Covid-19 Australia: NSW records 681 new cases, one death; Victorian outbreak grows
Gladys Berejiklian has warned states and territories they need to learn to live with the Delta variant, as NSW recorded 681 new cases and another death.
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New South Wales has recorded another horror day, with 681 new locally acquired Covid-19 and another virus-related death.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the numbers on Thursday, and added at least 59 cases were infectious while in the community.
Ms Berejiklian said the man who died from the virus at St George Hospital had underlying health conditions and had received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
The number of cases eclipses the state’s record day on Wednesday, when 633 infections were reported.
“Western and southwestern Sydney are generating the vast majority of our cases,” Ms Berejiklian said.
She also conceded that reaching zero cases was now not possible.
“I appreciate what we are going through looks difficult but every state in Australia will need to come to terms with the fact that when you get to a certain level of vaccination and open up, Delta will creep in,” she said.
“We can't pretend that we will have zero cases around Australia with Delta.
“As the Doherty (Institute) report says, once you get to 80 per cent double dose and you have to open up, everyone will have to learn to live with Delta.
She said 110,000 people rolled up a sleeve to get a vaccine yesterday, and 52 per cent of the population had now received at least one dose. Twenty-eight per cent are fully vaccinated.
The lockdown affecting regional NSW will also remain in place after the restrictions were extended to align with Greater Sydney.
It was set to expire on Thursday night but given Covid-19 cases have been recorded as far west as Broken Hill, Ms Berejiklian and deputy premier John Barilaro said they had no choice but to extend it to at least August 28.
Ms Berejiklian doubled down on her message that September and October would be difficult months for the state.
She said once 80 per cent of the NSW population was fully-vaccinated by mid-November, decisions would “need to be made as to how freely we can live.”
“It will depend on the case numbers but life will be much freer than what it is now,” she said.
VICTORIA”S 345-DAY VIRUS HIGH
Victoria has recorded 57 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Thursday as Melbourne reached a grim milestone of 200 days in lockdown since the start of the pandemic.
The alarming daily case figure – a jump of 33 from Wednesday’s 24 infections – is the highest number of new cases since 70 cases were recorded on September 8 last year during the state’s deadly second wave.
Victoria’s health department confirmed the new local cases just after 8.30am, but in a positive sign they said only three were mystery infections.
The department revealed 54 of the 57 new local cases could be linked to existing outbreaks but only 44 positive people were in isolation during their infectious period.
The significant jump in cases was understood to be expected, as many of the new cases had just completed their day 13 tests in quarantine after being identified as a close contact.
It’s now 15 days since the first positive teacher at Al-Taqwa College in Truganina was detected with almost 2500 primary close contacts connected to the school starting 14 days of isolation a day later.
Those who have now tested positive are facing at least another 14 days in quarantine.
Premier Daniel Andrews said 41 of the 44 in isolation were day 13 tests.
“The system is working exactly as it should,” he said.
“57 seems a very big number, but when the vast majority of those have been in isolation for their infectious period, that’s exactly what we want.”
Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar has previously praised the school community for their co-operation with health authorities during the outbreak, with Western Health even establishing a vaccine hub at the college.
The suburb of St Kilda, along with the local government areas of Port Phillip and Glen Eira, remain a concern for health authorities after multiple mystery cases were uncovered in the region this week.
Mr Weimar urged anyone who lives, works, visits or actively uses that St Kilda area to get tested.
“There have been a growing number of unlinked cases in an area stretching from the outer areas of Middle Park to North Caulfield, across the LGAs of Port Phillip and Glen Eira,” the health department said in a statement.
“There is potential transmission along Fitzroy St and other commercial areas in St Kilda.
“People must get tested if they have been to exposure sites, or if they have had any symptoms – but the department’s public health teams are asking for more people to come forward for testing across the region, even if they aren’t currently showing symptoms.
“Testing operations in the Port Phillip and Glen Eira area have been enhanced and a new testing site has been established at the Palais Theatre car park in St Kilda. It will operate from 9am to 5pm and is both a drive-through and walk-in centre.”
There are now more than 550 exposure sites in multiple suburbs across metropolitan Melbourne.
There are 296 active cases across the state, up from 246 on Wednesday.
No new cases were recorded in hotel quarantine on Thursday.
CANBERRA OUTBREAK GROWS TO 83
Canberra has recorded 16 new local coronavirus cases as authorities in the capital scramble to contain a growing outbreak.
The total number of cases in the outbreak has hit 83.
Five of the new cases are still under investigation, and the rest have been linked to previous ones.
Out of the total number of cases in the outbreak, a total of nine have not yet been linked to other infections, Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.
“This is a crucial time in our public health response,” Mr Barr told reporters on Thursday.
“Please stay at home and support this effort. We need to drive these case numbers down to zero.”
The ACT was supposed to get out of lockdown this Thursday but the stay-at-home orders have been extended until September 2.
ANNASTACIA’S STERN MESSAGE TO NSW
The Queensland Premier has doubled down on her threats to lockdown the southeast yet again if northern NSW residents don’t do the right thing.
While on Thursday Queensland recorded its second “double doughnut” day in a row and is easing restrictions from Friday, NSW is expected to record high case numbers after Wednesday’s record 633 cases.
As health authorities and police seek to redefine who is an essential worker allowed into Queensland from northern NSW, Annastacia Palaszczuk said it would only take one person to enter her state with the virus and “all bets are off”.
Ms Palaszczuk reiterated that the entire state of NSW, including northern border towns like Tweed Heads, were under stay-at-home orders, and that’s “what they need to do”.
“It just takes one person to cross the border with Delta and all bets are off,” she said.
“I make no apologies for keeping Queenslanders safe.
“The sooner they (NSW) can get on top of their issues, the sooner we can get back to some sort of normality.”
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the concerning growth of cases in NSW, as well as IN the ACT, Victoria and New Zealand, was a cautionary tale for Queenslanders.
“It could be in our community any day now,” she said.
“Please, go out and get vaccinated and keep coming to get tested.”
Ms Palaszczuk warned that if the virus did cross the border into the Gold Coast, she would have no choice but to lock the city down.
“Businesses don’t want to see that,” she said.
“It’s a very tough situation, but everything we are doing is to keep Queensland safe.”
At least 100 Australian Defence Force personnel are expected to be sent to the border in coming weeks to support Queensland Police.
Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski on Thursday said there had been an increase in the number of vehicles coming across into Queensland, but police only had to turn around 317 cars.
“For those persons that are able to come across, question whether you really need to make that trip,” he said.
“Just because you’re authorised to come in, it doesn’t mean you should.”
‘GET VAXXED OR DON’T GO TO WORK’: AUSSIES’ COVID WARNING
The Federal Government has written to every nursing home operator in Australia warning that it will not extend the September 17 deadline for all staff to be vaccinated.
About 100,000 workers in the industry have not been vaccinated against Covid. The Australian reports that from Monday, the government will begin publishing “staff and resident vaccination rates in individual nursing homes in a bid to accelerate inoculations in the sector”.
Health Minister Greg Hunt and Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck wrote to providers, saying that nursing homes would be held to the cut-off date and unvaccinated staff “would not be permitted to work” after the deadline.
“As of 17 August, 2021, My Aged Care data indicates that over 63 per cent of workers have received a first dose and over 43 per cent are fully vaccinated,’’ Mr Hunt and Senator Colbeck said in the correspondence, according to The Australian.
“While these levels indicate a strong commitment from residential aged-care workers to be vaccinated … there remains a significant proportion of this essential workforce yet to be vaccinated ahead of (the deadline),” the letter reads.
“I expect exemptions to the mandatory requirement to be limited. As such, it is critical the vaccination rates of aged-care workers continues to increase, and that this happens as a priority.”
National cabinet agreed on June 28 that all aged-care workers in nursing homes must have at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination by September 17 as a condition of work.
Meantime, Victoria and NSW are bracing themselves for another spike in Covid infections, with Victorian numbers expected to rise to around 40.
NZ COVID CASE ‘ORIGINATED IN AUSTRALIA’
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed there is a link between a NSW Covid-19 case and the one which sparked an outbreak in NZ, as heath officials fear infections will grow.
Speaking at a press conference, Ms Ardern said genome sequencing had shown the outbreak is the highly-contagious Delta strain, and that it had come from NSW.
“Our case has originated in Australia,” Ms Ardern said on Wednesday. She did not say how, where, or when the transmission occurred.
Two new Covid-19 infections were reported in New Zealand on Thursday, brining the total number of cases in the community to seven.
Ms Ardern said she was “anticipating more cases”, and data modelling showed there could be between 50 to 120 cases linked to the outbreak.
“The key is to find them as soon as possible,” director general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, said.
Everyone over the age of 12 is now required to wear a mask when visiting essential stores that remain open during the lockdown, which was announced on Wednesday and will run for at least three days.
AUSSIE SENATOR IN QUARANTINE
Shadow Finance Minister Katy Gallagher is in mandatory isolation after her daughter became one of 17 positive Covid cases in Canberra yesterday.
The Labor Senator revealed her daughter Evie is “feeling pretty unwell and understandably worried about what this means for her and for the rest of her family”.
“Our household remains in strict quarantine until ACT Health advises us that we don’t need to isolate anymore,” Ms Gallagher said in a statement posted to Twitter.
“The rest of our family, including myself, have all returned negative tests. I am lucky as I am fully vaccinated. Unfortunately too many Australians have not had that opportunity.”
Ms Gallagher, who as chair of the Senate’s Covid-19 Committee has been highly critical of Australia’s response to the pandemic, did not indicate how her daughter was exposed to the virus.
“Here I sit tonight, where after doing everything right for 18 months, like millions of other families right around Australia — I am left with my children completely vulnerable to Covid-19,” she added.
– with additional reporting by James Hall and Emily Cosenza, Sue Dunlevy, Andrew Koubaridis, Tiffany Bakker
Originally published as Covid-19 Australia: NSW records 681 new cases, one death; Victorian outbreak grows
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