Victorian school and childcare staff set for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations as antigen testing trials to begin
Home antigen testing trials will soon begin with schoolchildren and families set to explore their feasibility in a range of education settings.
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All school staff and early childhood services workers must be fully vaccinated by November 29.
The mandate applies to both government and non government schools, and all types of early childhood and care settings.
Staff will be required to have received their first dose by October 18 – or have a booking within one week.
Full vaccination will be required by November 29 unless a medical exemption applies.
It comes as the state government delivered “the biggest investment in education ventilation in Australian history” as part of a plan to keep schools safe.
From the start of term 4, 51,000 air purification devices will be rolled out to all government and low-fee non-government schools to remove potentially infectious participles — such as coronavirus — from higher-risk areas in schools, including staff rooms, sick bays, music rooms and other high-traffic areas.
The purifiers will be delivered by Samsung, and will arrive in Victoria progressively in the coming weeks and months.
2149 Victorian schools will also be entitled to a grant of up to $25,000 to buy shade sails.
Home antigen testing trials will also begin soon with schoolchildren and families to explore their feasibility in a range of education settings.
Masks will also remain mandatory for secondary school students and all adults, and will be strongly encouraged for children.
Education Minister James Merlino said: “I know Victorian families can’t wait to see their kids back in the classroom, but we need to keep safe once they’re there”.
628 NEW CASES IN VICTORIA, THREE DEATHS
Victoria’s case numbers have spiked again as the state recorded 628 new Covid cases overnight, along with three deaths.
On Tuesday, more than 60,829 Victorians turned up for a dose of the Covid vaccine.
Currently, 73.5 per cent of eligible Victorians have received one dose of the jab, while 44.7 per cent are double-jabbed.
WHERE TODAY’S CASES EMERGED
• 362 cases in Melbourne’s north, including 194 in Hume, 80 in Whittlesea, 47 in Moreland, 23 in Darebin, 10 in Banyule, and eight in Yarra;
• 113 cases in the western suburbs including 27 in Melton, 52 in Wyndham and 34 in Brimbank;
• 62 cases in the south-east including 26 in Casey, 14 in Kardinia, seven in Stonnington, eight in Port Phillip and seven in Kingston; and
• 11 cases in regional Victoria, with one in Wangaratta, one in East Gippsland, two in Geelong, four in Mitchell, two in Moorabool and one in the Macedon Ranges.
It comes as an outbreak at an aged care facility in Meadow Heights worsened.
There are now 17 residents and four staff members with the virus.
Acting chief health officer Deb Friedman said several residents had been transferred to hospital.
She said that was for a mix of reasons, including for general public health measures and for those that need to be monitored.
SUPPORT PAYMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION
Construction workers forced off the job for the next two weeks are eligible for up to $1500 in support payments.
Anyone who loses more than 20 hours of week in a week can receive the $750 Covid-19 disaster payment, while $450 payments are available for those who lose between eight hours and 20 hours.
The Herald Sun can reveal the state government has sought extra support from the Commonwealth after deciding to shut down the construction industry.
But this was rejected by the federal government because existing Covid-19 support measures would cover affected workers.
Scott Morrison confirmed on Wednesday morning that the disaster payment was “there to support them at this time”.
Speaking from the United States, the Prime Minister said that while the construction industry was facing a difficult situation, that was no excuse for the “highly distressing” protest actions in Melbourne.
‘None of us are above the law,” Mr Morrison said.
About $2bn in disaster payments have already flowed to 570,000 Victorians during extended lockdowns.
Daniel Andrews said on Wednesday more sectors would join the construction industry and residential aged care facilities that would need to ensure workers were vaccinated.
The Premier said deputy premier James Merlino would outline the further mandatory requirements later today.
The new requirements come as a top epidemiologist warned Victoria’s Covid-19 testing numbers are way too low.
Victoria recorded 603 local cases of Covid-19 and one death on Monday.
Nearly 49,000 Covid-19 tests were conducted, within the usual margins of 40-60,000 recorded each day.
But epidemiologist Peter Collignon said this number was way too low, and should be sitting closer to about 150,000 – the figure NSW was consistently racking up at the same stage in their outbreak.
“I worry the testing numbers in Victoria are lower than what they should be,” he said.
“If NSW can get close to 150,000 then Victoria should be in that same range.
“If you had 600 cases with 60,000 tests that‘s a one per cent positivity rate … it implies we’re missing a lot of positive cases in the community.”
The last time the state posted more than 600 daily infections was on August 4 last year when 686 cases were recorded.
More than 72 per cent of eligible Victorians have received one dose of the jab, while 44.1 per cent are double-jabbed.
There are 6000 active cases across the state.
HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOMS EXPOSED
For the fourth time in two weeks, the waiting room at Dandenong Hospital’s emergency department has been listed as a Tier 1 exposure site.
A case attended the waiting room from 1pm – 3.10pm on Monday, September 20, according to a Department of Health exposure site listing that appeared online after 10.30pm Tuesday night.
Dandenong Hospital’s waiting room was also listed as a Tier 1 site on Monday, in addition to its Tier 1 listing on September 11 and 12.
Read the full version of this story, here.
YOUNG KIDS IN LINE FOR PFIZER
Australia is urging Pfizer to seek approval from our drug regulator as soon as possible to deliver its jab to children aged five to 11, after comprehensive trials delivered positive results.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says the federal government is ready to begin vaccinating children once authorities give the green light.
Pfizer has unveiled trial results showing the vaccine is safe and effective for that age group in smaller doses.
Mr Hunt has written to Pfizer Australia saying he is “heartened” by the advice.
“I encourage and invite Pfizer to submit a parallel application to the Therapeutic Goods Administration for Australian regulatory approval at the earliest possible time,” the letter states.
“The Australian government is well placed to deliver this vaccine to this expanded age cohort.”
He also revealed that vaccinations would start “as a priority” if Australia’s immunisation panel also gives Pfizer the tick. Pfizer says it will share its data with US, European and other regulators as soon as possible.
“We are eager to extend the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorisation, especially as we track the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said.
Up to 4500 children aged between six months and 11 years took part in the three-phase trial across the US, Finland, Poland and Spain.
Those aged five to 11 were given two doses of 10 micrograms of Pfizer – compared to 30 micrograms for the 12-plus cohort – about three weeks apart.
“The Covid-19 vaccine was well tolerated, with side effects generally comparable to those observed in participants from 16 to 25 years of age,” according to Pfizer.
Children under five years, including those aged six months to two years, received a three microgram dose for each injection. Their results are due later this year.
The government’s chief nursing and midwifery officer, Alison McMillan, also welcomed the promising findings.
“Australia is ready and prepared for childhood vaccination,” she said.
Under a deal struck between the government and Pfizer, Australia will receive a total of 40 million doses this year, a further 60 million doses in 2022 and 25 million doses in 2023.
Nationally, almost 209,000 people aged 12 to 15 have received at least one Covid-19 dose.
However, that number is now expected to rise following two planes with Moderna supplies arriving in Australia over the weekend.
Moderna is Australia’s second mRNA vaccine. It will be available for people aged 12 to 59 in pharmacies across Victoria by the end of this week.
TOLL STAFF ROLL UP SLEEVES
TRANSPORT giant Toll Group opened the doors to its very own vaccination hubs on Tuesday in an effort to vaccinate its employees against Covid.
The program is available to all Toll employees, contractors and subcontractors on a voluntary basis, with 3000 team members able to access both first and second dose Pfizer vaccines for free.
Having received approval from the federal government, the hubs have popped up in Melbourne’s west at the Toll sites in Truganina and Altona North and at the St Kilda Rd main office.
They will be run by nursing, medical and support team members.
Toll Global Logistics president Peter Stokes said the program already had strong interest from staff.
“It’s important we do everything we can to support the vaccination rollout, including giving our employees priority access to vaccinations at a time and place that is convenient to them,” Mr Stokes said.
“We know that accelerating the rate of vaccination is key to protecting our people and communities, as well as supporting the easing of restrictions.”
Plans are already in motion to expand the program to more locations in the coming weeks.
Toll Group has also offered paid vaccination leave to its employees.
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