Coronavirus NSW: No new cases for second day, five VIC infections
NSW has recorded a second straight day without a new virus case as Gladys Berejiklian reveals she is ‘open’ to allowing travel to and from NZ. LATEST COVID-19 NEWS HERE
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Kiwis could come to NSW by Christmas if the state’s health authorities give trans-Tasman travel the green light but a proposal to allow New Zealanders to quarantine at home instead of in hotel quarantine is still “in the very early stages”.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she is receiving health advice on allowing Kiwis to come to NSW.
“I’m open to that so long as the health advice says it’s okay,” she said.
“I’d love to have those arrangements made reciprocal, in that NSW (residents) can go there as well,” the Premier said.
New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has said the country wants to get a ‘trans-Tasman travel bubble’ off the ground as quickly as possible.
Ms Berejiklian indicated that she would “feel more comfortable” with trans-Tasman travel if internal Australian borders came down first.
One option state and federal governments have raised is to allow people flying in from New Zealand to self isolate at home for two weeks rather than in hotel quarantine.
That would free up more spaces in the hotel quarantine system to allow more Australians to return home from further afield.
Premier Berejiklian said discussions about that proposal are “still in the very early stages of consideration”.
“The NSW government will continue to feel that we can look at other opportunities so long as we keep community transmission very low to negligible,” she said.
It comes as there have been no new cases of coronavirus diagnosed in NSW – the second straight day without a case.
Ms Berejiklian said she was heartened to see the results overnight but wanted to see a drastic increase in testing.
“I am worried about the lower rate of testing,” she said, noting only 6,400 people were tested on Sunday.
“Can I please encourage everybody not to get complacent. Make sure when you are out and about that everybody is socially distanced … if you’re with the family in school holidays, if you’re at a venue or outdoors, please note the threat of virus is still around us.
“The only reason we’ve done well is because everyone has been careful, has been following the health warnings. I don’t want to lull us into a false sense of security. We have to keep the virus at bay.”
Monday’s numbers come after the state began to wind back restrictions, with dancing now allowed for up to 20 people at a wedding and more than one parent able to watch their children play weekend sport.
Ms Berejiklian said she would be happy to see restrictions begin to ease further, when the health advice dictated it was safe to do so.
FIVE NEW CASES IN VICTORIA, THREE DEATHS
Just five people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Victoria.
The daily increase is the lowest in the southern state since four cases were recorded on June 12 while June 16, with nine cases, was the last time a single-figure was recorded.
Sadly, three more Victorians have died from the disease.
Melbourne is on track to be reopened by October 19, in time to celebrate the AFL Grand Final.
Extensive new modelling shows Melburnians are well ahead of projections for overcoming Victoria’s second coronavirus wave, with the citywide lockdown expected to be lifted a week earlier than previously forecast.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday confirmed Melbourne was tracking to open by October 19, which would allow people to gather in limited numbers to watch the October 24 Grand Final in outdoor settings at pubs and restaurants.
“In the modelling, we think that between broadly 12-17 October we will meet our targets,” Mr Andrews said.
NSW REGIONAL FLIGHTS SUBSIDISED
Key regional domestic air routes connecting Sydney with towns across NSW will be subsidised to ensure people can travel as coronavirus restrictions place pressure on the sector.
The federal government has underwritten air corridors including to Dubbo, Bourke, Orange, Cooma, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga to ensure a minimum number of flights between regional centres and Sydney throughout the pandemic, and will on Monday extend its support.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will announce the Domestic Aviation Network Support (DANS) program will be extended until January 31 and the Regional Airline Network Support (RANS) program will be extended until March 28 as the COVID-19 crisis continues to heavily impact airlines.
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“We acknowledge the disruption caused by current border arrangements has made life difficult in the aviation industry, with cancelled flights, refunds and passenger frustration,” he said.
“In regional Australia, flights are so central to local economies, underpinning many small businesses including tourism operators, while ensuring continued access to key medical supplies and personnel.”
The government expects the extensions will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the sector, on top of the $150m already spent on domestic routes.
Mr McCormack said the support for airlines would “boost” regional tourism and help drive Australia’s economic recovery.
APPEAL TO SICK AS EDs EMPTY DURING PANDEMIC
A massive drop in patients presenting at hospital emergency departments has raised fears people may be neglecting serious health checks because of the pandemic.
But researchers believe the fall also is a sign that isolation may have led to fewer injuries and people fronting up to hospitals for minor regular issues such as colds and the flu.
The number of people who showed up to emergency departments in the Western Sydney Local Health District between March 29 and May 31 this year fell by almost 25 per cent compared to 2019.
Emergency department presentations for common infectious diseases, pneumonia, appendicitis, wrist or hand fractures, stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage, and chest pain not resulting in another diagnosis were all lower in 2020 than in 2019.
The data from four Western Sydney hospitals was compiled in a Westmead Hospital report published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
“Social distancing may have reduced the spread of infectious enteric diseases and community-acquired pneumonia, and home isolation may have led to fewer fractures,” the report said.
“However, lower numbers of presentations with chest pain or stroke may reflect factors other than lower incidence, such as suspension of outpatient clinics and elective procedures, social distancing measures, and public anxiety.”
Senior Westmead Hospital doctor Andrew Kam, who led the research, said mental health was the one area where presentations increased.
“COVID-19 has profoundly affected health care delivery. We found concerning reductions in ED presentation numbers that may indicate delayed seeking of appropriate medical attention,” the report said. “Equally concerning is the higher number of mental health-related presentations, which may reflect anxiety about COVID-19, loss of job security, or prolonged isolation.”
SOCIAL DISTANCING, CELEBRITY STYLE
There appeared to be more social influencing than social distancing at a VIP fitness class in Vaucluse last week, but while guests were bending over backwards it seems they weren’t breaking any rules.
Former Miss Universe Australia Monika Radulovic and Bachelor star Sophie Tieman were among a dozen celebrity guests who attended the launch of The Pilates Class app hosted by influencer Natasha Oakley and Pilates queen Jacqui Kingswell in the eastern suburbs.
NSW Health recommends people keep a 1.5m distance from anyone not in their own household — although this is not enforced in residential homes.
Oakley said the event adhered to NSW Health guidelines and that, overall, it was a success.
“On arrival, our small group of guests had their temperatures checked and were also given the option to wear a face mask if they wished to,” Oakley said.
AUSSIE SINGER TELLS OF COVID BATTLE
At 27, singer Jaguar Jonze was supposed to be in the low-risk category for coronavirus.
As it turned out, though, recovering from the illness has been a gruelling slog, with the musician warning that young people can suffer extreme symptoms too.
“I was really sick,” she said. “I had a fever for five weeks straight. I had excruciating chest pain, diarrhoea, a dry cough, a sore throat and insane amounts of fatigue. I did struggle with shortness of breath and fatigue for so long, I was really worried.”
Jonze was diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning to Australia from working in the United States and subsequently underwent extensive treatment.
On Friday she released a new single called Deadalive, about her recovery from the illness.
“The fatigue was unbearable. I wasn’t able to stand up for more than five or 10 minutes,” Jonze said.
“After I left the hospital and went back into home care, I ended up putting an inflatable mattress next to my bathroom because I could not walk down the stairs or walk around or make myself food or anything.”
Doctors used Jonze to research the virus during her recovery.
“It really does take an effect, even on young people,” she said. “It is really not an old person’s disease. Maybe in terms of fatality you could consider those who are at risk or older to be a lot more vulnerable to it.
“But it does take away a lot of your wellbeing and I’ve had a few friends, also in their 20s, who have been struggling with fatigue and doing everyday things since they’ve recovered from the virus.”
Jonze, meanwhile, is one of three Australian women fronting a campaign for Reebok titled Not Your Princess.
Again, she drew on her experience recovering from COVID to find the confidence and strength to get back to work and model for the company.
“There are times where I struggle to get out of bed and find the courage and resilience to keep fighting,” she said.
“My survival strategy is to just keep walking through the mud and keep pushing and along the way you realise that resilience does pay off and showing fortitude brings back a lot more than just giving up.”