Coronavirus: Victoria’s case-free streak continues as US infections spike
Victoria has reported no new COVID-19 cases for the eighth straight day with the state set for a massive easing of restrictions, as the US recorded a second consecutive day of 100,000 infections.
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Victoria has recorded another virus free day, with the state managing eight consecutive days without recording a single coronavirus case.
There were no cases and no deaths announced on Saturday as Victorians prepare for a further easing of restrictions on Sunday.
The 14-day rolling average for metropolitan Melbourne remains well below the safe threshold of five, falling to 0.9.
The number of cases from an unknown source remains at two.
Victoria hasn’t recorded a single case of COVID-19 since October 30, when four infections were recorded. The state also hasn’t had more than a week of zero cases since February.
There are no active cases across the state’s aged care system.
More restrictions are expected to ease on Sunday, including the removal of Melbourne’s 25km travel bubble while the “ring of steel” between the city and regional Victoria could be lifted.
Caps on indoor venues such as gyms and restaurants will loosen.
Childcare and early educators are open, schools are open for onsite learning but adult education classes must be done from home if possible.
However, The Herald Sun reported that masks will be discussed at a the Crisis Council of Cabinet meeting on Saturday.
According to the publication there has been discussion between health authorities that requirements around masks could be removed when outdoors or alone.
US TOPS 100,000 COVID INFECTIONS FOR SECOND DAY
The US reported more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day, breaking the record for highest cases in a day set on Wednesday, local time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Hospitalisations for coronavirus are also surging nationwide across America, totalling 53,000 on Thursday, the highest level since early August, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Reported cases are on the rise across the majority of the US, with White House coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Deborah Birx reportedly warned earlier this week that the US is entering the “most deadly phase of this pandemic” and warned of “increasing mortality.”
In the first five days of November – as the United States has been focused on its presidential election – 20 states have reported at least one record high day of new COVID-19 cases during the month, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Following a week marked by high case numbers, the entire country set a grim new record on Thursday, surpassing 120,000 infections in a single day.
It was the second day in a row more than 100,000 infections had been reported.
CHINA BANS NINE COUNTRIES
China has suspended entry to visitors from nine countries due to a 45 percent rise in the number of imported cases of coronavirus in October.
This posed a risk to “China’s hard-won pandemic prevention,” according to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday, according to CNN.
The countries to have visitors banned are: Italy, Russia, India, UK, France, the Philippines, Belgium, Ukraine and Bangladesh.
“The proportion of overseas imported cases in October increased by about 45% compared with September, reaching 515 cases. At the same time, local clusters also occurred in some places in China,” Wang Wenbin, ministry spokesman said on Friday.
Mr Wang added that the measures had been imposed to “maintain China’s hard-won pandemic prevention and control achievements” and to “minimise the risk of cross-infection of people who come to China during their trip.”
Beijing has reported a total of 86,151 confirmed cases and 4,634 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the latest data from China’s National Health Commission.
INSIDE ENGLAND’S LOCKDOWN
England became the latest European country to enter a second coronavirus lockdown on Thursday as the continent emerged as the region with the most infections and the United States set a new daily record with nearly 100,000 cases.
European governments have imposed tough new restrictions in an attempt to contain a fresh wave of the pandemic across the continent that has once again become the epicentre of the health crisis.
The latest data shows more than half of the some 500,000 fresh cases recorded globally each day last week were in Europe, and on Thursday the continent’s 11.6 infections surpassed Latin America and the Caribbean’s 11.4 million.
The World Health Organisation’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said there had been a COVID-19 “explosion” in Europe.
“We do see an explosion … in the sense it only takes a couple of days to have over the European region an increase of one million cases,” he said. “We see little by little the mortality increasing as well.”
The new stay-at-home orders from London came as Denmark said it would cull its entire population of more than 15 million minks after a mutation of the virus was found to have spread to people from the otter-like mammals.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an England-wide shutdown as daily death tolls hit their worst levels since May and with warnings that hospitals could soon be overwhelmed.
It prompted crowds across the nation to queue outside soon-to-close shops, book a last-minute haircut or head to the pub for a final pint, as business owners fretted over the impact of the lockdown on their bottom line.
“We will be paying this off for years,” said Joe Curran, landlord of The Queen’s Head pub in central London. “This lockdown will cost us thousands on top of the thousands so far.”
The new restrictions run until December 2 and mandate a return to working from home where possible, along with the closure of all non-essential shops and services. Schools will stay open.
Britain is among the world’s hardest-hit countries with just over a million virus cases and nearly 48,000 deaths.
England’s lockdown follows similar measures in the other nations of the United Kingdom — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — as well as France and Germany.
Parts of Italy will join that list from Friday, with shops selling non-essential goods to be shut in hard-hit areas and people largely confined to their homes except for work, health and emergency reasons.
Authorities have also announced a nationwide curfew between 10:00pm and 5:00am.
“We don’t have alternatives,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said during a televised press conference on Wednesday night (local time).
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said he had no plans for a lockdown but that resolve may be tested after the country set two new records on Wednesday — for daily infections, at nearly 20,000, and daily death toll, at nearly 400.
The United States recorded its worst ever daily caseload — 99,660, according to Johns Hopkins University — as the winner of the country’s presidential election was still being determined.
There were 1,112 deaths on Wednesday (local time), according to the same tally. More than 9.4 million people have been infected and 233,000 have died in the United States since the disease was first detected in China late last year.
Infection rates have surged to record highs across the country since last month, especially in the north and the Midwest.
PM: VACCINE ‘WEEKS AWAY’
It comes as the federal government has signed two new vaccine deals in a bid to access as many as 50 million vaccines in the coming months.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the deals on Thursday morning, saying it ensured the nation had not put “all our eggs in one basket.”
Through the $1.5 billion agreement, Australia now has access to four potential vaccines.
“By securing multiple COVID-19 vaccines we are giving Australians the best shot at early access to a vaccine should trials prove successful,” Mr Morrison said.
“There are no guarantees that these vaccines will prove successful; however, our strategy puts Australia at the front of the queue if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light.”
The Prime Minister also announced that manufacturing of the first coronavirus vaccine for Australians will commence next week in Melbourne via AstraZeneca and CSL.
“With the arrangement with AstraZeneca … that process begins next week, but the vaccines will be become available over the course of next year, starting in quarter one,” Mr Morrison said.
The news comes as Oxford University announced its vaccine could be ready by Christmas. Should that date be met, Australians could expect to have access to the vaccine by as early as March 2021.
The breakthrough comes as Victoria and NSW both recorded no new coronavirus cases.
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