Covid-19 Australia: Australia hits one million vaccine doses in a week; Outbreaks grow in Vic, SA, NSW
Scott Morrison has faced a grilling over the AstraZeneca vaccine after revealing he had appealed to change the medical advice on who can get the jab.
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One million doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in Australia this week, the Prime Minister has revealed.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Scott Morrison said the vaccine program had its “challenges” but at these rates of vaccination Australia will “get to where we want to get to”.
“Today, with the most recent seven days’ data, we finally hit that mark of a million doses in arms in a week. We’ve been working towards that now for weeks. A few weeks back, we were in the 700 thousands and the 800 thousands. And now in Australia, we’ve got to a million a week," he said.
Another record was set on Wednesday with the total number of vaccines delivered in a day at 174,589, he said.
“That’s what we have to keep on doing to hit the marks and put Australia in the best possible position to be in to combat the Delta strain.”
Mr Morrison said the economic impact of the Delta variant and the current lockdowns will be a heavy blow but Australia will recover.
“Once we come out of the lockdowns whether in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria – those economies also return to growth. People will go back to work. People will go back and buy things in the shops. The sites will open again and the economy will come back to life very, very quickly,” he said.
He expects there will be an impact on the September quarter GDP and employment figures but, after speaking to the Reserve Bank’s Philip Lowe, they share the view that can be turned around in the December quarter.
In regards to financial assistance, the Prime Minister said $32m in support has been paid out in the past 24 hours.
“In New South Wales, we have already provided 452,395 grants of support. $219 million is already out the door. So this support is coming swiftly.”
Payments are being made to all states that are in lockdown, he said.
Asked whether he will appeal to the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) to change its advice on AstraZeneca, Mr Morison said, “It’s a constant appeal”.
“It’s a constant appeal. I can assure you. It’s a constant appeal. That the situation in Australia faces should be managed on the balance of risk, as ATAGI has said to me in the past.
“When they made the decision to restrict or to have a preference for those under the age ultimately of 60 to have the Pfizer vaccine, they said that they made that decision on the balance of risk.
“Well, it’s for them to now constantly reconsider how that balance of risk applies and provide their advice accordingly.”
Mr Morrison got fired up after he was asked by a reporter whether he conceded that “one of the challenges has been your own government’s miscommunication around AstraZeneca and whether or not people should take it”.
“They are an independent… are you suggesting that the government when advised by the tactical and advisory group on immunisation, some of the most senior level scientific somebody ‘cause in the country, tell the government that the preferred vaccine for people of particular ages is 50 and then they changed it to 60, that the government should refuse that advice?”
Mr Morrison was then reminded he had said there was a “constant appeal” for ATAGI to change the advice.
The Prime Minister hit back and said the government had “listened carefully” and had been “guided” by ATAGI’s medical advice.
Pressed about vaccine hesitancy, Mr Morrison said we will soon have a third vaccine, Moderna.
But he added: “My message is that people should be getting vaccinated as soon as possible with the vaccines available for them to get vaccinated. That is my message. And that is what I think is in Australia’s public health interests.”
BIG RISE IN NSW COVID CASES
Another 110 new cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in NSW, with an alarming 43 of those in the community while infectious.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said almost 84,000 people came forward for testing in the latest 24 hour reporting period, the biggest day for testing since the pandemic began.
“That is a high number but a number which reflects the high amount of testing that we had,” she said.
The staggering number of people infectious in the community is cause for serious alarm.
Ms Berejiklian warned residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary, even if they do not have symptoms.
“You might not have any symptoms and not know you have the virus and still be infectious,” she said.
“Those 43 people haven’t necessarily done the wrong thing. But what it does show is how infectious and contagious the virus is.
“Every time you have contact with another human being you risk either getting the virus or passing the virus on.”
Ms Berejiklian described the number of cases infectious while in the community as “concerning”.
Of the new cases, 54 are linked to a known case or cluster – including 40 household contacts and 14 close contacts.
The source of infection for 56 cases is under investigation.
Ms Berejiklian was asked why 43 people were infectious in the community and whether those people actually understood what the consequences of their actions were.
She was also probed about whether achieving the outlined target of zero infectious cases in the community before lockdown lifts was actually possible within weeks, but the Premier failed to answer.
“The NSW Government relies on the best health advice we have and I believe we have the best experts in Australia and arguably around the world working with us,” she said.
“You might be doing the right thing but unintentionally get the disease from someone else or unintentionally carry it. That’s the cruelty.”
“If we follow the rules in place (and) reduce our mobility.”
NSW Health said there had been 1528 local cases since the first case was reported on June 16 – a limousine driver who transported airport crew.
The premier also applauded people from the Fairfield area for getting tested as case numbers continue to soar in three local government areas.
“While they (cases in Fairfield LGA) remain consistently high compared to the rest of the state, we’re now seeing additional spillover in the Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Area,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Fifty of the new cases are from the South Western Sydney LHD and 29 are from Western Sydney LHD.
VICTORIA RECORDS 22 NEW CASES
Victoria has recorded 22 new locally acquired Covid-19 infections on Wednesday.
The state’s health department confirmed the new local virus cases about 8.45am and said all were linked to existing outbreaks that have stemmed from NSW.
Victoria has now recorded 107 cases linked to the two outbreaks that jumped the border from Sydney’s deadly Delta cluster – one from a team of Sydney removalists that transited through the state and the other a family that returned to Melbourne’s north from a NSW red zone.
As of Tuesday night, the source of one case – a woman aged in her 20s from Melbourne's north – remained under investigation.
It comes as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews extended the state’s fifth lockdown by another seven days until 11.59pm on July 27.
It was also confirmed there was one new case in hotel quarantine, with the number of active cases in Victoria at 118 — up from 96 on Monday.
NEW COVID CASE IN SA
South Australia has recorded a new case of COVID-19 – taking the current cluster to six – as the state entered its third lockdown for seven days from 6pm last night.
It joins Australia’s two largest cities, Melbourne and Sydney, which remain locked down.
Also, parts of regional NSW have entered a seven-day Covid lockdown as the state grapples to contain a spreading outbreak of the Delta variant.
The Covid crisis in NSW has extended to the state’s central west with three local council areas – Orange, Cabonne and Blayney – now under stay-at-home orders until Wednesday July 28.
It follows a positive test result returned by a pet food factory worker in Blayney. They were a close contact of an infected delivery driver who visited the site last week.
A string of exposure sites were reported in Orange on Tuesday.
“We understand this is a difficult time for the community and appreciate their ongoing patience,” NSW Health said in a statement.
LOCKDOWNS ‘NECESSARY’
Health Minister Greg Hunt said 2.9 million Australians have been vaccinated overall, with nearly one million people getting the jab in a week alone as lockdowns continue.
Speaking in Tuesday, Mr Hunt said 10,285,444 vaccine doses had been given, which equates to 35.7 per cent of the eligible population.
On the extended lockdown in Victoria and new lockdown measures in South Australia, he said: “ … these are difficult decisions, but I understand they are recognised as necessary. It’s challenging for so many people to – I know the Chief Medical Officer has been meeting with chief health officer is and he will be considering a Commonwealth hot spot definition in … South Australia.”
Mr Hunt said he thought the outbreak in NSW had stabilised, giving Australia some hope that lockdowns can be lifted.
It came after he was asked about Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton’s claims that because the Delta variant is more dangerous that Australia may have to alter its restriction protocols.
“It is important to step back and look at what the world is doing as well as Australia,” he said.
“The world is dealing with something we haven’t seen in 100 years. The difference is that while we have had agonising losses around the world, and tragic losses here in Australia, the scope and scale between the rest of the world and Australia are immeasurably different and we shouldn’t lose sight of what has been achieved on an extraordinary level in Australia.
What does that mean going forward? With over 4 million lives, 4.1 million lives lost worldwide and sadly, tragically, 915 here in Australia, what it means is that we will continue to use the different rings of containment which have led to the vastly different results here in Australia.” On NSW, he said: “The NSW outbreak now is I think making real progress.
“We saw it reach 100 cases. On this day a year ago, where I’m standing in Victoria, there were 275 cases and not long afterwards, only a couple of weeks later, there were approximately 700 cases in one day.
The difference now is that NSW has stabilised. That is the most important real sign of hope in Australia today. There’s more work do, as the premier said, today, with regards to the infectious cases in the community.
“They are stable, they are in no significant way either decreasing or increasing at this point in time, so that process of mopping up is under way now. What they have done is put in place, arguably, some of the hardest restrictions Australia has ever had and they’ve done it at a very early time.”
NSW LASHES ANTI-VAXXERS AS OUTBREAK GROWS
NSW recorded 78 new cases on Tuesday, with 27 of these in the community while infectious.
It follows 63,000 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm Monday.
Authorities are asking people from Canterbury Bankstown, Hurstville and Kogarah local government areas to get tested.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard took aim at anti-vaxxers while urging the community to get vaccinated.
“I just want to stress the message with to vaccinations. Some people describe themselves as anti-vaxxers and others for various reasons have opposition to vaccination. Can I just stress that anti-vaxxers obviously live in another universe and others who give messages that this virus isn’t dangerous and don’t get vaccinated clearly have no medical or scientific training. “This virus is an extremely transmissible virus. It can kill you and it can kill your family and your friends.”
Meanwhile, Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria will extend its snap five-day lockdown for another seven days.
The initial lockdown was supposed to end midnight Tuesday.
It comes as the state’s exposure list increased to 320 sites on Tuesday.
“This extension is not what we wanted to have to do, but it is the only option. It is what must be done and Victorians, as always, will continue hard and fast and early and that means this thing can be over much sooner than would otherwise be the case,” Mr Andrews said.
The premier also confirmed the new hard NSW border will be in place for the next two weeks.
He said from midnight Tuesday the only Victorians with compassionate exemptions or essential workers will be allowed back into the state from Sydney.
“Sydney has been a declared red zone for the purposes of travel. That is, if you do get a permit, you have got to come here, isolate for 14 days, as well as getting tested,” he said.
And a seven-day lockdown was announced for South Australia from 6pm on Tuesday after it recorded a fifth case of Covid-19 on Tuesday.
Premier Steven Marshall announced at an 11am Tuesday press conference health authorities had confirmed the Delta variant had infiltrated the state.
Mr Marshall said the bad news had left the government with no other alternative but to impose a hard lockdown.
“We hate to put these restrictions in place but we have just one chance, one chance to get this right,” he said.
There will be only five reasons to leave the home.
“If we don’t get this right we could be in an extended lockdown situation and that is something we have always wanted to avoid,” the Premier said.
THREE NEW CASES IN QUEENSLAND
It comes as three new cases of Covid-19 emerged in Queensland, including one that was locally acquired.
Acting Premier Steven Miles said the case, a woman, was unrelated to any of the existing clusters in Queensland, The Courier Mail reports.
He said the woman, who was fully vaccinated, had tested positive after recently returning from Melbourne and then travelled to Cairns and Mareeba.
“It’s a Queensland woman who studies in Melbourne,” Mr Miles said.
“We believe they have been infectious in the community from July 15.”
Mr Miles stressed that anyone who has been to Victoria, NSW and South Australia should look out for the relevant Covid exposure sites in those states.
Mr Miles said the risk of community transmission was in Queenslanders and people coming to Queensland who had been interstate.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the fully vaccinated woman, aged in her 20s, flew into Sunshine Coast airport from Melbourne on July 13.
She received an alert from Victorian health authorities on July 15, because she had been at the Young and Jacksons hotel on July 10, which was determined a Tier 1 exposure site.
“She immediately went and got herself tested and she tested negative,” Dr Young said.
She stayed with friends in Maroochydore on Thursday, and visited the Sunshine Coast Plaza between 3.55pm-4.15pm.
“Then from 6.45-8pm that night, she attended Rice Boi at the wharf at Mooloolaba,” Dr Young said.
“It’s critical that anyone who attended that restaurant on Thursday, July 15 to immediately come forward and get tested and isolate.”
She travelled to Brisbane Airport via public transport on Friday before flying to Cairns where she was picked up by a relative and taken home to Mareeba.
She has been deemed infectious from July 15.
Under Queensland’s public health directions, she should have gone into quarantine as soon as she received the SMS on July 15, filled in an online contact tracing form and continued to isolate “even after receiving a negative result” until health authorities released her, The Courier Mail reports.
According to the publication, the woman could face a police probe.
‘YOU ARE MY LIFE’
Two removalists charged for allegedly working while infectious have paid tribute to their mother after she was founded dead in her home after testing positive to Covid.
“Mama, my love, you are my life,” Roni Shawka wrote in a Facebook post.
“Mama, you are my comfort and my life, Mama”.
His twin brother Ramsin paid tribute to his mum with her photo on his Facebook profile.
The woman is NSW’s fifth death from the latest Covid outbreak.
NSW Police said in a statement officers responded to a concern for welfare at a home in Thursday Place, Green Valley, at 9.15am on Monday where they found the body of a woman in her 50s.
NSW Health confirmed the woman, 57, was positive for Covid-19 and was a close contact of another case.
“NSW Health today sadly reports the death of a woman in her 50s who was a confirmed Covid-19 case. She was a resident of southwestern Sydney and a close contact of a Covid case,” the department said.
“This is the 61st death in NSW related to Covid-19 and the fifth of the current outbreak.
“NSW Health extends its sincere sympathy to her family and friends.”
It has been reported from the scene that police officers wore personal protective equipment while inspecting the home.
Thursday Place was cordoned off while emergency services were on the scene.
“An investigation has commenced and a report has been prepared for the coroner,” NSW Police said.
Police announced on Saturday they had charged three removalists – two brothers aged 27 and a man aged 21 – after they allegedly travelled to western NSW despite knowing they had the virus.
The men have blamed the incident on a language barrier and believed they had followed health advice.
They say one of the men received their positive result when they were already in Orange.
SHIP CREW MEMBERS SICK
Two more crew members on-board a cargo ship docked in Perth have tested positive for Covid-19.
The BBC California docked at Fremantle Port on Monday morning, with eight ill crew members initially getting tested before returning to the vessel.
After they returned positive test results, the remaining six crew members were also tested.
The West Australian Health Department revealed in a statement that two more crew members had tested positive on Tuesday morning.
“All BBC California crew members have been tested and will remain on-board, isolated in their rooms until further notice,” the department said.
“Serology tests for the vessel crew members are still to be received.”
Premier Mark McGowan said on Monday all safety procedures had been followed, including the use of personal protective equipment.
The ship departed Egypt last month then travelled to ports in Indonesia before reaching WA waters.
Crew members are believed to be from the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Mr McGowan said his preference was for the crew to remain on the vessel unless they needed hospital treatment.
There are now 17 active cases in WA, including the 10 from the BBC California, six cases in hotel quarantine and one man who remains in a Perth hospital in a stable condition.
He became ill on-board another ship – the Emerald Indah – and was taken off the vessel in Geraldton earlier this month.
More than 9000 people received a Covid-19 vaccination in WA on Monday, including more than 5000 who had their second dose.
– with Angie Raphael, James Hall, David Aidone, Evin Priest, Emily Cosenza
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Originally published as Covid-19 Australia: Australia hits one million vaccine doses in a week; Outbreaks grow in Vic, SA, NSW
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