1638 cases, two deaths; spike in Covid hospital cases overnight
Victoria has recorded an increase in hospital cases, as well as a surge of patients in intensive care. It comes after another high local Covid case tally as NSW begins its move out of lockdown.
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Victoria has recorded a spike in hospital cases as well as a surge in people in intensive care and those on ventilators.
Authorities on Thursday announced 564 people were in hospital — a rise of 39 from the previous day.
There was also a rise in the number of people in intensive care and on ventilators.
The state now has 115 people in intensive care after 21 more were added to the list, and also 21 more people on ventilators, bringing that number to 74.
It comes as the state recorded 1638 new Covid cases, along with two more deaths.
The state’s active caseload now stands at 15,074 after more than 77,000 Victorians were tested for Covid on Wednesday.
There are currently 564 people in hospital with Covid, including 115 in ICU and 74 on ventilators.
Of the people in hospital, 66 per cent were unvaccinated, 27 per cent were partially vaccinated and 7 per cent were fully vaccinated.
More than 35,000 vaccines were administered by state-run centres in the past 24 hours.
Currently, 83.6 per cent of eligible Victorians have received a single vaccine dose with 54.5 per cent fully vaccinated.
It comes as NSW unveiled changes to its roadmap out of lockdown after the state reached its 70 per cent fully vaccinated milestone on Wednesday.
TWO REGIONS COULD BE FREED
Authorities are discussing whether Shepparton and the Moorabool Shire will be able to leave lockdown.
Both areas were plunged into a seven-day lockdown last week, as cases grew.
Acting chief health officer Professor Ben Cowie said the government would likely make a decision within the next day.
“We will be consulting with the local public health unit colleagues there who have the on the ground intelligence and variance of what is happening. That decision hasn’t been made. We will review all that and obviously give an announcement either way tomorrow.”
BREAKDOWN OF THURSDAY’S CASES
• 566 in Melbourne’s northern suburbs (43 per cent of all active cases)
• 485 cases in western suburbs
• 351 cases in south east suburbs
• 114 cases in eastern suburbs
• 115 cases in regional Victoria (707 of 15,074 total active cases are outside Melbourne)
VICTORIA ‘ON TRACK’ DESPITE CASE SPIKE
Victoria’s path out of lockdown remains “on track” despite recent record daily case numbers, according to a top Burnet Institute professor.
Mark Stoove, head of public health at the medical research institute, said the roadmap was not at risk of alteration.
“The numbers that have been coming through over the last week or so have been high and they’ve been stabilising between 1000 and 1500,” Prof Stoove told Today.
“But it is well within the bounds of our modelling … I don’t see any reason why the government would want to change its roadmap at the moment.”
Prof Stoove said he expected to see daily case numbers decline over the next week or two.
“Our latest look at the data in NSW actually suggests that the comparable vaccine coverage we’ve got in Victoria at the moment was clearly responsible for the bending of the curve in NSW,” he said.
“I think Victorians should be reasonably optimistic about where we’re heading at the moment.”
EYES ON LATROBE
Authorities remain concerned about Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, which has experienced a rise in cases.
Professor Cowie said a local lockdown should help stop cases from spreading in the region and buy contact tracers more time.
“Extended lockdowns in regional areas, as is the case of metropolitan Melbourne going forward, I think are going to have to become increasingly rare,” he said.
“The way we bring it forward and do it safely is to get as many people vaccinated as we possibly can right now.”
JAB BOOST FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Vaccination rates among Victorians living with a disability are lower than the general population, at 84.4 per cent.
Disability and Aged Care Minister Luke Donnellan said from October 8, all state-run vaccine hubs would provide vaccinations to people with disabilities without a booking.
A further 10 dedicated disability vaccination pop-up centres will be available in Covid hotspots this month.
“That will be those where we see hotspots, low vaccination rates, we’re going to go out and we need to keep pushing, harassing and just non-stop getting these vaccinations rates up for the community living with disabilities,” Mr Donnellan said.
“It’s just not acceptable where it is at the moment. We can’t open up when we’ve got people living with disabilities, with vulnerabilities, if they’re not at a higher rate of vaccinations.
“And that’s what we’re pushing to do today. These 10 dedicated disability vaccination pop-ups build on the priority access already available across many vaccination centres with enhanced accessibility and pop-ups.
“Disability friendly drive-through clinics and a dedicated new low sensory site at La Trobe University. This is on top of the two disability worker vaccination blitzes we’ve had over the last couple of months.”
CLUSTER LINKED TO BIRTHDAY PARTY
Students from several schools in the Essendon area, including a Catholic girls’ school, have tested positive to Covid after blatantly breaching health directions by attending a birthday party.
It’s understood the group of students attended the party in the past week.
Read the full article here.
SWEDEN HALTS MODERNA USE IN YOUNG
Sweden’s Public Health Agency has recommended a temporary halt to the use of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine among young adults, citing concerns over rare side effects.
Neighbouring Norway and Denmark reiterated that Moderna’s vaccine was not recommended for under-18s.
Sweden’s health agency said the suspension concerned anyone born after 1991 and should initially be in force until December 1, explaining that it had received evidence of an increased risk of side effects such as inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and inflammation of the pericardium (pericarditis).
Read the full story here.
NSW REVEALS CHANGES TO ROADMAP
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced students across the state will return to school by October 25 as he unveiled several changes to the state’s roadmap out of lockdown.
With the state reaching 70 per cent of its eligible population aged 16 and older fully vaccinated against Covid-19 on Wednesday, Mr Perrottet said he was able to announce the easing of several restrictions, including increased capacity at weddings and funerals.
Read the full article here.
GRIM STATISTIC FOR MELBOURNE’S CBD
Office occupancy in Melbourne’s CBD has dropped to its lowest level on record as workers opt to work from home during the city’s sixth lockdown.
A Property Council survey, released on Thursday, found occupancy was just 6 per cent in September, down from 45 per cent earlier this year.
“No part of Melbourne has been harder hit by the pandemic than our CBD. Many businesses have closed, office occupancy and vacancies are at record high levels and the CBD is on life support,” Property Council Victorian Executive Director Danni Hunter said.
“The City of Melbourne has done everything it can to keep the city alive as workers, tourists and students have been forced to stay away and our iconic retail and hospitality sectors have had to close their doors.”
Ms Hunter said initiatives such as vaccination hubs and testing sites at workplaces, lifting of work from home directions and a minimum three-day-a-week return to the office once vaccines targets are met should be used to entice workers back to the city.
“We need people back in the city as they are the lifeblood of Melbourne and support our businesses. The hybrid working model is here to stay and it’s great to have flexibility to work from home but there’s also no substitute for being together to collaborate and exchange ideas and knowledge,” she said.
“The CBD won’t bounce back of its own accord. It will require proactive action by the state government working in tandem with the City of Melbourne and business to revitalise the CBD over the coming 12 months as we switch our mindset from survival to revival.”
Ms Hunter said Melbourne’s central city economy supported 500,000 jobs and produced about 7 per cent of Australia’s GDP and 25 per cent of Victoria’s GSP at its peak.
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL ON ALERT
None of the children in the Royal Children’s Hospital cancer ward have tested positive to Covid yet, chief executive Bernadette McDonald revealed.
It comes after a parent visiting the Kookaburra cancer ward tested positive to the virus, placing staff, patients and visitors into quarantine.
The hospital executive told 3AW 12 patients across the entire hospital, including 8 who are receiving care through the hospital in home initiative, have Covid.
But she emphasised none of those patients were on the cancer ward.
“These patients have come in positive, they’ve not necessarily been admitted for Covid and have been admitted for other reasons.”
Ms McDonald said that while their cancer patients are at a “higher risk” they are “reasonably confident” the other children weren’t exposed to the parent on the ward due to their infection control measures.
“Our precautions are a lot better than a supermarket,” she told the program.
“We believe we have contained the outbreak.”
She said there are currently no Covid patients in ICU but revealed the hospital had treated Covid patients in the ICU ward before.
“We have had some covid cases in ICU,” she said.
Ms McDonald said vaccination was not a requirement for parents to visit the hospital, but their staff would be covered by the mandatory healthcare vaccine requirement beginning on October 15.
“But we’re really happy to say at least 90 per cent of our staff are fully vaccinated,” she said.
She said they were working to facilitate and encourage immunisation with staff yet to have their jab.
Ms McDonald said the hospital’s Covid screening protocol allowed for one parent or carer to accompany children into the hospital.
“But that does allow exposure sites to happen and that’s what’s happened in this case,” she said.
“We are finding the balance between allowing mums and dads and carers to come in … (it’s) a fine balance between restricting visitors and not having any visitors or parents at all.”
Children undergoing cancer treatment are at an increased risk of severe illness from Covid, raising fears about the potential dangers of a hospital outbreak.
But the patients in the RCH’s oncology ward are among the most protected because they receive care in individual infection-controlled rooms.
The latest exposure is among three recent Covid scares at the hospital’s surgery, intensive care and cardiac wards caused by infected parents and guardians, none of which have led to bigger outbreaks.
Professor Cowie said the positive case linked to the Royal Children’s Hospital cancer ward was concerning.
“Any outbreak in a healthcare facility is a concern,” Professor Cowie said.
“The department, and particularly all of our health services, have done a huge amount of work to both manage the risk as far as possible.”
A private hospital has also stopped receiving new mental health patients while isolating those already admitted after a staff member tested positive to Covid-19 last week.
A Healthscope spokesman said it was believed a Northpark Private Hospital staff member was infected outside the hospital, with one patient testing positive since.
“As a consequence, a number of patients and staff at the hospital have been isolating as close and secondary close contacts,” he said. “There are currently 11 patients in the mental health ward, five of whom are in isolation, with one having subsequently tested positive.
“All the patients are being supported by psychologists on site, and their treatment courses are being continued wherever possible.”
INDUSTRIES PUSHES FOR RAPID TESTS
Victorian businesses want a rapid antigen test trial immediately rolled out across critical industries, and quarantine orders reduced, in a bid to keep the state’s supply chains moving.
The state government announced on Wednesday that almost 2.2 million rapid antigen tests would be rolled out across the healthcare system before extending to schools, childcare and corrections.
But key industry figures want the fast tests widely distributed, and isolation protocols revised to promote certainty ahead of the state reaching key vaccine targets.
It follows calls to reduce the strict 14-day isolation requirement, with up to 100,000 Victorians trapped in their homes at any one time.
The two-week quarantine impost is wreaking havoc on key supply chains, with food producers and abattoirs and Melbourne’s ports struggling to keep operations afloat.
“This is going to cause further unnecessary delays in our supply chain and will no doubt impact on businesses and therefore consumers in the lead-up to Christmas,” Australian Industry Group Victorian head Tim Piper said.
“The isolation constraints that we currently have need to be relaxed in all supply chains to ensure we don’t have these artificial barriers.”
Victorian Transport Association chief Peter Anderson labelled the state’s supply chains “fragile” amid the growing list of exposures.
“As vaccinations steadily increase, the government needs to urgently reassess isolation requirements for essential freight workers so Victorians can have confidence access to essential food, fuel and medicine won’t be compromised,” he said.
Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said the industry had already been plagued by worker shortages, and that the public health orders needed to be reflective of the individual risk.
“This is a real concern and we need a more sophisticated and nuanced approach.”
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said the current measures needed to be “urgently addressed”.
“We are seeing similar issues, as occurred in Shepparton, across the state now as case numbers climb and essential businesses continue to be treated as Tier 1 or Tier 2 exposure sites, regardless of whether staff and customers are fully vaccinated or if there was any transmission of the virus at the premise,” Mr Guerra said.
The state’s largely closed hospitality industry would also be left devastated if staff were constantly “thrown into 14-day isolation periods”, Restaurant & Catering Australia chief executive Wes Lambert said.
“Victoria needs to look at adopting a more sensible risk category system that allows people’s vaccination status to actually mean something. We have to let the vaccines do their job and let the economy reopen for good,” he said.
Health Minister Martin Foley has flagged that isolation requirements could be overhauled for more settings in a matter of weeks.
CONFUSION OVER UNIVERSITY HOUSE PARTIES
Lockdown parties with up to 40 guests have been occurring at a popular university apartment complex during Victoria’s sixth lockdown.
UniLodge in Bundoora told the Herald Sun they had been given the green light by the Department of Health to host events, gatherings and parties during lockdown. But the department maintains the events did not fall in line with current restrictions.
The most recent party at the RMIT Bundoora Walert House was held last week to celebrate a birthday, it is understood.
Concerned residents have raised the alarm about the daily gatherings after two residents tested positive to the virus earlier this week.
It is not known if they attended the most recent event, but the entire apartment complex has been urged to get tested as a precaution, according to emails from management.
One resident, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said parties were a weekly occurrence, while pizza and movie nights, craft afternoons and barbecues happened daily.
“It poses an unacceptable risk to the public and could easily cause a superspreader event that increases infections in the community,” the resident said.
Common rooms remain open during lockdown while masks and social distancing are “strongly recommended”. Residents can still gather even after the curfew for events held inside the building.
A leaked email to residents, seen by the Herald Sun, said residents could gather in large groups as long there are no nonresidents in attendance.
But a Department of Health spokeswoman said indoor gatherings, including in residential settings, were a breach of the rules.
$1000 UP FOR GRABS FOR JABS
Melburnians can roll up their sleeve and win big as the city continues the race to vaccinate.
City of Melbourne campaign, Vaccine Heroes, encourages eligible residents to get the jab and enter in a competition to win on-the-spot prizes, totalling $50,000.
Daily prizes include a $1000 shopping voucher for Queen Victoria Market, Emporium or Melbourne Central. To enter, simply post a selfie on Instagram of you about to be vaccinated outside a vaccination or medical centre, having just had the jab, or with your state government Covid-19 vaccine card.
Tag @CityofMelbourne and in no more than 25 words share your vaccine hero stories and what you’re looking forward to when the city reopens.
Entries remain open until Sunday.
City of Melbourne CEO Justin Hanney announced on Wednesday that all staff, contractors and visitors attending City of Melbourne operated facilities must be fully vaccinated from November 5.
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