February 11, 2022
Jakara claims gold Barwon Heads has been celebrating this week, with Jakara Anthony crowned Australia’s newest Olympic gold medallist. The 23-year-old claimed Australia’s first Winter Olympic gold medal since 2010 on Sunday, after dominating the field in the finals of the women’s moguls in Beijing. After qualifying in top position on Thursday, February 3, Anthony was the standout on Sunday night, with her runs top-scoring in each of the three rounds of the final. She progressed through the first round with a score of 81.91, before making it through the second round and into the final six with a score of 81.29. But she saved her best for her third and final run, scoring 83.09 to claim the gold medal by almost three points over American Jaelin Kauf. With moguls runs scored on the speed, jumps and the skiers’ turns down the slopes, Anthony’s technique and air on her jumps stood out. Her stay in Beijing was short-lived, flying back into Melbourne Airport on Wednesday, where she was met by her proud parents, Sue and Daryn. “It still feels like I’m living in a dream,” she said at the airport. “It’s been a big past few days … and to be back having accomplished all my dreams, it’s a phenomenal feeling.” Anthony said she was appreciative of the support she had received from back home while competing, with Greater Geelong getting behind her. Christian College Geelong, where she completed high school, shared its pride on social media this week.
“We are so proud of your phenomenal achievement and celebrate your success in Beijing, bringing home gold for Australia … after so many years of hard work and effort by you, your team and family,” the school shared on Facebook. “Together with the rest of the nation, we applaud your remarkable character and determination as a person, and now as an Olympic champion.” Anthony also received an extra surprise with Australia Post announcing she would be featured on a stamp, which she described as “incredible”.
Jakara Anthony. (The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images)
Ambulances under strain By Ash Bolt
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Geelong paramedics have responded to their busiest quarter ever as the spike in COVID-19 cases last year saw an increase in code one callouts. Ambulance Victoria’s response time data for last three months of 2021 showed there were 4138 code one – lights and sirens – emergency callouts within the City of Greater Geelong, almost 200 more than the same period in 2020. Paramedics attended 74.8 per cent of code one patients in Greater Geelong within 15 minutes – compared with 79.6 per cent in 2020. The average response time to code one patients was 13 minutes and 13 seconds, about a minute slower than one year prior. Response times were faster within Geelong, with ambulances reaching 78.9 per cent of code one patients within 15 minutes, with
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many who do not require emergency care. “Most people with COVID-19 will not need an ambulance, as minor COVID-19 symptoms can be managed at home. If you develop severe - Tony Walker symptoms, you should call triple-0 (000) immediately.” On the Surf Coast, code one emergency an average response time of 12 minutes and callouts were slightly down on 12 months ago, 34 seconds. Ambulance Victoria Barwon South West but the average response time was more than acting regional director Jerome Peyton said one minute longer. The data showed 57.7 per cent of calls were the data showed the entire health system was reached within the benchmark 15 minutes, under unprecedented sustained pressure. He said as many as one-in-five calls to with an average time of 16 minutes and 28 triple-0 for an ambulance did not require an seconds. Ambulance Victoria chief executive emergency response. “Every call for assistance that isn’t an Professor Tony Walker said the record emergency puts significant strain on our crews workload and slower response times were to reach those who need us the most,” Mr no surprise given the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Peyton said. “Demand is now higher than pre-pandemic “We are now seeing a significant increase in calls from people with COVID-19 symptoms, levels. During the last quarter we were
Demand is now higher than pre-pandemic levels
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challenged by the peak of the Delta wave, the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant,” Professor Walker said. “Performance has also been impacted by the time spent offloading patients at busy hospitals and sicker patients who have delayed visiting their GP or specialist now finding themselves more unwell. “Paramedics are under increasing pressure due to fatigue and record workload, wearing PPE to all cases and furloughing due to COVID-19 exposure, reducing staff and ambulance availability.” Professor Walker said Ambulance Victoria was doing what it could to relieve pressure in the system and get more paramedics on the road, including recruiting 700 new paramedics in the last year and expanding secondary triage service and medium acuity transport services to free up resources.
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