Australia records second day without COVID-19 death for first time in three months

By Colin Packham

 

FILE PHOTO: A runner exercises along the waterfront near the city centre as the state of New South Wales continues to report relatively low numbers for new daily cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Sydney, Australia, September 7, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia reported its second straight day without any COVID-19 deaths on Friday, the longest stretch without any fatalities from the virus in three months.

 

Australian states and territories reported 16 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, down from 28 on Thursday, and no deaths for two days, the first time Australia has gone 48 hours without a COVID-19 death since July 11.

 

The results cement optimism that Australia has contained a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

 

The country's second most populous state Victoria, the epicentre of Australia's COVID-19 outbreak, said they now have less than 200 active infections.

"These are the results that come from a really determined effort to defeat this second wave," Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.

 

Australia has reported more than 27,000 coronavirus infections and about 900 deaths - far fewer than many other developed countries.

 

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-09

 

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Covid deaths are (in general and in my opinion) a bit of a myth. Several countries count people dying 'after having contracted Covid' as Covid deaths, regardless of the actual cause of death or taking into account recovery. Yes, some people are directly affected because of underlying conditions that Covid triggers. But for a healthy person to die directly from Covid is so incredibly rare it's almost unheard of.

I really wish countries would stop counting cases like this.

They should only count cases where people are hospitalised, and should only count deaths when it's clear that's the direct and only cause.

2 hours ago, 2long said:

Covid deaths are (in general and in my opinion) a bit of a myth. Several countries count people dying 'after having contracted Covid' as Covid deaths, regardless of the actual cause of death or taking into account recovery. Yes, some people are directly affected because of underlying conditions that Covid triggers. But for a healthy person to die directly from Covid is so incredibly rare it's almost unheard of.

I really wish countries would stop counting cases like this.

They should only count cases where people are hospitalised, and should only count deaths when it's clear that's the direct and only cause.

People didn't die of AIDS. They died because of opportunistic illnesses that immune system couldn't handle, like Karposi's sarcoma.

Thai boxer in story today that died after centipede bite had diabetes, which some think contributed to his death. Did he die of diabetes or insect bite?