NSW records 447 new Covid cases and six deaths

NSW has recorded 447 new Covid-19 cases and the deaths of six men, as the Dominic Perrottet urges people to act safely as the state “leads the country out of the pandemic” on Freedom Day tomorrow.

Premier Dominic Perrottet says NSW is “leading our country out of this pandemic” as it reaches 90 per cent first dose vaccination coverage and prepares to lift Covid restrictions from midnight.

“The efforts every single person across NSW has made has ensured that tomorrow we can open up cautiously, safely, but importantly provide opportunity and prosperity for the people of NSW,” he said at a media conference on Sunday.

“That’s not on the government, that’s on every single one of our people.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet delivers a business update on Sunday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Mr Perrottet urged residents to treat each other with kindness and respect when the state opens up to the fully vaccinated on Monday.
“It’s an exciting day for our state, but I do want to reiterate, we need to do this in a safe way,” he said.
“Please treat everybody with respect, with kindness, that will be key as we move through this period of time.”

“Our aim is to get businesses open, to get people back to work, but we can only do that if people show respect, be kind, be patient and get their vaccination certificate downloaded.”

“If we work together as a state, as we have over the last 18 months, we will get through this together.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet delivers a business update from a hotel on Sunday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

He said people should be prepared for the reopening by downloading their vaccination certificates through MyGov and other available portals, although ServiceNSW technology for information to be combined with QR check-in details was not yet complete.

Minister for Digital and Customer Service Victor Dominello, who among the team of ministers at the update, said he hoped that quarantine information would be seamlessly integrated with check-in QR codes by the 80 per cent vaccination reopening, expected to be on October 25.

“We’re sill in a pandemic and things don’t always go perfectly,” he said.

In response to questions, Minister for Jobs and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the government had begun a trial of home quarantine for overseas arrivals and Qantas aircrew staff and hoped to extend this to other groups in late October or early November.

“I want the Police Commisioner out of the tourism business,” he said.

Brad Hazzard and Dominic Perrottet at Sunday’s press conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the slight variation in the Delta variation that had been detected so only so far been seen in a handful of people and there are so far no indications of it being more dangerous than the existing strain.

However said people should continue to follow health advice.

“We are still in the middle of a pandemic and there are still measures we can take to keep our colleagues, our friends and our family safe. We can still maintain social distancing.

“Don’t stop using the QR codes because it helps. Do the things that you’ve always done, but just enjoy life now in a way that is far freer.”

He also said tomorrow marked the end of “LGAs of concern”.

“As as one minutes past midnight, Sydney will be one great city, as it always should have been, but the pandemic go in the way,” he said.

NSW records 447 new Covid cases and six deaths

NSW has recorded 447 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours up to 8pm Saturday.

Six men, aged in their 50s, 60s and 70s, have died in the same period.

One was from western Sydney, one from south eastern Sydney, two from south western Sydney, and two from southern NSW.

Five were not vaccinated, and one had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 90 per cent of residents aged 16 and over have one dose of vaccine, and 72.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.

NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty, who gave the update via internet livestream, said nearly 11 millions vaccine doses have now been delivered in the state.

Of those with Covid-19 in NSW, 794 are in hospital, 159 are in intensive care and 76 require ventilators.

Victoria records 1890 new local cases, five deaths

Victoria has recorded 1890 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases and five more deaths on Sunday.

The health department confirmed the new figures about 8.30am after the state broke the national record for the highest number of new daily cases for the second day in a row the previous day.

Sunday’s figure is a slight dip on Saturday’s 1965 new cases, but is still the state’s second highest day ever.

The new deaths takes the number of lives lost during the outbreak to 85 and the death toll of the entire pandemic in Victoria to 905.

At least 578 positive Covid patients are in hospital in Victoria, with 117 of those in intensive care, including 83 cases on a ventilator.
But despite the record levels of new cases, authorities have maintained the state’s reopening road map remains “on track” with lockdown set to end around October 26 when 70 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he is committed to ending lockdown at the 70 per cent fully vaccinated target. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

As of Saturday, 85.6 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 57 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Premier Daniel Andrews committed to ending the lockdown as planned when the state reached 70 per cent fully vaccinated.

“We are on track to meet the targets. We may be ahead of schedule but I don’t want any sense of complacency to creep in,” he said last week.

“At this stage, I’ve got no advice that we have to alter anything on the road map.”

The NSW lockdown will end on Monday after the state reached the 70 per cent double dose target last week.

There are 18,342 active coronavirus cases in Victoria.

Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson has warned Victoria could reach 3000 daily case by the end of this month.

“At this point in time, we are on track in terms of hospitalisations and new cases,” she said.

“But I will remind you there is a middle line and an upper and lower band, and we are still within that band.”

Victoria has recorded 11,794 in the past week alone.