Rolling coverage: Vaccines to be diverted to areas suffering major COVID-19 outbreaks

A positive coronavirus case linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak has been admitted to ICU, while WA has scrapped plans to let Victorians back in.

• This coronavirus article is unlocked and free to read in the interest of community health and safety.

• Click here for full digital access to trusted news from the Herald Sun and Leader for just $1 for the first 28 days.

A patient infected with coronavirus as part of the Holiday Inn outbreak is being treated in intensive care.

The Department of Health confirmed that one of the 22 cases was in a stable condition in hospital.

“We wish them a full recovery,” the Department said.

WA has tightened its border restrictions after three new cases were revealed in Melbourne, after earlier planning to let Victorians in.

On Wednesday Premier Mark McGowan announced Victoria had been reclassified from “medium” to “low risk” as of 12.01am on Saturday pending no further outbreaks and based on the latest public health advice.

Under “low” risk arrivals from Victoria would have to complete a G2G pass declaration as to whether they had COVID-19 symptoms, undergo a health screening, and get tested for the virus on day 11 of their 14-day self-quarantine.

But on Friday the WA government upgraded Victoria to a “medium” risk – meaning Victorians cannot enter unless they have an exemption.

If permitted entry, Victorians must self-quarantine at a “suitable premises” for 14 days. If this is not possible, arrivals will be directed to a government approved quarantine facility at their own expense.

“Approved travellers are subject to a COVID-19 test within 48 hours of arrival and on day 11 of quarantine, or at any point when symptoms develop. A mask must be worn while travelling to and from the COVID Clinic,” the WA government website stated.

Mr McGowan had reinstated a hard border with Victoria last week in response to an outbreak linked to the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn, which has grown to 22 cases.

All other states and territories are considered “very low risk” and travellers are permitted to enter WA by undergoing a health screening without having to get tested for the virus or undergo 14 days of quarantine.

The Department of Health and Human Services has added Coles Express in Bentleigh East as a Tier Three exposure site.

Anyone who visited the site between 1 and 1.40pm on Thursday February 18 should get tested if symptoms develop and isolate until a negative result is received.

PM TAKES AIM AT VIC’S TRAVELLER PAUSE

It comes after Scott Morrison and Gladys Berejiklian took a jab at Victoria’s pause on accepting overseas arrivals, as the Prime Minister praised New South Wales for doing “the best job in the world” in tackling COVID-19.

Mr Morrison joined the NSW Premier on Friday ahead of the start of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, and talked up his state Liberal colleague’s efforts during the pandemic.

“Sydney shines on a bright day but it certainly has shined here during the course of this pandemic,” he said.

Ms Berejikilian said NSW was doing the “heavy lifting” on hotel quarantine, accepting about 3000 arrivals a week, as she added that she was “not sure where Victoria is up to”.

Mr Morrrison replied: “zero”.

Daniel Andrews is yet to say when he will allow Australians caught overseas to fly back to Melbourne, after pausing the arrival of international flights when he plunged Victoria into a five-day lockdown last week.

HOLIDAY INN TRAVELLERS LATEST CASES

A family of three who contracted coronavirus while quarantining at the Holiday Inn are the state’s latest positive cases.

The trio were staying on level three of the hotel at Melbourne Airport where the cluster broke out.

The parents and child left the Holiday Inn on February 7 but were put back into isolation at home when the outbreak was identified.

All three cases had negative tests between February 10 and 11 and all were quarantining at home during their infectious periods.

They took their day 11 tests at a drive-through site near their home on Thursday and got a positive result.

“This family of three, along with the 87 others who left hotel quarantine on February 7, have been in isolation,” Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar said.

Mr Weimar said 59 close contacts of that family were still being tracked down on Friday.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the outbreak “isn’t over yet”.

“All known contacts of cases or exposure sites need to stay in quarantine for the full 14 days to wrap this up,” he said.

Health Minister Martin Foley said more than 21,000 tests were carried out on Thursday.

Health Minister Martin Foley says high-risk workers will be the first to be vaccinated in Victoria. Picture: Getty Images

TASMANIA OPENS BORDER TO VICTORIA

Tasmania will relax it hard border with Victoria tonight after the state was deemed a “low risk” area.

Despite there being a number of “high-risk” premises within Victoria, which include the Holiday Inn and Brunetti cafe at Melbourne Airport, people who have not been in those areas for the past 14 days can freely enter Tasmania without having to quarantine.

But people who have been to one of the COVID-19 exposure sites are still not permitted to enter the state.

premier Peter Gutwein announced the changes will come into effect at 12.01am on Saturday.

“I’m pleased that because of the fast action that was undertaken in Victoria in response to their cases, the contact tracing and the way they responded has kept the situation in check,” he told reporters on Friday.

“We recognise the impact these restrictions have on many people … but I won’t apologise for doing whatever we possibly can to keep Tasmanians safe.”

Mr Gutwein said people who were quarantining after arriving from Victoria on or after February 13, and had not been to a high-risk premises, could leave isolation as of 12.01am on Saturday.

VACCINE TO ROLL OUT FROM MONDAY

Hospital and healthcare workers will be the first to be vaccinated in Victoria from Monday.

Mr Foley said high-risk workers in quarantine hotels and “access points”, such as airports and ports, would also be first in line for the Pfizer vaccine.

Vaccination hubs will administer the vaccine at locations across the state, including Austin Health, Monash Health and Western Health.

Alfred Health will also assist Monash Health.

“We are there, ready to go,” Mr Foley said.

“The vaccination is an important milestone that we all welcome,” he said.

The Melbourne Airport vaccine facility will be solely for those working airside and has been set up by Western Health.

Monash Health will run a number of vaccine hubs at Monash Health and Sunshine.

Hotel quarantine workers will also be vaccinated on the job, Mr Weimar said.

Mr Foley said existing coronavirus testing sites could not be “flipped” into vaccination hubs because they were not equipped with the adequate equipment to carry out the jabs.

However, more suburban locations will be added to the rollout once more vaccines become available from the federal government.

“Those much more community-based sites are more likely to come into play,” he said.

More than 5000 general practitioners have already expressed their interest in helping to administer the vaccines to the community, Mr Foley said.

“We will see a substantial growth in the number of vaccination sites.”

Mr Foley said the arrival of the vaccines and equipment was “imminent” as the TGA carries out quality assurance program on the shipment that arrived on Wednesday.

He said the state of emergency needed to be extended to protect Victoria from further outbreaks stemming from hotel quarantine.

Mr Foley said should the state of emergency extension not pass in parliament, other states would most likely close themselves off from Victoria if cases continued to emerge.

“This important legislation needs to pass,” he said.

VIRUS FOUND IN WASTEWATER

Meanwhile, health authorities are on high alert after coronavirus fragments were found in sewage in an area where there are no active cases.

Wastewater testing has revealed viral fragments of COVID-19 in Wantirna South and Boronia on February 15 and Carrum Downs, Langwarrin, St Kilda, Caulfield and Caulfield North on February 16.

Those suburbs are east and southeast of the CBD, whereas all active cases reside in the western suburbs apart from one person in Greater Dandenong.

Anyone who has any symptoms of COVID-19 and lives in or has visited the areas below during the following times has been urged to get tested:

• Wantirna South or Boronia from February 13 to 15, including parts of Bayswater, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield and Tremont;

• Carrum Downs or Langwarrin from February 13 to 16, including parts of Skye;

• St Kilda East or Caulfield North from February 13 to 16, including parts of Balaclava, Caulfield and Elsternwick.

Read the full story here

MAJOR OUTBREAK WOULD DIVERT VACCINES

Vital vaccines will be diverted to areas suffering major COVID-19 outbreaks under the rollout of jabs due to start on Monday.

Australia’s vaccine task force has developed a “ring vaccination” strategy to re-route doses to protect vulnerable people in outbreak areas, if there was a substantial risk posed by community transmission.

The rollout — to begin on Monday — will see initial hubs opened at four major Victorian health facilities to vaccinate all hotel quarantine workers in three weeks.

At least 240 aged-care facilities will also get a share of the available Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines next week as the rollout begins in 190 Australian towns and suburbs.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the life-saving vaccines would be taken directly to elderly people living in nursing homes across Victoria, including in Ocean Grove, Nunawading and Bendigo.

Vital vaccines will be diverted to areas suffering major COVID-19 outbreaks if needed.

“Right across Australia, every state and territory, rural and regional, and urban areas will be covered,” Mr Hunt said.

Queenscliffe mayor Ross Ebbels welcomed the news that the rollout would start with Victoria’s most elderly community.

“People have really been waiting for it, and because of our age demographic, we are a vulnerable community,” Mr Ebbels said.

Authorities are aiming to vaccinate all 678,000 people in phase 1A of the rollout, including vulnerable Australians and frontline workers, within six weeks. Vaccinations will be recorded online in the Australian Immunisation Register and will be accessible through Medicare for proof, both online and in a hard copy.

More than 142,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine, almost double the amount initially expected, arrived from Europe on Monday. The cargo was taken to a secure location, where it has been undergoing batch testing and quality assessment.

Authorities are aiming to vaccinate all 678,000 people in phase 1A of the rollout.

Victoria will receive about 11,000 doses a week for the first four weeks.

“First up is the international quarantine border (staff), hotel quarantine workers, airport workers, those people that are most at risk,” Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said.

“This is about using the first available tranches of the vaccine to make sure we keep the transmission as low, as close to zero, as we possibly can.”

Mr Hunt on Thursday also confirmed the federal government’s order for special syringes that are able to get six doses rather than five out of a vaccine vial had not arrived.

But Health Department Secretary Brendan Murphy said the syringes available were “absolutely fine” for now.

He said if an outbreak was detected, the AHPPC will have the power to order a vaccination blitz around it to keep vulnerable Australians safe.

“If they (the AHPPC) recommended a ring vaccination process for a group of people or an area then we would undertake that,” Prof Murphy said.

He said the rollout was the biggest and most complex task “in the history of the nation”. “We know there will be bumps in the road as we commence this task, unanticipated problems which we will solve together with our partners,” he said.

Mass vaccination sites will be set up by state governments in major cities and big regional areas when there is sufficient vaccine stock available.

EASTERN SUBURBS ON ALERT

Health officials issued an alert on Thursday night for several Melbourne suburbs after detecting coronavirus fragments in wastewater.

The Department of Health said there were multiple areas of concern where anyone with COVID-19 symptoms was urged to get tested.

These include people who live in or have visited:

– Wantirna South, Boronia, Bayswater, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield and Tremont between February 13 – 15

– Carrum Downs, Langwarrin and Skye between February 13 – 16

– St Kilda East, Caulfield, Caulfield North, Balaclava and Elsternwick between February 13 – 16

Wastewater samples were being collected from 60 sites across Victoria.

The Department said viral fragments in wastewater could be due to an active infectious case but could also be due to someone who has recovered from coronavirus and is continuing to shed the virus.

Crowds are slowly return to the Melbourne CBD after the state’s third lockdown.

MASK RULES TIPPED TO LIFT SOON

The state government has hinted the tough mask rules that remain in place after Victoria’s snap lockdown could be lifted as early as next week.

The restriction requiring Victorians to wear a mask at all times while outside the house — both indoors and outdoors — was reintroduced at the start of the five-day lockdown last Friday.

And while most restrictions were eased overnight, masks are still required to be worn indoors and outdoors where 1.5m social distancing cannot take place.

Health Minister Martin Foley on Thursday said the coronavirus orders were always subject to review and would be looked at again on February 26.

“At the moment we’re planning to look at (masks) Friday of next week. If circumstances change between now and then, of course, the measures will be changed,” he said.

While announcing the ­easing of restrictions on Wednesday, Premier Daniel ­Andrews said masks continued to be a “big part” of the state’s defence.

PLAN FOR WORKERS TO LIVE ON-SITE

Quarantine workers could live on-site or work under a fly-in-fly-out arrangement under a plan to move the program from city hotels.

Daniel Andrews said on Thursday he had been issued advice from a number of companies about the possibility of building a dedicated quarantine facility.

But he would not say whether he had met with Lindsay Fox to discuss basing a new facility at his Avalon Airport.

The Premier flagged the site as a potential option to largely replace the state’s hotel quarantine program, with talks between the government and airport operators underway.

The billionaire trucking magnate publicly supported the Premier amid Victoria’s extended lockdown last year.

“Daniel Andrews has had the balls to carry out all the things that he said he was going to do,” Mr Fox said at the time. “Now anyone else would have cracked and weakened a long time ago. I’m not Labor, I’m not Liberal, I’m Australian.”

The government said the new quarantine “village” — modelled off the Howard Springs facility near Darwin — would reduce the risk of the virus spreading with travellers to be housed in single-storey “cabins” with better ventilation than in hotels.