JOURNALIST Sandra Godwin looks back at the events and issues from January in The Guardian’s Year in Review series.
Tuesday, January 18
· The first deliveries of free RATs were received in Swan Hill as part of a government rollout to essential workers in health care, emergency services and disability and aged care. Businesses have suffered from staff shortages because of a shortage of RATs and long waits for PCR tests and to get results.
· Some stores introduced buying limits for pain medications as labour shortages affecting the transport sector resulted in some products being in short supply. Supplies of meat, toilet paper, nappies and hand sanitiser also were affected
Friday, January 21
· Swan Hill District Health was on standby after the Victorian Government declared a Code Brown for city and larger regional hospitals in response to increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients in a bid to ease pressure on fatigued hospital staff. The emergency declaration was expected to last four to six weeks. There were 289 active cases in Swan Hill.
· Stock had been running out the door of Swan Hill butchers’ stores as supermarkets imposed buying limits to address a shortfall in meat supplies caused by truck drivers and abattoir workers isolating with COVID-19.
