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Detailed COVID-19 Data by LGA for last 30 Days

Louise Black made this Freedom of Information request to Victorian Department of Health

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Dear Victorian Department of Health and Human Services,

I am working on the Water RA sewerage surveillance research project at present and I require some more detail around the covid-19 case reporting that DHHS produces in order to calibrate my process testing design to detect SARS-CoV-2 in effluent across various municipal water treatment facilities throughout the state. I have the high level reports of new cases announced per day and the aggregate cases by postcode, however I just require some more detail around these numbers in order to calculate the levels of viruli or RNA concentration we should expect to find in the blackwater samples and design the PID accordingly.

Can you please provide me with a spreadsheet of deidentified case reporting data for the period 1/7/2020 - 14/8/2020 that includes the following detail:

- Test (Sample Collection) Date

- Notification Date (to the department)

- Method of positive test detection (PCR or serology)

- Test Location (drive-in testing site [D], hospital admission [H], GP [GP], self-collected [SC], routine workplace onsite testing [HCW]

- Required to Isolate? (Y/N)

- Postcode of isolation location (most likely residence but could be hospital if admitted)

- New Case [N] or routine (repeated) test as part of health care management [R] ** this is important so there is not overestimating of the number of individual people who are currently infected to better calculate the viral shedding loads into the wastewater network, not just the number of positive test cases as many tests can be done on one person.

- Recovery Date (this can be the actual if reported or estimated date, loosely I've been using 10 days after notification date for recoveries/release from isolation but this would help to more accurately pinpoint where we see viral loads lessen if it's a known infection or not)

Thank you, I have tried to find this detail everywhere and asked our project contacts and also my friend who works in the NIR epidemiology team for guidance, apparently this data is collected it is just not published so this is why I'm seeking this request under FoI.

Cheers

Louise

Yours faithfully,

Louise Black
Envirotech Water Solutions

Good afternoon Ms Black

I refer to your application under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the
Act) requesting access to:

“... Can you please provide me with a spreadsheet of deidentified case
reporting data for the period 1/7/2020 - 14/8/2020 that includes the
following detail:

- Test (Sample Collection) Date

- Notification Date (to the department)

- Method of positive test detection (PCR or serology)

- Test Location (drive-in testing site [D], hospital admission [H], GP
[GP], self-collected [SC], routine workplace onsite testing [HCW]

- Required to Isolate? (Y/N)

- Postcode of isolation location (most likely residence but could be
hospital if admitted)

- New Case [N] or routine (repeated) test as part of health care
management [R] ** this is important so there is not overestimating of the
number of individual people who are currently infected to better calculate
the viral shedding loads into the wastewater network, not just the number
of positive test cases as many tests can be done on one person.

- Recovery Date (this can be the actual if reported or estimated date,
loosely I've been using 10 days after notification date for
recoveries/release from isolation but this would help to more accurately
pinpoint where we see viral loads lessen if it's a known infection or
not)..."

Your application was received on 27 August 2020.

The Act provides that an application fee of $29.60 must accompany each
request. In the current circumstances, the department's preferred method
of payment is via the Victorian Government's online FOI portal at the
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[1]https://online.foi.vic.gov.au/foi/reques...

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Please also note that, due to a high volume of requests, we are currently
experiencing significant delays in processing times. You may be contacted
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I would appreciate it if you would respond by 7 October 2020, otherwise I
will assume that you do not wish to proceed and no further action will be
taken by the department.

Please direct all correspondence relating to your request to
[2][Victorian Department of Health and Human Services request email].

Kind Regards,

 

Authorised Officer

Freedom of Information unit
Executive Services | Legal and Executive Services
Department of Health and Human Services | 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
VIC 3000
e. [3][Victorian Department of Health and Human Services request email]

 

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References

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1. https://online.foi.vic.gov.au/foi/reques...
2. mailto:[Victorian Department of Health and Human Services request email]
3. mailto:[Victorian Department of Health and Human Services request email]

We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are Louise Black please sign in and let everyone know.