 44 confirmed cases to the site.
“It’s completely ridiculous that we’re relying on journalistic scoops and leaked information to find out where and how many new cases are confirmed in Geelong, instead of hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth,” Mrs McArthur said.
She also called for DHHS to release all data in real time in the “battle of information” against the virus, rather than in “the late afternoon” the next day.
“There is absolutely no point in the government sitting on information,” she said.
“The faster the community knows about cases, the faster they are able to change their behaviour and act accordingly.”
But DHHS was working under Victoria’s “strict privacy regulations around the publishing of any medical data that may make a person identifiable”, a department spokesperson said.
“Where outbreaks are uncontained and there is an ongoing risk to the public, locations of infectious sites may be named in the media to ensure anyone who was potentially exposed can get tested if needed.”
The spokesperson said the department responded to every case it was aware of and notified all close contacts and potential cases privately.
“There are strict procedures in place to protect the public wherever someone tests positive to coronavirus, including close contacts being identified and notified that they need to self-isolate and seek testing.”
