Victorians set for eased restrictions on September 23 but lockdown to remain until October
Victorians will remain in lockdown until at least 70 per cent of the state is fully vaccinated, expected to be in late October. It comes as Brett Sutton gave a grim warning on the state’s cases.
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Victoria will remain in lockdown until at least 70 per cent of the state is fully vaccinated, with some minor freedoms allowed from September 23.
It comes as the state recorded 120 new Covid cases overnight — the biggest spike in more than a year — and two deaths.
It’s the largest daily tally since 149 infections were announced on August 26, 2020.
Melburnians will enjoy one small reprieve from 11.59pm on Thursday, September 1, with playgrounds to reopen, with use expected from the following morning.
Premier Daniel Andrews fronted the media on Wednesday, saying: “A lockdown in some form is going to be there to contain cases until we get the vaccination rates as high as possible consistent with the national plan”.
Victoria is expected to hit 70 per cent double vaccination rates in late October and 80 per cent in November.
The state’s hard lockdown will be extended to September 23, when 70 per cent of the population is expected to have at least one vaccine shot.
But Victorians will be given some “modest” freedoms on that date, according to a road map announced by Premier Daniel Andrews.
“Everything else has to stay in place until on or about September 23,” Mr Andrews said.
The Premier said that date would mark the point where the state reached 70 per cent of its first vaccination dose target.
RESTRICTIONS TO EASE FROM SEPTEMBER 23
• The 5km radius will be expanded to 10km
• Exercise time will increase from two hours a day to three
• Childminding for school-age children will be permitted
• Outdoor communal gym equipment and skate parks will reopen
• Construction sites will be allowed to increase to 50 per cent of capacity
HOME SCHOOLING FOR TERM 3
Students will not return to face-to-face learning during Term 3.
However, between September 7 and 17, year 12 students will be contacted by their schools with a “detailed plan” to have them vaccinated before their GAT test on October 5.
“In state hubs, they’ll get priority access, but it will be a localised arrangement and it will be best delivered by schools,” Mr Andrews said.
“This will be quite an effort to get all these young Victorians through our vaccination program, but we will do that.”
There are about 70,000 year 12 students who will need to be vaccinated before their tests.
Mr Andrews also confirmed there would be no return to face-to-face learning in term three.
“Next week, I will outline a detailed plan for what term four will look like,” Mr Andrews said.
“I’m not in a position to be able to outline that at the moment, given how rapidly things are changing.”
REGIONS COULD WIN EARLY REPRIEVE
Some restrictions could be eased in regional Victoria from next week, Mr Andrews said.
But, the town of Shepparton is likely to remain under strict conditions given the large number of cases there.
“If we put Shepparton to one side for the moment and talk about the rest of regional Victoria, we will be able to end the lockdown in the rest of regional Victoria next week,” Mr Andrews said.
“Exactly when, we’ll confirm as soon as we can.”
But he said even when the regional Victorian lockdown did end, there would still be “significant, substantial” restrictions.
Country Victorian business owners say easing restrictions next week will not begin their Covid recovery.
Bendigo Motel Association president Kristyn Slattery said the state needed to open to operate at its peak.
“We’re hamstrung by restrictions especially if there is a limit on travel,” she said.
“Everyone is still sitting here with locked doors and vacant rooms. It’s not viable for many businesses to operate under such tough circumstances.
“And even with the rules changing in regional Victoria, it might be too late for the school holidays which start in a couple of weeks.”
Benalla Business Network chair Lindsay Thomas said the inability for people to plan was having the biggest impact.
“Businesses like to have plans in place but bouncing in and out of lockdown isn’t something they account for,” he said.
“It would be great to have a road map in place to give people certainty and something to work towards — just as businesses would do in a normal world.
“We are sick and tired of having to restructure all of the time because of all the changes that are being made.
“It is becoming far too demanding on staff and owners.”
SUTTON’S STARK COVID ADMISSION
About one in every three cases of Covid-19 may be going undetected in the Victorian community, the state’s chief health officer professor Brett Sutton has warned.
It comes as Victoria recorded 120 new locally acquired infections on Wednesday, marking the largest daily tally since 149 cases were announced on August 26 last year.
“Most modelling assumes one in three (cases) might be undetected and of course we can’t know what we don’t know but it’s safe to assume that an additional third of true cases out there are not yet identified,” Professor Sutton told reporters.
“We do get 40,000 people who are symptomatic coming forward for testing on any one given day … that’s a good figure but it’d be so much more useful if that number was (higher).”
Just 20 of Wednesday’s cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period, and 64 linked to known outbreaks.
The development has health authorities concerned that the virus has seeded deeper in the community than previously thought, sparking Professor Sutton to advise an extension of the lockdown until October.
Professor Sutton said two weeks of “increased efforts” to suppress the virus had not worked.
“Really substantially increased efforts, with the closure of playgrounds, curfews, constraints on industry caps, and childcare arrangements … they have not tipped us into a plateau,” he said.
“We expect that pivot to occur within 10 days or two weeks.”
Professor Sutton said health authorities were taking an even more targeted approach in locating unidentified cases.
“We have got a period of time with these current restrictions, largely unchanged from a risk point of view,” he said.
“So those efforts continue but the reflections on where we are headed is really about the fact that we have not pivoted to a change in the case numbers, it is increasing.
“There is a tail of linked cases and known primary close contacts that’s well-controlled. But an even greater increase day-by-day of cases out in the community and cases of unknown acquisition that is particularly challenging...”
“Add cases of unknown acquisition, that is particularly challenging, and that is where we have come up in the last few days.”
ASTRAZENECA JAB GAP LIKELY TO BE HALVED
The wait between first and second AstraZeneca doses is likely to be slashed in half to speed up Victoria’s vaccine rollout.
The current 12-week gap was under review, with the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), expected to make a decision within days.
Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed that discussions were underway on Tuesday night as the full extent of the state’s worsening COVID-19 outbreak was becoming clear.
There is no supply issue with AstraZeneca, with more than 3 million doses ready to go into arms.
But some people have been waiting for Pfizer because of the shorter times between jabs and the recommendation for it to be used by people over 60.
However, people 59 and under can make an informed decision to have an AstraZeneca jab.
Mr Andrews said medical authorities make the decision on jab intervals, but that he was personally in favour of the reduction in the gap.
“My view is yes, I want to see that happen. But there’s a process to go through. So the process will be gone through and hopefully we can make some announcements to that end very soon,” he said.
ATAGI changed its advice for New South Wales residents on August 2, reducing the gap between AstraZeneca jabs from 12 weeks to between four and eight weeks.
Cases in Sydney were at 239 the day before the announcement.
Mr Andrews said talks were already underway about changing the advice in Victoria.
“This was discussed at length last night. It just got to go through a gateway but it was my job to sign it off. I’d sign it off.
“But we need doctors to make medical decisions. They’re looking at that and hopefully that can be confirmed as halving that interval between first and second dose.”
BIGGEST CASE SPIKE SINCE SECOND WAVE
Victoria‘s 120 Covid cases recorded on Wednesday marked the largest daily tally since 149 infections were announced on August 26, 2020.
The last time Victoria recorded more than 100 new infections was on September 3 last year, when 113 cases were announced.
Sixty four of the latest cases are linked to known cases and outbreaks.
Just 20 of the latest cases were isolation throughout their infectious period.
There are 58 people in hospital, 21 are in ICU and 14 are on a ventilator.
There are 122 mystery cases in total among the state’s active cases.
A number of the cases relate to day 13 tests of close contacts linked to large outbreaks, including the Shepparton and MyCentre childcare clusters.
There are now 900 active cases in Victoria.
Half of those in the hospital are under the age of 50, two are infants under the age of one, and two are children, aged 10 and 11.
VICTORIA’S LATEST CASES
• Five are linked to the city of Shepparton
• One is in Seymour but linked to a workplace in North Melbourne
• One is a household primary close contact in Geelong
• Six cases are in the inner southeast around Richmond, Hawthorn and Alfington
• Fifty-three cases are in the northern suburbs, with clusters around Campbellfield, Roxburgh Park and Gladstone Park
• Fifty-four cases are in the western suburbs – 16 in Altona North, three in Newport, and seven in Hoppers Crossing
Read the full story here.
NSW CASES KEEP SURGING
New South Wales continues to surge past daily cases of 1000 after the state recorded 1116 new locally acquired infections.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed four people had died.
“Regrettably four people lost their lives with Covid,” she said. “Four females who, unfortunately, were not vaccinated and who did have underlying health conditions.
“We extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones.”
SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR CANCELLED
Thousands of students have been left devastated after it was announced the Victorian State Schools Spectacular would be cancelled due to the ongoing uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event, which was scheduled for September 11 at John Cain Arena and was set to be filmed for a TV broadcast, is a musical extravaganza celebrating the state’s top theatrical, circus and cheerleading performances by students.
In a statement from the Department of Education on Tuesday, August 31, it said: “We are saddened to announce that the public health team has recommended the 2021 Victorian State Schools Spectacular be cancelled due to current COVID-19 restrictions and ongoing uncertainty as a result of the pandemic.”
“Our hearts go out to the talented and diligent student cast and crew who have been training and rehearsing for months to put on a fantastic show,” the statement said.
The Department said it was grateful for the support of the school communities, teachers, parents and the team of industry professionals who enabled young people to participate in the performing arts program.
“An electronic Spectacular Year Book will be produced to recognise the hard work, perseverance and achievements of the student participants.
“It will capture images and videos of all the student cast and crew over the past seven months of preparation, and will be made freely available online.”
Plans for the 2022 Spectacular performing arts program are already under way, as online auditions and school registrations take place from October, and statewide training will kick off in February 2022.
OUTBREAK’S FIRST DEATHS RECORDED
Two Victorian women diagnosed with Covid-19 have died in their homes, the state’s first virus-related deaths in almost nine months.
The Department of Health is investigating the deaths, a Hume woman in her 60s and a 49-year-old woman from Northcote.
It is not known if the women had any underlying health conditions, or if they had been vaccinated.
The deaths, the first in Victoria since November 30, 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 in full PPE, were stood down as a precaution but have since been deemed low risk.
It is understood paramedics were again called to the home about 7am to treat a family member, who was taken to hospital in a stable condition, but they were not told the residents were Covid-positive.
Victorian Ambulance Union state secretary Danny Hill said the Department of Health had the name, address and status of every Covid-positive case and primary close contact, 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.”
The deaths come as the state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton urged Victorians to act like they had Covid-19 when out in public in a bid to “keep their guard up” against the virus threat.
Victoria recorded 76 new locally acquired cases on Tuesday, with a further 31 mystery cases.
But Professor Sutton said there were “some bright spots” in the current outbreak, with 36 of the cases having been in isolation for their full infectious period.
“It’s a very challenging situation, but the early outbreaks are maturing and we really do have the public health response around them,” he said.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the Delta variant had affected people of all ages, revealing the median age of those in hospital was 49.
“This is not those that are in the last chapter of their life, we are talking about people who are altogether younger than that,” he said.
Children continue to make up a large cohort of the active cases, with 182 aged under nine, while 125 are aged 10-19, 177 between 20-29, and 158 between 30-39.
Prof Sutton said the consequences of letting down your guard against the virus were “really significant”.
“It could mean the difference between you containing it to yourself and nobody else, or introducing it to those you love,” he said, adding: “Taking it to a parent who lives in another household could be an absolute tragedy.
“There is a story behind each and every one of these cases, either of very significant illness, hospitalisation and ICU … and for some people, their lives change forever.”
VAX VANS TO TARGET LOW JAB AREAS
Half a million extra Pfizer doses will arrive this month with Scott Morrison revealing a new timeline to get Aussies at least one Covid-19 jab.
The boost comes as Daniel Andrews vowed to deploy mobile Covid-19 vaccination vans across the parts of Victoria with low rates of vaccination.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday announced Singapore had agreed to give Australia 500,000 doses from its supply, with Australia to then return the favour in December.
“I said we would leave no stone unturned in bolstering our vaccination program,” Mr Morrison said.
The new supply, manufactured in Belgium, will be split on a per capita basis – with Victoria to get 131,149 Pfizer doses.
NSW will receive a further 159,236 doses, after getting the bulk of the Pfizer vials from Poland to help their ballooning outbreak.
These will be batch tested and distributed next week for immediate use via state vaccination centres, GPs and pharmacies. The swap does not come at a cost to taxpayers and will help ensure there are Pfizer jabs available for 12-39 year olds.
“We are getting very close to ensure that we are meeting even our original benchmark; which means that everyone who might want to have that vaccination would be able to have one by the end of October,” Mr Morrison said.
“We have caught up the ground.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has thrown his support behind mobile vaccination vans, after the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service called for more opportunities for people to get inoculated.
“If I’ve got to put a van at the end of your street and go door-to-door … we’ll do it,” Mr Andrews said. “We’ll do whatever we can to get as many jabs in as many arms.”
While he didn’t confirm when they could hit the streets, Mr Andrews hinted that vans – including stalled dental vans – were available and ready to use.
The vehicles would likely be deployed on a needs basis, and would be sent out to communities with low vaccination rates.
Mr Andrews on Tuesday also urged Victorians to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca after Pfizer bookings ran out.
“It (AstraZeneca) is a safe vaccine, it is available today, but you do have to go through a proper informed consent process,” he said.
“If that choice is AstraZeneca, well then you will have played your part.”
Almost one million Victorians have received a double dose of AstraZeneca.
More than 56 per cent of eligible Victorians have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose.
But 2.4 million more Australians need a jab to reach the national 70 per cent first dose target. A further two million are then needed to hit 80 per cent.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the rollout would accelerate over the coming weeks as more Pfizer and one million Moderna doses arrive in Australia.
VAX HUB FOR CITY’S VULNERABLE
A new vaccination hub at Melbourne Town Hall will target the city’s most vulnerable community members from Wednesday.
The City of Melbourne will work with community health service cohealth to prioritise people facing disadvantage, including rough sleepers, people with English literacy limitations, refugees, and international students.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the new vaccination hub was designed to ensure everyone had equal access to the vaccine, with or without a Medicare card.
“Every member of our community matters,” Cr Capp said.
“We want to create a city that is fair and prosperous, that values health and wellbeing, and welcomes people from all backgrounds.”
The cohealth Melbourne Town vaccination centre will open on Wednesday, with a team consisting of nurse immunisers, a general practitioner and support staff.
Cohealth chief executive Nicole Bartholomeusz said the organisation was well-equipped to deliver a vaccination program to a wide range of community groups, targeting those most in need.
The centre will initially have the capacity to vaccinate 200 people per day.
FUNDS TO HELP OUR MRNA VACCINE
Scientists at Monash University developing Australia’s own local mRNA vaccine will receive new funding to boost the state’s medicine manufacturing capabilities.
Higher Education Minister Gayle Tierney on Wednesday will announce $21.65m for projects at the university’s Clayton campus, jointly funded by the state, Monash and its partners.
Of this, $13.8m will go to expanding the lab producing a new Covid-19 vaccine candidate soon to start human trials.
New offices and labs will be built at the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre to allow scientists to better work with pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Another $4.63m will create a hub for innovations in natural killer cells, which could be used for new cancer therapies.
Digital start-up companies will be able to access a new space to develop and improve hi-tech manufacturing breakthroughs.
— With additional reporting by Suzan Delibasic
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