65 new cases; Mansfield infection linked to Shepparton
Hundreds of Royal Melbourne Hospital workers are furloughed, with authorities believing a Shepparton patient inadvertently spread Covid while awaiting surgery.
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Seven cases are linked to the Royal Melbourne Hospital cluster, with that number is expected to grow as hundreds of workers were furloughed.
It is understood hundreds of medical staff are now isolating.
The alarming development comes as Victoria has reported 65 new locally acquired infections, including 10 mystery cases, and just 12 in isolation for their infectious period.
It means 53 people were out in the community while potentially spreading the virus — an increase to 39 people in the community on Saturday.
Authorities believe a surgery patient residing in Shepparton brought Covid to the hospital.
The index case is a visitor who caught the virus from a family member that was sharing a room with the source case, a man from Shepparton awaiting heart surgery.
Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson said the male patient was not tested until after the visitor tested positive.
He was not tested prior to surgery because authorities didn’t believe there was a risk in Shepparton.
Health providers have been contacted to reintroduce pre-surgery testing.
Three cases linked to the Royal Melbourne Hospital outbreak will be added to Monday’s cases.
Meanwhile, a new case, which will also be added to Monday’s figures, also emerged in Mansfield — linked to the Shepparton outbreak.
One more case linked to the Goulburn Valley outbreak emerged on Sunday afternoon, bringing the cluster to 23 total infections.
Ms Matson said the virus was so widespread that people needed to treat the virus like it was in their community.
“I ask everyone to consider that Covid may be out there as you go for your exercise, as you go to the grocery store, as you pick up your takeaway coffee, if you get UberEats, food delivered to your door, ” she said.
“We have community transmission. Please maintain the vigilance we’ve been practicing over the 18 months.”
There have been growing fears for the Shepparton area, after an initial 16 new cases were recorded on Saturday morning. But in the afternoon it was announced the figure had grown to 21.
These cases were included on Sunday’s numbers.
Twenty-one of the cases detected on Saturday are linked to the Shepparton outbreak, eight to Al-Taqwa College, eight to Hobsons Bay, five to MyCentre Broadmeadows, plus 13 to known outbreaks including St Kilda East and CS Square.
It comes as more than 44,000 Victorians turned out for a test on Saturday, while more than 26,000 were vaccinated.
On Thursday and Friday, just over two per cent of Victorians received a vaccination, health minister Martin Foley said.
Currently, 27 Victorians are in hospital, including 12 people in ICU, with five on a ventilator.
Victoria has 440 active cases, including 103 children younger than nine.
Meanwhile, a record 830 new Covid cases has been diagnosed in NSW, while three people have died as the outbreak continues to bubble out of control.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said 557 people were in hospital across the state, with 97 receiving intensive care.
NSW broke a grim national record with 825 new cases announced on Saturday, the highest daily number in any state since the pandemic began.
MORE PARTYGOERS FINED
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said 48 guests at the illegal engagement party in Caulfield North had now each been slapped with a $5452 fine.
The event, which was attended by 69 people, received widespread public attention more than a week ago after footage of the party was leaked.
Four fines had already been handed out to the engaged couple and the parents of the bride-to-be.
Eight interviews are still to be conducted.
The remaining guests are children who will be warned but not fined.
Mr Patton said that nearly 3000 people called the Police Assistance Line on Saturday to report breaches of the CHO’s directions.
“The most calls I’ve seen in a long, long time, if ever,” he said.
He said 55 infringements on Saturday related to private gatherings, with police nabbing 16 people at a gathering in Warrnambool and 12 people in Docklands having a “gambling party”.
It comes as the police chief lashed Saturday’s wild anti-lockdown protest, saying: “(It was) probably one of the most violent protests we’ve seen in nearly 20 years.”
Read the full protest story here.
2020 LOCKDOWN TOWER AN EXPOSURE SITE
One of the North Melbourne public housing towers plunged into hard lockdown last year during Victoria’s second Covid wave has been identified as a Tier 2 exposure site.
A positive case most likely resides in the tower at 33 Alfred St, with the building listed as an exposure site from August 17 through to August 21.
Some of the building’s residents will be required to quarantine for 14 days, while others will only need to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
A positive case has also visited Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, with the female public toilet near Big W deemed a Tier 1 exposure site from 9.05am to 10am on August 18.
More venues in Shepparton have been identified as Tier 1 exposure sites, as the town’s cluster grows to 21.
The University of Melbourne’s Shepparton campus is a Tier 1 site on August 17 from 6pm to 8pm.
Shepparton’s Chemist Warehouse was also visited by a positive case on August 16 from 12pm to 1pm and August 17 from 11am to 11.30am.
A handful of schools have also been deemed Tier 1 sites in or near Shepparton, including St Mel’s Primary School from August 16 to August 17 and Orrvale Primary School from August 16 to August 18.
The Mooroopna, McGuire and Wanganui campuses of Greater Shepparton Secondary College are Tier 1 sites also, from August 16 through to August 20.
Major League Indoor Sports and Delta Medical Centre in Shepparton have too been declared Tier 1 exposure sites.
Meanwhile, another kindergarten has been declared an exposure site, with Rupert Street Child Care & Kindergarten in Collingwood declared a Tier 2 site on August 16 and August 18.
Other recently identified Tier 2 sites include the construction sites at North Blackburn Shopping Centre and Waverley Gardens Shopping Centre, Fawkner Health Care and Darul Ulum College in Fawkner.
The new exposure sites come as regional Victoria is plunged into lockdown and Melbourne faces harsher restrictions.
PAID TIME OFF FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS
Nurses, teachers, paramedics, police officers, firefighters and other public sector workers will be offered paid time off to get vaccinated.
Health minister Martin Foley on Sunday announced public sector employees could now access up to half a day’s paid time to get each dose of the vaccine.
It’s part of Victoria’s drive to administer one million vaccine doses in five weeks from August 16.
More than half a million doses have been delivered through state-run facilities since July 30.
The new arrangements will apply to full-time and part-time staff, as well as regular casuals ant departments, administrative offices, statutory authorities, government schools, TAFE institutes, police and emergency services and other public sector agencies.
The paid time off to get vaccinated applies in addition to accrued sick leave, which can be used if people experience adverse side effects.
“We’re continuing to ask all Victorians: If you’re eligible please get vaccinated, it’s our ticket out of this pandemic,” Mr Foley said.
MORE SUPPORT FOR STRUGGLING BUSINESSES
More business support has been provided to regional Victorian businesses impacted by the statewide lockdown.
Grants to be paid through the new $146.6m initiative will be made automatically without the need for regional businesses to make an application.
The package comprises a $100.9m allocation to the Business Costs Assistance Program, $34.5m for regional premises that have previously received the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund grants, and $11.2m for the Alpine Resorts Winter Support program.
It’s anticipated the programs will support 20,000 businesses throughout regional Victoria.
Businesses that don’t qualify for the support, and have experienced a revenue of at least 70 per cent, can apply for a grant of $14,000 from the Small Business Covid Hardship Fund.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said businesses had to deal with “so much” over the last year and a half of the pandemic.
“While we cannot replace the bookings, the patrons or the work lost as a result of the lockdowns, this support package will help businesses to survive and get to the other side,” he said.
“For many, it will be hard to see right now but there is light at the end of the tunnel with more than 51 per cent of the Australian population aged 16 years and over having now had a first dose of the vaccine.”
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said the package would provide “assurance” to regional businesses who needed it most.
“No-one wanted to be in this position, but the rapid spread of the Delta strain and the emergence of cases in regional Victoria meant there was no choice,” he said.
“We are acting quickly, decisively and on public health advice to get ahead of this outbreak.”
Industry Support and Recovery Minister Martin Pakula said the direct payments allowed businesses to get money without needing to go through any additional applications.
COUPLES RUSH DOWN THE AISLE
Desperate couples scrambled to get married as lockdown loomed for regional Victoria before 1pm on Saturday.
Geelong residents Tom and Madi Cashin were scheduled to wed on Saturday night but could not bear postponing their wedding due to Covid restrictions and tied the knot just after midday.
“When I heard the lockdown announcement this morning I had just finished setting up the reception area,” Mr Cashin said.
“I called Madi straight away and said lets do our ceremony at midday.
“She said absolutely and rushed to get ready in under an hour.
“I sent out a message to more than 50 guests we had scheduled to come.
“30 people managed to scramble and make it on time – some were even in their active wear.”
Mr Cashin said although the day wasn’t the fairy tale wedding they had hoped for, they consider themselves lucky.
“The whole objective of the day was to get married to each other and we achieved that,” he said.
“We were so grateful to our venue, photographer, hairdresser and flower people for getting everything organised.
“We didn’t want to postpone and spend time feeling disappointed – we sure didn’t have any time to waste.”
CLARKSON’S COVID CALL
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says the sooner Australia learns to live with the virus – with appropriate vaccine levels – the better it will be for society.
Clarkson made the comments after his final game as coach of the Hawks ended in a draw against Richmond at a crowd-free MCG.
Asked if his farewell had been partly anti-climatic without fans, Clarkson said he felt more for affected industries rather than football.
“The sooner our lives accept the fact that this virus is here for good, like many other viruses that have been here for decades … the sooner we accept the fact that it is pointless trying to get zero (cases with) the virus … it is going to be here for a long time.
“So let’s work out how we can manage it as a society and get everything back to normal. “There are industries that are being crippled by these shutdowns.
“Fortunately, AFL footy hasn’t been implicated enormously, but still we can’t keep playing footy the way we like to play footy.
“The competition, while it has gone ahead, has been compromised enormously and the sooner we can get back to playing with crowds and that sort of stuff and managing this dreadful virus that is out there, the better it is going to be for everyone, particularly those industries that have been unbelievably (affected) by this virus.”
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