Push for Victorians to book boosters; Changes to mask rules and jab mandates
Authorities say a huge number of Victorians are overdue for their booster shot as changes are announced for mask rules and jab mandates.
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More than 440,000 Victorians are overdue for a Covid vaccine booster according to the state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton.
In an update of Wednesday afternoon, Prof Sutton said 442,716 Victorians were overdue for their booster vaccine while 720,403 are eligible for their third shot.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommended the booster shot be brought forward to five months from the date of the second dose, a change which took effect earlier this month.
There are 6,274 booster appointments available across state-run vaccination over the next week.
The chief health officer’s update provided more detail about the Covid deaths recorded on Wednesday, which included three people aged in their 70s and 90s.
Of the total number of deaths in the current outbreak, 75 per cent were not fully vaccinated.
Of Victoria’s new 1,405 new cases, all were locally acquired except for five that were acquired overseas.
The 10 Local Government areas with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Casey, Moreland, Brimbank, Whittlesea, Melton, Wyndham, Glen Eira, Monash and Greater Dandenong.
“We encourage everyone to come forward to get their COVID-19 booster shot so you can continue to protect your family, friends and the broader community,” Prof Sutton said in a statement.
MASK RULE TO STAY IN RETAIL
A shock move to extend the mask rule in shops has been described as a “handbrake” on Victoria’s recovery, as NSW moves to ease major Covid-19 restrictions.
Victorian shoppers will be forced to don masks until at least January 12 after the state government reneged on its promise to scrap the requirement in all retail settings.
It’s prompted calls from leading business figures and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy for the government to align rules with NSW, which dropped masks and QR code check-ins at thousands of venues on Wednesday.
It comes as the state government begins to wind back its jab mandate as part of a host of changes introduced under new pandemic legislation, which replaced the state-of-emergency powers at midnight on Wednesday.
But masks will remain a fixture, despite Premier Daniel Andrews last month flagging that the rule would be lifted after December 15 if Covid-19 hospitalisations did not soar.
The number of people in hospital with the virus has remained steady over recent weeks, but the ICU admissions rate has increased, with the vast majority of those people being unvaccinated.
When asked why the government had backtracked on its initial plan, Health Minister Martin Foley said: “One word – Omicron. (It) has changed the landscape.”
Chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said that the “highly uncertain” nature of the Omicron strain had halted plans to strip masks.
“We’ll see a significant increase in our Omicron cases,” he said.
“It’s another punch that none of us wanted, but we’ve always rolled with the punches. We have to face the reality and being in denial about it will delay and defer being able to manage cases appropriately.
“We need to be able to lean in and that’s why mask mandates in retail have remained. There’s still a huge role for masks, for distancing and for ventilation.”
That is despite preliminary data collected by healthcare provider Discovery Health, which is responsible for 3.7 million South African patients. It found people infected with Omicron were only a third as likely to end up in hospital compared to those with the Delta strain.
Dr Ryan Noach, chief executive of Discovery Health, said the data – based on the first three weeks of South Africa’s Omicron wave – suggested they were experiencing a less severe situation than had been first anticipated.
While it was “clearly a highly contagious variant”, Dr Noach said: “What’s encouraging at this stage is a flatter trajectory of hospital admissions, indicating a likely lower severity of the illness.”
As part of the Victorian government’s new pandemic laws, under-18s won’t need to prove they are vaccinated to be in the community from Thursday. Previously, the edict extended to anyone over 12.
Unvaccinated people will also be welcomed back to shopping precincts ahead of the busy Christmas trade, while weddings, funerals and religious ceremonies can open to all, if they are not held at a venue subject to a mandate.
Restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, hairdressing salons and beauty services still remain out of bounds for the unvaccinated.
There will also no longer be a requirement for Covid-exposed businesses to conduct deep cleans, amid “mounting international evidence” that the likelihood of infection from touching a surface is “very low risk”.
The new measures will remain in place until January 12, but leading business groups and the state opposition want Victoria’s restrictions to align with those in NSW.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the Liberal Party had been calling for no mandatory masks and for the government to instead focus on improving the besieged healthcare system.
“I think we need to look at Covid and Omicron and other variants in a different way than we did in 2020,” he said.
“We can’t go back to locking down the population. We need to protect the vulnerable, we need to move on sensibly and safely, but not in a panic.”
Victorian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Paul Guerra said it was disappointing the government extended mask rules on the same day that NSW had pledged to move forward.
Mandatory mask use – other than in health settings, on public transport and in rideshare services – acted as a “significant disincentive” for people to go to work and support businesses, he said.
“Today’s announcement continues to pull the handbrake on our recovery when we should be hitting the accelerator,” Mr Guerra said.
“We would like to see the state government announce a date on which the mask mandates will be removed across these remaining settings, to give businesses certainty.”
Small Business Australia chief executive Bill Lang said traders were exhausted by the shifting goalposts.
“NSW is leading the way on this by ending most restrictions,” Mr Lang said.
“It is time for the Prime Minister to reel in the rogue state and territory leaders, such as Andrews, so we can get the nation on the same page with the same Covid settings.
“That is the only way that we can return to the quality of life and freedom that every Australian deserves.”
Oscar Yildiz, who co-founded the new Victorians Party and who will run at the next state election, said Victorians were “sick to death of the constant changing rules around Covid-19”.
“We are promised one thing and then delivered another,” he said.
“As the citizens were just beginning to think that Covid was behind them, it explodes once again into their lives.
RETAILERS WELCOME SCRAPPING OF CHECKS
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has welcomed the scrapping of vaccine checks in shops.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said a balance had been struck in allowing businesses to maximise their trade, while also protecting community safety.
“The removal of vaccine checks in retail will allow businesses to maximise their trade during the holiday sales period which is when most discretionary retailers make up to two thirds of their profits,” Mr Zahra said.
“With the vast bulk of the population now fully vaccinated, it makes sense to remove this impediment on businesses and customers, allowing people to move freely in and out of stores.
“We also saw elevated levels of customer aggression focused around the vaccine checks. Retailers will welcome the easing of tensions in this area and we look forward to these unsavoury incidents now being a thing of the past.”
Despite the government backtracking on its promise to scrap masks, Mr Zahra said staff and customers had become accustomed to wearing masks and respected the requirement.
HUNDREDS OF REVELLERS TO ISOLATE
More than 700 Victorians may have been exposed to the Omicron variant of concern, after a positive case carrying the strain attended two popular Melbourne venues.
The Department of Health on Wednesday morning revealed that a case positive for the Omicron variant attended Sircuit Bar, Fitzroy on Friday, December 10, between 9pm and midnight and The Peel Hotel, Collingwood between 11.30pm and 3am.
It is estimated about 320 people were at the Peel Hotel and more than 410 people were at Sircuit during these times.
People who attended either of the above venues at the times listed are deemed a close contact and must quarantine immediately.
“If you are fully vaccinated, you must quarantine for seven days. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must quarantine for 14 days,” a Department of Health statement read.
“You are required to get a standard PCR test as soon as possible and continue to quarantine at home. If you have tested negative but later develop symptoms, please get tested without delay.
“You must have another PCR test on the day before your quarantine period is due to end and receive a negative result before your quarantine can be complete.
“The people you live with are not required to get a test, but anyone who is symptomatic should isolate and get tested as soon as possible.
“Complementary public health actions are underway and sites are being appropriately managed.”
Other patrons who entered Sircuit on December 10 between 6pm and 9pm are being contacted by the Department of Health and asked to self-identify if they were present beyond 9pm.
They are also strongly advised to get a standard PCR test and isolate until they get a negative result.
“We’re still learning more about this variant, so we’re taking careful steps to ensure the safety and health of everyone in the community,” the statement added.
Owner of The Peel Hotel, Tom McFeely, said he received “contradictory advice” from the Health Department after he was alerted an Omicron positive case attended his venue four days after exposure.
“To me it’s like water torture,” Mr McFeely told 3AW.
“Two weeks ago I opened a venue, began to get a bit of hope back … now this happens.
“We’re hearing all different sorts of numbers. People are confused about the times.
“We heard something this morning about the person coming down from Sydney.
“I just feel as though there isn’t enough information being given to us – it really doesn’t help at all.”
Mr McFeely received a call from DHHS on Tuesday night, four days after the Covid positive case visited his venue on Friday evening.
“There was a lot more contact happening between Friday and Tuesday, so I’m unsure what the Department is thinking with regard to close contacts,” he said.
“We are supposed to be living with it, everyone is double vaxxed, I really think that … this is policy on the run, and policy on the run doesn’t work for small businesses.”
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