Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with NCCTRC Director of Disaster Response and Preparedness Abigail Trewin

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Katie Woolf spoke with NCCTRC Director of Disaster Response and Preparedness Abigail Trewin · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We are going to head across now and just try
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: to find out a little bit more information about how
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: things are going at well out at the Howard Springs
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Quarantine Facility. We know that the National Critical Care and
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Trauma Response Center are doing a phenomenal job out there
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: in making sure that certainly those international arrivals are being
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: well looked after and cared for. Joining me on the
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: line right now from the National Critical Care and Trauma
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Response Center, Abigail Truan, who is the director of Disaster
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Response and Preparedness. Good morning to you, Abby, Good morning Katie. Now,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: I know it's been well. I'm sure it has been
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: a busy time out there. How are things going.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: They're going very well. We've got just under five hundred
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: people here and a few of them get to go
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: home in a few days time, so I'm sure they're
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: looking forward to that.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: I bet they are. So just under five hundred people.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Are you expecting more arrivals in the near future.
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we certainly are. We've got continual arrivals which will
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: occur right through till March, and so yes, we are
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: getting those Aussies home, which is important. With a strong
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: focus on getting them home before Christmas.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Well, that is I think it's essential work. It is
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: something that needs to be happening, and certainly we've got
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: to bring our Aussies back home, Abigail. We know that
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: there are a number of people currently who do actually
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: have COVID nineteen who are out at the Howard Springs
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: facility that you guys are caring for. How do you
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: sort of how do you manage that and do you
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: have to take sort of different precautions with those who
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: you know are infected comparatively to those who aren't.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: Well the Astronomy Medical Assistance Team we've been working in
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: this space since February, so we've got some excellent policies,
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: procedures and the protocols for our staff to follow because
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: of course, you know, we were aware that it was
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: likely we would get people with COVID coming from the
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: country's that they were traveling from, and so we had
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: some strong protocols in place through our staff well before
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: they arrived. So they're enacted now and it means we
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: do things like ensure that those who are looking after
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: those with COVID are separate to the rest of our
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: clinical staff. That would be one example.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: And Abigail I know that there is going to be
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: or certainly it's been reported that there's going to be
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: the introduction of some regular rapid testing for some of
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: the staff out there at Howard Springs.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, that's correct. I think it's important to remember though,
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: you know, we're really lucky country. Australia has an excellent
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: laboratory system and PCR testing, which is the test that
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: most people will have if they're suspected of COVID, is
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: the gold standards.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: So in a way, absolutely the Gold stands. But we've
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: got layers of protection in place for ourselves, includes things
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: like wash your hands, really good quality ppe and then
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: of course we have daily wellness screening of everyone on site,
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: including their temper and then in addition we'll be introducing
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: another layer, which is the antigen testing as well as
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: the PCR testing is required.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean it sounds as though there is so
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: much being done to ensure not only that any arrival
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: is kept as safe as possible, but that the staff
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: out there are kept as safe as possible.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, ladie. Look I'm a local, I help ten
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: minutes down the road and my family lives here too,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: so we're all hypervigilant and making sure that we make
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: this as safe as we possibly can. And you know,
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: we feel for those in South Australia at the moment
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: because it is a tricky virus. You do need so
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: many layers to keep everyone safe and we all need
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: to remember not to drop our guard. We've been lucky
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: to date, but Darwin, South Australia and other states, you
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: know we need to stay vigilant.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, And I guess what we've seen as well in
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: those other states like South Australia and also Victoria, is
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: that it appears as though what happened or what has
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: happened is that we've had an international arrival and then
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: for whatever reason, at the facilities where they've been staying,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: things maybe haven't been as vigilant as what it sounds
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  Speaker 1: as though it is out there at Howard Springs right now,
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: and that virus has been able to spread. I mean,
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: it's a lot of responsibility, I guess on the shoulders
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: of you guys and your staff.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Well, I think you know we need to remember too.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: No staff goes to work to get sick, and all
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: of us work really hard to stay healthy and safe.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: But the virus, remember it takes a few days for
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: it to appear you might have it, and you could
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: be shedding that virus and spreading it before you actually
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: know you are. So you know, in fairness to everyone
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: who works in these high risk facilities, it's about not
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: only putting in place of procedures and protocols and reporting early.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: But I think you know, the discussion around testing and
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: testing regularly is a wise one because you know, not
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: everything is known about the virus, and we see how
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: fast it can spread even with all the rigate in place.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: That's exactly right, and such a difficult thing, i'd suppose,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: you know, for all of us, but such a good reminder,
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: like you've pointed out for us all to just make
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: sure we're vigilant. And I think that sort of goes
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: without saying, not even not only talking about within the facility,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: but also you know, out in your normal, sort of
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: normal life.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, you know, one of the things we've seen with
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: the virus is you can have quite mild symptoms, a
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: little bit of a scratchy throat, maybe feeling a little
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: off color, and you may not think it's a big deal.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: But this is why the testing, the PCR testing is
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: so important and for people to talk to their GP
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: and get that referral, speak to the COVID hotline, get
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: that referral. All of us need to keep doing that.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: That's regular testing, frequent testing for those who have symptoms.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: That's how we catch it before it gets any further.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: And Abigail, has your team or the you know, the
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center team, have you
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: had much to do with the arrivals coming from Alice
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Springs as well or has that been you just with
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: the international side of things that stage, so.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: We manage the international side of the facility. So no,
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: not at this stage. And I'm sure all of our
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: colleagues are working very hard on the domestic side to
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: make everyone comfortable and get them settled in.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: A busy time for everybody involved, no doubt about it.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Good on you guys and the wonderful work that you do.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: We really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks Katie, thank you.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: That is Abigail Truan there and she is the director
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: of Disaster Response and Preparedness for the National Critical Care
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: and Trauma Response Center. As we say, they do a
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: phenomenal job. I think we call them the Swiss Army
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: Knife of the medical world because they can roll out
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: and literally really help people wherever they go and in
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: some pretty difficult situations. So when we talk about those
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: international arrivals, they have got many layers in place to
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: try to keep staff and everybody out there as safe
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: as possible, which I've got to say it does make
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: you feel much more at ease with the fact that
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: we have got international arrivals coming to the Northern Territory because,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: as I sort of said throughout that discussion, we know
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: in Melbourne and South Australia that has unfortunately been how
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: they've been in a situation where that COVID spread has
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: happened at some of those facilities where the international arrivals
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: have been well going into. But here in the territory
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: we've got the wonderful team the National Critical Care and
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Trauma Response Center really managing things on the international side.