Covid Australia: National Cabinet to meet Thursday as record case numbers recorded nationally
Scott Morrison will discuss testing requirements at a snap National Cabinet meeting as the nation’s case numbers hit record numbers.
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An emergency meeting of national cabinet will be held on Thursday in a bid to forge a “clear pathway” forward for dealing with a significant escalation in Covid-19 cases across the country.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the main concern with Omicron was dealing with severity of disease, not the number of cases, which today alone has already surpassed 18,000 nationally.
The explosion in cases has led to the near collapse of Covid-19 PCR testing capabilities in multiple states after testing rules remained largely unchanged.
Mr Morrison said National Cabinet would discuss adopting a consistent definition of a close contact.
A close contact, as per the definition put forward by the chief medical officer, is a household contact which in turn is defined as someone who has spent more than four hours with a positive case in a house or care facility setting.
“So we are talking about someone that they are living with. We are talking about someone like me and my family here who are living here together, if one of my kids Abbey or Lily got it or of course if Jenny or any of the household staff here got it then we would find ourselves in that situation and I would be a close contact,” Mr Morrison said.
“If I went down to a restaurant down the road and I happened to pop in and get some takeaway and there was a case there, I would not be a close contact.
“What’s important with this definition is to try and understand that when you are dealing with a high volume of cases, we can’t just have everybody being taken out of circulation just because they happen to be at a particular place at a particular time,” he said.
“The uncertainty of that, the impacts on the economy and particularly given the fact we are not seeing this impact on our hospital system means that it’s an impractical way to live with the virus in this next phase.”
A shortened quarantine period of seven days for close contacts will also be considered by National Cabinet.
Mr Morrison said only close contacts and people with symptoms should undertake a rapid antigen test.
“What’s not necessary is for people to go out and bulk purchase RAT tests and having them every other day on a casual basis,” he said.
Mr Morrsion said the Commonwealth would share half the cost of RATs with states and territories. He said the Commonwealth had ordered another six million RATs that would arrive “very soon”.
The PM said Australia’s hospital systems had “ample capacity” to deal with the Omicron variant.
“We of course will continue to see cases rise, but those cases are not translating into the sort of serious disease,” he said.
“As Omicron continues to go forward we will see further pressures, but states and territories are working very closely on their plans to deal with those challenges, and we will discuss that further tomorrow.”
It comes as escalating Covid-19 case numbers, along with cumbersome travel requirements, caused testing clinics in a number of states to hit breaking point.
Victoria has since announced it had purchased 34 million rapid antigen tests, while New South Wales had purchased 20 million.
Queensland has not yet followed suit.
Victoria has recorded 3767 new cases, a new daily record, and five Covid deaths in the past 24 hours.
There are now 397 infected people in hospital with 62 active in intensive care and 28 on a ventilator.
More than 92 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and the state hosts 19,994 active cases.
A total of 75,132 tests were taken yesterday and 535 vaccines were administered at state hubs.
It comes as the first global shipment of Victoria’s 34 million free rapid antigen tests is set to arrive later this week.
Victoria Health Minister Martin Foley said it had “fallen on the states, as per usual” to secure the international delivery of 34 million rapid tests.
“We would much prefer to have a national approach to what is an international supply issue but failing that, as per usual, the states have had to step up over the course of this pandemic and fill the gap that’s been left,” he said on Wednesday.
Mr Foley also promised the rapid tests would be free to those who needed them most.
“Rapid antigen tests should be free and we will be making them free. Rapid antigen tests should be widely available and we will be making them widely available,” he said.
Covid-19 Commander Jereon Weimar said the first of the rapid antigen test deliveries would arrive within days.
“We’re really pleased that the government’s made that commitment for 34 million rapid antigen tests to be delivered during January,” he said.
“The first of those deliveries arrives this weekend there will be more deliveries next week and the following week.”
Earlier chief health officer Brett Sutton asked Victorians who need a negative Covid test in order to travel interstate to get tested in the afternoon in order to shorten lengthy wait times.
The chief health officer made the plea, asking travellers to avoid the “busier morning period” and take pressure of the embattled system.
“We kindly ask people who are getting a PCR test for travel purposes to get tested after 12pm daily,” he said.
“This will help reduce testing demand for symptomatic people and contacts during the busier morning period.”
NSW: 11,201 CASES
NSW has reported a record 11,201 new Covid-19 cases, another record, and three new deaths on Wednesday.
There are 625 people in hospital with the virus, with 61 of those in intensive care.
Hospital admissions increased by 68 from the 557 recorded on Tuesday, while ICU presentations rose by one.
Cases skyrocketed by 5139 from the 6062 reported on Tuesday, to make Wednesday’s figures the highest number of daily infections ever recorded in any Australian state or territory.
It is also the first time cases have been recorded in five figures and the first time more than 7000 cases have been recorded in a single day.
Of the over 16 population, 93.5 per cent are double-dose vaccinated while 95 per cent have had at least one shot.
There were 157,758 tests conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday.
QLD: 1539 CASES
Queensland’s daily Covid caseload has surged to a new record of 1539 as the state prepares to scrap mandatory PCR tests for interstate travellers.
Wednesday’s numbers are a up by a third on the 1158 infections recorded on Tuesday – bringing the total number of active cases to 6368 – although no one in Queensland is in intensive care with Covid, or on a ventilator.
Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard did however say two people in their 80s with other complications were “significantly unwell” with Covid.
“So this is not a completely benign disease,” Dr Gerrard said.
“I remain concerned about the older age group.”
There are currently 976 Covid cases in home care and 93 people in Queensland hospitals with Covid, though only eight or so people were being specifically treated for Covid symptoms.
Dr Gerrard flagged the state could soon change the way it reports hospitalisations – given the overlap of people being in hospital for other reasons – while he confirmed the state was also preparing to wind back contact tracing as case numbers continue to rise.
Dr Gerrard also confirmed a case of Covid had been detected on Thursday Island off the Cape Yorke Peninsula.
SA: 1000 CASES
South Australia’s Covid-19 cases have surged passed 1000 on Wednesday as Omicron runs rampant in the state.
The state recorded 1471 new infections, a jump of about 500 from yesterday’s total.
Premier Steven Marshall said expected the daily number of cases to double every three or four days.
He again urged residents to work from home where possible through to at least the end of January.
“Take the call to work from home very seriously,” Mr Marshall said.
“We’re asking every single employer to do what they can to reduce this transmission by asking their workforce where possible to work from home.”
The premier said 36 people remained in hospital with five of them in intensive care.
The state was not far off from reaching 1000 cases on Tuesday and was shy just five infections to reach the milestone number.
More than 80 per cent of yesterday’s 995 cases were Omicron.
Each day, South Australia continues to beat its highest ever daily case numbers with its highest being just 73 infections less than two weeks ago.
Premier Marshall also announced the state government would “likely” make it compulsory for frontline healthcare, aged care and disability workers to have their third dose within two weeks of becoming eligible.
Only once they've had that booster shot will they be considered fully vaccinated — which is the same requirement for healthcare workers in Western Australia.
The Premier said Police Commissioner Grant Stevens was drafting the direction.
“It is very important that we get those people in the frontline as protected as possible because we’ve got to make sure we preserve as much of our health workforce as we possible can through this period,” Mr Marshall said.
It was also revealed there would be changes to elective surgery in the next 24 hours — limiting it so only category one and urgent procedures could be undertaken — to ease the load on hospitals.
The Premier acknowledged the changes would be “hugely inconvenient” for the community, but said the significantly increasing number of cases was too much of a concern.
“We're doing this to preserve our healthcare workforce to the important task which lies ahead with the Omicron variant,” he said.
“The severity of the symptoms are lower but if we have everyone hitting the health system at exactly the same time, it will overwhelm the health system and that's why we need to stay on the front foot.”
CORK IT ON NEW YEAR’S EVE, SAYS SA HEALTH OFFICER
SA’s chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier has urged South Aussies to make this New Year’s Eve “the quietest anybody has ever had” in a bid to stop the spread of Omicron.
As a record 1471 Covid-19 cases were recorded in South Australia on Wednesday, in addition to thousands of active cases, Prof Spurrier told radio station FIVEaa restrictions would remain for an unknown amount of time.
“I think we do have a very serious situation with this outbreak, we’ve got some Delta but obviously what‘s really driving this is Omicron,” Prof Spurrier said.
“Our plan here in South Australia is to have some restrictions in place, and what I really want to emphasise today is if you don’t need to be going out and about, please stay away from other people and only go out for essential reasons.
“I want this to be the absolute quietest New Year’s Eve anybody has ever had. You can still make a bit of noise by yourself, I fully intend to do that on my own veranda.
“You can meet up with people on Zoom or Teams meeting and celebrate that way but we really do not want to have lots of people getting together during that New Year’s Eve period because again, it will trigger a whole lot of those super-spreading events.
“To be perfectly frank you could just about say everyone in SA fairly soon is going to be considered a casual contact.”
NSW CONFIRMS MASSIVE COVID RULE CHANGES
Close contacts of people with Covid-19 in NSW will only have to isolate until they receive a negative PCR test result under a major overhaul of the state’s quarantine system.
In a statement, NSW Health said it would only contact “a small number” of exposed people to direct them into self-isolation, such as healthcare workers or other high-risk groups.
“Most people who become aware that they been exposed to a person with Covid-19 will be advised of this by their friends, colleagues and social networks,” the department said.
“Most people who have spent time with a person with Covid-19 in an indoor setting are NSW Health said about 25 per cent of people exposed to the virus may still develop their infection after seven days.
“For the next seven days, they should exercise caution and avoid high-risk settings and large indoor gatherings, and use a rapid antigen test if coming into contact with vulnerable people,” it said.
With the state’s testing clinics and pathology staff under immense pressure and people waiting days for results, NSW Health has quietly updated the rules on its website for people who test positive.
Covid-19 positive people in NSW were required to isolate for 10 days from when they received their test result, but this has been changed to 10 days from the day they were tested.
People can return to the community after that period, if they are managing their own care, while those who are being looked after by a GP or a medical team can leave isolation when medically cleared.
The state government is also mulling a proposal to wind down the quarantine period for asymptomatic Covid-19 cases.
NSW residents who contract the virus but don’t have symptoms would have their isolation period slashed from 10 days to five under the plan.
Australia’s chief health officers are also reportedly considering cutting the isolation period for people who test positive to Covid-19.
It comes after health agencies in the US and the UK reduced the time of isolation requirements for Covid-infected people.
The new Australian recommendations will likely be presented to National Cabinet in 2022, Nine Newspapers reports.
CAUSE OF TESTING BUNGLE REVEALED
It can now be revealed what caused the Sydney pathology lab testing bungle in which hundreds of people were incorrectly told they had tested negative to Covid.
SydPath – operated by St Vincent’s Hospital – confirmed it had sent negative results to 950 additional people when “about half”of them actually had the virus.
The pathology service revealed on Monday afternoon that the group of people, tested on December 22, 23 and 24, were prematurely sent an SMS advising them their test was negative when their true result had not yet been determined.
It comes after 400 people were told on Sunday that they had tested negative when they had tested positive to the virus.
In a further statement on Tuesday, SydPath said the bungle was caused by a “simple data processing error” after the system moved from an automated to a manual system.
“In order to contend with the major increase in volume of tests SydPath had recently moved from an automated system to a manual system to expedite the release of negative test results,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, during this manual process a simple data processing error was made which led to the wrong test results being released.
“We have reverted to our automated systems to ensure this type of error cannot happen again.”
SydPath also confirmed “as of last night, all of these people received their accurate test results, 486 of whom were confirmed as being Covid positive”, which amounts to more than half.
It added the number of Covid tests it processed would be reduced.
“This event has come at a time of unprecedented Covid-testing activity,” SydPath said.
“In order to maintain the quality of our testing, we are reducing the number of Covid tests we process to ensure the volume remains within our capacity.
“A sizeable proportion of SydPath’s recent testing has involved those requiring a test for travel purposes. Due to overwhelming demand we advise that we must prioritise testing for those who need it most.”
In a previous statement, the lab blamed high testing volumes for the “human error”, which is linked to the testing bungle that necessitated the Boxing Day apology.
“Once again, we are sincerely sorry for this error and acknowledge the significant impact it has had on those involved,” SydPath said in a statement.
“We have identified what occurred and can confirm it was related to a specific human error.”
SA’S ALLEGED COVID CLUBBER ARRESTED, NAMED
A 19-year-old man who allegedly continued partying in an Adelaide nightclub despite being Covid positive has been arrested, charged and named.
Ralph MacIntosh from the eastern suburb of Kensington Park, faces a maximum penalty of $20,000 or two years in prison if found guilty.
Mr MacIntosh, who was moved into a medi-hotel to undergo quarantine on December 18, has been charged with failing to comply with directions under Section 28 of the Emergency Management Act.
Police allege Mr MacIntosh remained at city nightclub Loverboy and did not quarantine, after being informed by SA Health that he had returned a positive Covid-19 test.
SAHealth says it messaged the sick teen at 10.18pm Friday, December 17, notifying him of his positive result, warning he was “required by law to isolate immediately”.
After the incident, SA Health named the club a close contact exposure site, which forced 150 patrons and staff into quarantine.
Ahead of the arrest, the club issued a statement saying it would be “seeking justice” and outlining the flow-on affects of the alleged incident.
“Our business is no stranger to being closed, we’ve had to do it a lot over the past two years but now because of this we have to close our doors for the busiest week of the year and the majority of our staff and patrons will be opening presents in isolation,” it said.
“Christmas is supposed to be a time to celebrate with family and loved ones, however, because of the actions of one selfish person, that won’t be the case for many.”
QLD SCRAPS TESTING RULE FOR ARRIVALS
Queensland has moved to ease the burden on its Covid testing system by immediately scrapping the need for new arrivals to take a day five PCR test.
The announcement came as the state’s daily caseload hit a new record 1158 on Tuesday.
The new case figures represent a significant jump from the previous high of 784 set on Monday, with 4479 people in the state currently infected with the virus.
Despite the daily rise there are just six people in Queensland hospitals specifically needing treatment for Covid, increasing from four people 24 hour ago.
No one is in intensive care with Covid or on ventilation.
People still need to return a negative PCR test before they enter Queensland, but now only need to pass a rapid antigen test on day five of their arrival in Queensland.
“Immediately starting from now on – we will be getting information out of social media – but also to our public and private clinics out there … anybody who‘s waiting in lines now for their day five test will not be required (to do so),” Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said.
Queensland had earlier come under fire from NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard for its stringent testing regimen.
Mr Hazzard accused Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of “passive aggressive stupidity” for her refusal to scrap “tourism testing” requirements until the new year.
Visitors to Queensland from “hotspot areas” – including NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Adelaide – need to take a Covid-19 PCR test and return a negative result in the 72 hours before they plan to enter the state.
Testing sites in NSW and Victoria have been overrun as the states continue to record thousands of daily cases, leaving many struggling with extensive delays for results and forced to cancel holiday travel plans.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has urged the Palaszczuk government to reconsider its entry requirements, which his government has blamed for a significant amount of the demand on NSW testing sites.
The Queensland government has stood firm on the current rules, which it says will be reviewed on January 1, at the earliest.
Mr Hazzard has repeatedly criticised the Palaszczuk government’s position and escalated his attack on Monday.
“This is passive aggressive stupidity from the Queensland Premier at her worst. Getting rid of PCRs for tourism testing is absolutely critical so there can be a focus on the clinical needs of patients at risk,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“South Australia has seen the light and someone needs to switch on the lights in the Queensland Premier‘s office.”
He claimed there could “easily be another 100,000 to 150,000 tests purely and simply for people who want to holiday in Queensland” before the end of the year.
Mr Hazzard, who has been urging NSW residents only to get PCR tests if they have coronavirus symptoms, on Sunday accused Ms Palaszczuk of “effectively perverting the purposes of pathology testing”.
His comments follow days of disagreement between the two states as the demand for testing in Sydney and regional NSW continues to exceed capacity.
Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said on Sunday his state’s rules were not to blame for the delays.
“The overwhelming majority of people who are being tested in NSW are being tested because they are concerned about being infected with the virus in their home state and that is not surprising, this is a state that let the virus get out of control,” he said.
“So the pressure on the testing system in NSW and other states is not because of people wanting to travel to Queensland. And this is the same testing regimen as other states – South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.”
Mr Dick reiterated that his government would review the rules in the new year.
South Australia had required visitors from NSW, Victoria and the ACT to return a negative PCR test but the state changed its rules on December 26 to accept rapid antigen test results.
Tasmania still requires visitors from the ACT and parts of NSW and Victoria to return a negative PCR result from a test taken in the 72 hours prior to departure.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Tuesday the Commonwealth government welcomed the shift towards widespread rapid antigen testing.
“I’m not going to join these border wars. What I will say, though, is that we welcome moves towards rapid antigen tests as opposed to the PCR tests, because it is quicker, cheaper, and prevents the overload of the system,” he told Sunrise.
“We need an approach that is commonsense and uses compassion and is not based on fear or panic.”
COVID TEST BUNGLE VICTIM WAS ‘MORTIFIED’
A woman caught up in St Vincent’s Hospital’s botched Covid text debacle says she is “mortified” she has passed the virus onto her young niece and nephew.
Stephanie Colonna is among 400 people who were wrongly sent a text message on Christmas night telling them they were Covid negative, when they were positive.
St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney apologised on Sunday, saying the situation was believed to have been caused by human error.
Ms Colonna said she had symptoms on Monday and Tuesday but was turned away from testing clinics because they were at capacity and closing due to the heat.
“I went on Wednesday, got tested, isolated,” she told Nine’s Today program on Monday.
“I live with little kids and more members in my house, and I got the negative result Christmas Day.
“I was already isolating, because I’m a close contact, and then Boxing Day I got the positive result.
“I was just mortified. Like, to get two different results, you don’t know what to feel.”
Ms Colonna said she was yet to hear from NSW Health after receiving the message she had tested positive.
“Honestly, (I’m) very scared and nervous that I’ve infected my niece and nephew who are one and three,” she added.
“That’s what scares me and worries me, because if they are positive, I’m the one to blame, because I’ve infected them now.”
In a statement on Sunday, St Vincent’s Hospital said an emergency response team was investigating the cause of the mistake.
“SydPath last night incorrectly messaged more than 400 people, advising them they had tested negative to Covid,” the hospital said.
“These people had tested positive to Covid.
“As soon as we became aware of the issue this morning, SydPath immediately commenced a process to contact impacted people.
“We sincerely apologise to all those impacted,” the hospital continued.
SydPath medical director Professor Anthony Dodds blamed the mistake on the large volumes of tests.
“Owing to the very large volume of tests that we’ve been contending with at SydPath, last night, we incorrectly messaged 400 patients who had been swabbed at our centres from December 22nd and December 23rd, advising them they had tested negative to Covid,” Professor Dodds told reporters on Sunday.
“These people in fact had tested positive to Covid.
“As soon as we became aware of this issue this morning, SydPath immediately commenced the process to contact these impacted individuals.
“We sincerely apologise for the mistake that has been made.”
WA: BACKPACKER FLEES QUARANTINE
A Belgian backpacker linked to a Covid-19 outbreak in Perth has been arrested by police after allegedly fleeing hotel quarantine.
The male, 25, was isolating at a Perth CBD hotel since Friday after becoming a close contact of an unvaxxed French backpacker infected with the Delta variant.
The man allegedly left his room and tried to enter the hotel foyer on the morning of Christmas Day.
Police claim the man threatened to damage property, harm security staff and resisted officers.
He appeared at the Northbridge Magistrates Court on Sunday and is due to appear again on January 7.
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Originally published as Covid Australia: National Cabinet to meet Thursday as record case numbers recorded nationally
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