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76 new cases, two deaths; new road map and thresholds to be revealed

New details have emerged of the two Melbourne women diagnosed with Covid who died in their homes — the first virus deaths in Victoria since November 2020.

Andrews – Thresholds to lift the lockdown in Victoria to be announced

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Two Victorian women diagnosed with Covid-19 have died in their homes, marking the state’s first virus deaths in almost nine months.

The Department of Health is investigating the deaths of a Hume woman in her 60s and a 49-year-old woman from Northcote.

It is not clear whether the women had any underlying health conditions, or if they had been vaccinated.

The deaths, the first in Victoria since November 30 last year and which take the state’s Covid toll to 822, prompted warnings that coronavirus symptoms can “rapidly worsen”.

Police and paramedics were called to the Northcote woman’s home about 1.30am on Tuesday.

Six police officers, including two who entered the home in full PPE, were stood down as a precaution but have since been deemed low risk.

The Herald Sun understands paramedics were again called to the home about 7am to treat a family member, who was taken to hospital in a stable condition, but were not told the residents were Covid-positive.

Victorian Ambulance Union state secretary Danny Hill said the Department of Health had the names, address and status of every Covid-positive case and primary close contact in a database, so there was no excuse for keeping emergency responders in the dark.

“It is a very dangerous situation when there are over 1000 people in isolation or quarantine, so emergency services workers need to know before they go in,” Mr Hill said.

“Our members are completely exposed, and needlessly so.

“Walking in blind to a family who may all be Covid positive.”

It comes after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews revealed the state’s lockdown rules will be eased modestly once thresholds of low case numbers are met.

It comes as Victoria recorded another 76 local cases of coronavirus, with 31 more mystery infections.

Mr Andrews said the detailed plan, which would specify Covid case numbers health authorities could tolerate living with, would be finalised by chief health officer Brett Sutton on Tuesday evening.

The Premier said he would reveal the plan to Victorians on Wednesday and once the thresholds were reached the state could begin a “modest easing of restrictions”.

“If we can’t achieve zero, despite our best efforts, how many cases can we tolerate? It will need to be a low number,” he said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has defended his push for zero. Picture: Luis Ascui
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has defended his push for zero. Picture: Luis Ascui

“It cannot be in the hundreds because it won’t be in the hundreds for long, it will race and get away from us.

“Then, based on those thresholds and those low case numbers, we will make further announcements about things that can be eased.”

The Premier hinted that VCE students and “senior cohorts” would be included in upcoming restriction changes but schools would not resume classroom learning immediately.

“I am not opening schools tomorrow, but we will have more to say about schools and about what might be possible,” he said.

Mr Andrews also defended his controversial push for zero cases, pointing at the low national vaccine rate.

“As a nation, we can cope with a pandemic of the unvaccinated if that unvaccinated group is quite small … we will cope with unvaccinated people becoming infected and becoming sick when we have reached the 70 per cent and, most importantly, the 80 per cent vaccination target,” he said.

Schools are not set to reopen immediately, under the new road map. Picture: Jason Edwards
Schools are not set to reopen immediately, under the new road map. Picture: Jason Edwards

“Today, Victoria and the nation has only 35 per cent of people double-dosed … the notion of trying to cope with a pandemic when you are open, with very few rules, when so few people are vaccinated — we know what that would mean.

“We know it means not hundreds of cases, but thousands of cases. As I said on Sunday, and as I think Victorians know: These numbers are too high for us to open up.

“If we were to open up — this is the thing with Delta — you either aim for zero or a very low number and therefore keep the numbers low.

“If you try other approaches, the numbers get away from you very, very quickly. Some people have been critical about our focus on zero. Well, either you aim for zero or very low numbers or you finish up with many zeros.

“Sadly, let’s not forget, that the New South Wales outbreak started with just a handful of cases. They are now reporting more than 1000 cases per day.”

Meanwhile, NSW recorded another 1164 new Covid cases and three more deaths.

A woman in her 50s, a man in his 80s and a man in his 90s are the latest victims of the virus.

WHERE LATEST CASES ARE LOCATED

Victoria’s latest cases include:

• Seventeen cases linked to MyCentre childcare centre in Broadmeadows

• Nine cases linked to the Shepparton cluster – all were in quarantine during their infectious period

• Three infections linked to the Miller’s Junction cluster in Altona North

• One case linked to the Learning Sanctuary in Spotswood

• One case linked to the St Kilda East cluster

• One new case linked to a legal office in Melbourne’s outer east

• One case linked to Al-Taqwa College in Truganina

• One infection linked to the retail outlets cluster in Fisherman’s Bend

• Eleven cases were linked to existing outbreaks, with the source of acquisition still unclear

Of the new cases, 45 are linked to known outbreaks, with the latest infections bringing the total number of active cases in Victoria to 841.

Thirty-six of the latest infections were in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.

More than 50,840 test results were returned in the past 24 hours, while state-run clinics administered 32,162 vaccine doses.

Authorities also revealed the average age of Victorian Covid-19 patients in intensive care is 48.

Mr Andrews said there were 15 positive patients on ventilators in Victorian hospitals that were aged between 38 and 72.

He said the median aged of Covid patients in Victoria hospitals was 49, and in intensive care it was 48.

“More than half of Covid patients in hospital are under 50 and 50 per cent of Covid patients in ICU are in their 40s,” Mr Andrews said.

GLENROY STREET NAMED AS EXPOSURE SITE

A suburban street has been identified as an unusual Tier 2 exposure site following a fire at a weatherboard home in Glenroy on August 19.

27 firefighters were on scene to battle the house fire earlier this month, with paramedics also attending to treat an occupant injured while evacuating the premises.

The corner of Newton Street and Farview Street has since been declared a Tier 2 site from 6pm to 7.30pm, with witnesses and emergency workers required to get tested.

“A recently published exposure site today relates to a suburban street in Glenroy where an emergency services (fire) callout took place,” the CHO’s Tuesday update read.

“Anyone at this fire or who witnessed it as part of a gathering that formed on the street needs to get tested and stay isolated until they receive a negative result.

“The Department of Health will engage with local residents on testing options.”

Meanwhile, PWG Glass Group in Tullamarine and StarTrack in Shepparton are the most recent workplaces to be classified as Tier 1 sites.

FREEDOMS VACCINATED VICTORIANS MAY ENJOY

Visiting the hairdresser, having a coffee at a cafe outdoors and staying at a holiday home may soon be possible for fully vaccinated Victorians.

These smaller freedoms may be among the first restrictions to ease, if the state follows New South Wales’ plans to open a handful of smaller, one-on-one services to the double-jabbed from Thursday.

Deakin University epidemiology chair Prof Catherine Bennett said fully vaccinated Victorians may benefit from these changes.

Read the full story here.

VICTORIA MAY NOT REACH ZERO

Victoria’s chief health officer conceded that the state might not be able to get back to zero daily Covid-19 cases, saying authorities would not hold out “absurd hope” if infections continued to rise.

Professor Brett Sutton said it was impossible to know whether Victoria could return to zero daily cases.

“The aggressive suppression strategy is pretty explicit through national cabinet,” he said.

“It is doing their utmost to keep those numbers down to manage the health system to get to zero if you possibly can. But not with some absurd hope if numbers continue to increase despite everything we’re doing.

“We have to do what is feasible. We are not going to achieve the impossible if it ­becomes impossible.”

Lockdown will be extended beyond Thursday, when the shutdown was due to end. But government and health officials met on Monday night to discuss whether there should be any changes to the current restrictions. Among options under consideration were whether parts of regional Victoria could be opened up or if some of Melbourne’s harsher restrictions could be eased.

Prof Sutton said every rule was under review, including the controversial curfew, and that officials would consider Victorians’ mental health and lockdown fatigue.

Chief health officer Brett Sutton conceded that the state might not be able to get back to zero daily Covid-19 cases. Picture: Getty Images
Chief health officer Brett Sutton conceded that the state might not be able to get back to zero daily Covid-19 cases. Picture: Getty Images

“We have to bear in mind that transmission can occur in all kinds of settings but it’s a balancing act,” he said.

“We want to make sure people can sustain those behaviours, we want to make sure the mental health of adults and kids is supported to the fullest extent that we can within these awful constraints of lockdown.

“We’re doing pretty well in Shepparton; that gives options for regional Victoria.”

Prof Sutton said lockdowns aimed at just some municipalities were not “off the table”, but would depend on how the virus was spreading. He said he hoped that a fall in case numbers, from 92 on Sunday, was a sign the outbreak was stabilising.

Clusters in Shepparton appear to be under control, but authorities remain concerned about transmission in Melbourne’s north and western suburbs with people reluctant to come forward for testing.

Mystery cases were still creating challenges in Hobsons Bay, Wyndham and Hume.

Victoria’s cases continue to grow despite the state’s current lockdown. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
Victoria’s cases continue to grow despite the state’s current lockdown. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

EXPOSURE SITE LIST HITS GRIM MILESTONE

There are now more than 1000 venues listed on Victoria’s exposure site list – with a vaccination clinic, veterinary practice, and a hospital waiting area identified as new venues of concern.

Anyone who visited the Monash Ultrasound for Women from 1.30pm to 5pm on August 24 must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result, after a positive case visited the venue.

This also applies to anyone who visited the St Albans Veterinary Clinic on that same day from 4.30pm to 5.15pm

Those who visited the waiting area at Dandenong Hospital vaccination clinic in Heidelberg West from 8.20am to 9.20am on August 26, are also required to get tested and isolate until they get a negative result.

PFIZER BOOKINGS SNAPPED UP

Victorians have snapped up all available Pfizer vaccine bookings at state-run clinics within just a week of appointments being opened for those aged over 16.

Health Minister Martin Foley on Monday said that while all first-dose appointments were currently booked amid massive demand at Victorian hubs, spots would appear as more Pfizer arrived.

“If you can’t land one today through the state-run clinics, come back and have a look again tomorrow,” he said.

“But perhaps even more importantly, go on and inquire through the GP network or the community pharmacy network to get access to that.

“Of course, AstraZeneca continues to be available at state centres and GPs.”

Mr Foley said primary health services in Victoria were now opening up Pfizer appointments to those aged 16 and over.

More than 4.8 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have now been administered in Victoria, while almost 12 million shots have been put in arms nationwide. About 55.7 per cent of eligible Victorians have received at least one dose.

Speaking at the same press conference, Western Health nurse Kylie Fisher urged Victorians to get the vaccine, revealing the strain last year’s second wave had put on the health system. Ms Fisher, who worked in the critical care liaison team, said she and many other staff had worked tirelessly to prevent hundreds of people entering intensive care as cases surged.

Long queues outside a vaccination centre in Melbourne.
Long queues outside a vaccination centre in Melbourne.

“I saw tears, I saw exhaustion (and) I saw nurses consoling nurses,” she said. “I saw blood across the ridges of their noses and ears from wearing PPE for 12 hours at a time.

“I’m worried I’m going to have to ask them to stand up and do it again. Please if you haven’t already, get yourself vaccinated … keep your family and your loved ones safe.”

In Question Time in Canberra, Labor leader Anthony Albanese grilled Prime Minister Scott Morrison on his handling of the pandemic.

“If the Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge his mistakes, how can Australians be confident that he won’t repeat them?” Mr Albanese asked.

But Mr Morrison said despite the vaccination program being set back four months, everybody in Australia would be offered a vaccine before the end of the year.

“We believe we’ll meet that even sooner,” he said, adding the challenges had been overcome.

“Whether it was the hesitancy around the AstraZeneca vaccine, that many shared … but this government didn’t share, I can assure you. We stood up for the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, others sought to cast aspersions on it. We continued on and saw millions upon millions of Australians receive those AstraZeneca vaccines, which remain a crucial component of the program even now.”

At least 9.6 million doses have been administered nationally, with 4.7 million of those since July 1. Mr Morrison said many lives were saved by the doses, which were manufactured by CSL in Melbourne.

Victoria recorded a 98 per cent use rate last week, compared to 92 per cent in NSW. Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT fully used their doses.

WHAT’S SCARING AUSSIES MORE THAN COVID

Lockdown-weary Australians are worried more about the pandemic’s toll on jobs and mental health than any surge in the Covid-19 virus.

More than half the parents of schoolchildren fear classroom closures will harm their kids’ education in the long term – including two-thirds in Victoria, where Melbourne students have spent nearly eight months in home schooling since the start of the pandemic.

Deep distress over the impact of lockdowns is identified in an exclusive new nationwide survey of 3114 Australians, with 44 per cent revealing their own emotional wellbeing, or that of their families, has suffered in the past three months.

Read the full story here.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/victoria-may-not-reach-zero-cases-brett-sutton-warns/news-story/02b262448560571356e7dbde2afa2e43