This is where we will end our NSW coverage for today. We will wrap important news from the state into our national blog which you can find here.
NSW hits vaccine milestone as 1164 new cases, three deaths reported
NSW's health minister has unleashed on people who are holding back on vaccination and gave a warning about the state's supply. Follow us live.
Welcome to our live coverage today. In this blog we will be focusing on the situation in NSW.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced there were 1164 cases and three deaths in the past 24 hours.
The state's health minister Brad Hazzard has pleaded with people to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying there is simply not enough Pfizer to go around.
He said those holding out on getting a vaccine were "self-entitled and indulgent in the extreme".
"Simply put, there is not enough Pfizer in New South Wales or anywhere in the two major states – New South Wales or Victoria – for the people who are now wanting it," he said.
"We’re certainly asking the Federal Government to try and get us more Pfizer vaccine. What I would say is for older patients, for older residents, you can also have AstraZeneca, so if you’re 18 or over, have AstraZeneca."
Follow our live coverage below. You can follow our Victorian coverage here.
Updates
Wrapping up our live coverage
PM announces half a million extra Pfizer doses
He said we'll be boosting our September effort with a new dose swap deal with Singapore which will see 500,000 doses arrive this week for distribution next week.
He said the extra doses were secured in a new dose swap deal with Singapore. Under the agreement, Australia will receive 500,000 Pfizer doses which will shortly expire.
Mr Morrison said the vaccines will be rolled out across Australia from next week, and will be shared equally with all states and territories on the basis of population.
The Federal Government will then send half a million Pfizer vaccines back to Singapore in December, when Australia is expected to have ample supplies.
"That comes on top of the some 4.5 million that we already have planned for September and the 1 million Moderna doses and the many other millions of doses available from our AstraZeneca production to ensure we can continue on in September with the strong surge that we had over August," he said.
"It's a dose swap deal which simply means we're taking the 500,000 they have now, so we can put that into our distribution this month coming in September and we will provide them with 500,000 in December.
"That means there are 500,000 doses extra that will happen in September that otherwise would have had to wait for several months from now accelerating our vaccination program at this critical time as we walk towards those 70% and 80% targets."
PM speaking in 10 minutes
We'll bring you any key Covid updates here and there's a live stream at the top of the page.
ACT lockdown extended
It will be extended until midnight Friday, September 17.
The capital picked up 13 new cases yesterday. Seven are linked to current outbreaks, six are under investigation.
Gladys doesn't want to hear the unvaxxed complain
Ms Berejiklian said no adults in the state should be hesitant to get AstraZeneca and that there will be little sympathy from her when the unvaccinated are left behind in the reopening.
"There is no reason why anybody over a certain age should not have got the vaccine," she said. "I’ve had the AstraZeneca. I’ve 50 years old. I’ve had the AstraZeneca.
"Nobody of a certain age should have any hesitancy with the AstraZeneca.
"And it’s really important to know that when we open up, those that are unvaccinated won’t be allowed to to other things because they will be exposed.
"That is why at 70% double dose freedoms will extend to people that are fully vaccinated.
"We cannot afford to have the unvaccinated exposed to venues and we can’t afford to have the unvaccinated susceptible to disease, to get disease.
"That’s why we’re urging everybody, giving people plenty of notice to say if you want to participate in the freedoms that come with 70%, that come with 80%, please, please get vaccinated.
"I don’t want people who have chosen to be unvaccinated complain when we get to 70%."
'Extremely frustrated': Hazzard laments mixed AZ messages
Mr Hazzard said the mixed messages around AstraZeneca have left him "extremely frustrated".
"As Health Minister in New South Wales I’m extremely frustrated about that and I think that frustration is shared by many of the health staff, the front-line health staff," he said.
"But at the end of the day, it’s a worldwide pandemic. Let’s get real about this. It’s a worldwide pandemic. The Federal Government is doing their damnedest to get the vaccines and when they get it to us, we’ll get it into arms."
'There is not enough Pfizer in New South Wales'
The health minister Brad Hazzard is pleading with people to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying there is simply not enough Pfizer to go around.
He said those holding out on getting a vaccine were "self-entitled and indulgent in the extreme".
"Simply put, there is not enough Pfizer in New South Wales or anywhere in the two major states – New South Wales or Victoria – for the people who are now wanting it," he said.
"We’re certainly asking the Federal Government to try and get us more Pfizer vaccine. What I would say is for older patients, for older residents, you can also have AstraZeneca, so if you’re 18 or over, have AstraZeneca.
"I’ve got personal friends, family members who have had AstraZeneca. Go and have it. It’s a very good vaccine.
"It’s saved vast numbers of people right across the world from what is an extremely dangerous virus. This virus is killing people across the world in great numbers. Go and get vaccinated as fast as you can."
He later added; "Not getting vaccinated is self-entitled and indulgent in the extreme in the middle of a pandemic. Go and get vaccinated and be fair to the rest of the community."
'These patients are some of the sickest we’ve ever seen'
Michelle Dowd, the Nurse Manager at the Intensive Care Services at South Western Sydney Local Health District, is speaking about what life is like on an ICU ward on the frontline.
She said some of the patients being brought in now are "some of the sickest we’ve ever seen".
"The Delta variant is so contagious that we have entire family groups in our hospital in some really tragic circumstances," she said.
"We’ve had parents, both parents of young children so sick that they need to be ventilated in our intensive care unit and separated from their children.
"Sometimes they don’t have extended family to look after these children, or the extended family is so sick that we need to make alternative care arrangements.
"This virus is literally ripping families apart. Many of our patients with Covid are young. They’re normally fit and healthy. They come from a variety of backgrounds but the one thing that they have in common is they are usually not vaccinated."
Suburbs of most concern
Dr Chant wants residents of these suburbs in particular to get tested;
- Guildford
- Merrylands
- Auburn
- Greenacre
- Bankstown
- Blacktown
Where the new cases were found
Of the 1164 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night;
- 417 are from Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD),
- 379 are from South Western Sydney LHD,
- 116 are from Sydney LHD,
- 73 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD,
- 54 are from Western NSW LHD,
- 45 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD,
- 15 are from Northern Sydney LHD,
- five are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD,
- Four are from Far West LHD, four are from Central Coast LHD,
- Two are from Hunter New England LHD,
- One is from Southern NSW LHD
- Six cases are yet to be assigned to an LHD.
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