Omicron in Australia: Two more cases of new variant detected in NSW
Genomic testing has confirmed two more overseas travellers who recently arrived in NSW have been infected with the Omicron variant.
Authorities have called for calm after a string of Omicron cases were confirmed in Australia, sparking fears of a new Covid threat.
The arrival of the highly-transmissible strain on Australian shores on Sunday — after two passengers from southern Africa who landed in Sydney on Saturday night tested positive — has health authorities in a scramble, with cases now confirmed in NSW and the Northern Territory.
Already two states have tightened their borders, and Australia has slammed its national border shut to travellers from nine African nations, including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique.
Anyone who has been in those countries in the past 14 days must immediately quarantine, and all flights from those nations will be immediately suspended for a fortnight at least.
Two more Omicron cases in NSW
Genomic testing has confirmed two more overseas travellers who recently arrived in NSW have been infected with the Omicron variant.
That brings the total number of Omicron cases in the state to four.
Both passengers arrived in Sydney from southern Africa on Singapore Airlines flight SQ211 on Sunday. They are fully vaccinated and isolating in Special Health Accommodation.
Everyone on the flight is considered a close contact and will need to get tested immediately for Covid and isolate, NSW Health says, regardless of their vaccination status.
NSW Health is contacting all passengers and flight crew to advise them of isolation requirements.
“In line with Commonwealth measures, all travellers arriving in NSW who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Malawi, and the Seychelles during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must enter hotel quarantine for 14 days, irrespective of their vaccination status,” NSW Health said in a statement.
“All fully vaccinated travellers who have been in any other overseas country during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must travel directly to their place of residence or accommodation and isolate for 72 hours, pending further health advice.”
No change to Queensland border plan
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says there will be no change to the borders re-opening on December 17. She will be attending a National Cabinet meeting tomorrow for a further update on the Omicron variant in Australia.
Ms Palaszczuk said the current border plan, which will allow family members south of the border home for Christmas, “is still to proceed” but voiced concern over hotel quarantine in other states where there have been cases of the Omicron variant.
"I am a bit worried about how any people are in Australia at the moment that are not in hotel quarantine,” the Premier said on Monday. “So I‘d like some answers on that tomorrow.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the state was in a “good position” to handle any new outbreaks because of its mandatory hotel quarantine policy.
“Let me get the information first. But I‘m very thankful that Queensland still is using mandatory hotel quarantine international arrivals, especially now we’ve seen a new variant,” she said.
Vice-president of the Australian Medical Association Dr Chris Moy says Australians shouldn’t be panicked yet with accurate data on the new strain still being obtained by experts. However, Dr Moy backed the idea of a “hard and fast” lockdown to tackle the emerging strain should it prove to be more dangerous than previous variants.
“We don't need to be at this stage totally panicking about the situation of Omicron because we do need to work out whether it is more serious and whether it can evade our vaccines,” he said.
“Having said that we should be taking a cautious approach and can't go into denial. The best strategy has been to be hard and fast in our approach early and then buy time to work out where we stand because if we get it wrong and it turns out this is more serious and can evade our vaccines, we miss that early opportunity.”
Victoria’s new Omicron rule
Close contacts of confirmed and suspected Omicron cases will be placed in mandatory 14-day quarantine whether they are fully vaccinated or not in Victoria, as the state scrambles to keep out the new variant.
The tough new measure was confirmed by the Victorian Health Department this afternoon, and it comes just weeks after isolation rules for close contacts were downgraded earlier in November after the state reached its 90 per cent double vaccination rate.
However, the Department had announced at the time the easing could be reversed in exceptional circumstances.
“The Department of Health will continue to manage emerging outbreaks of concern and ‘superspreader events’ and can impose a quarantine period on contacts on a case-by-case basis, depending on evidence,” it said in a statement.
It comes amid growing speculation Victoria may shut its border to NSW once again as a result of Omicron, although senior minister Jacinta Allan said it was “too speculative” to comment on whether that may happen at this stage.
Prison guard dies with virus after refusing jab
A Port Phillip Prison officer who was going to lose his job after refusing a Covid vaccine has died with the virus.
According to the Herald Sun, the unnamed maximum security officer, who worked at a jail at Truganina in Melbourne’s west, was set to lose his job from next month once vaccine mandates for prison institutions were rolled out.
However, he died before the mandate came into effect.
Health Minister flags booster shake up
Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced ATAGI will “review” booster time frames in light of the Omicron strain.
“I have … asked ATAGI to review the booster time frames in light of international evidence more generally, with regards to immunity and also in light of the Omicron variant,” he said. “And we will, as ever, allow them to act independently and continue to follow their advice. But we’re prepared with supplies.
“We are already one of the earliest nations in the world, after Israel, to have a whole-of-nation booster program. If they recommend changes, we will follow those changes.”
But he said he would not speculate on what a reviewed time frame could be.
Mr Hunt said other measures the government was taking as a result of the strain was to convene a meeting of the National Security Committee today.
“We will not hesitate to take additional steps if the medical evidence is that more are required,” Mr Hunt said, adding the PM was also convening a meeting of the National Cabinet within the next 48 hours.
Mr Hunt said he had also spoken with the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna Australia to “reaffirm” vaccine plans.
No Omicron in Vic yet
Despite growing unease, all new arrivals to Victoria from countries of concern have returned negative tests as authorities scramble to find potential Omicron cases in the state.
However, Victorian health authorities last night interviewed a Covid case from NSW who had been in a country of concern and who subsequently travelled to Victoria from NSW, and back again, while infectious and asymptomatic.
On Monday night, genomic sequencing results confirmed the case who visited Victoria from NSW did not have the Omicron variant. The Department of Health will provide new advice to identified contacts of this case.
First Omicron case in NT
Northern Territory Health Minister Natasha Fyles has confirmed an Omicron case has reached the territory.
In addition to the two local cases, another Australian who travelled to Darwin from Johannesburg, South Africa on November 25 has the Omicron strain.
However, Ms Fyles said the man, who is aged in his 30s and who travelled straight to the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs upon arrival, posed no risk to the community.
Two new cases in locked-down town
Northern Territory Health Minister Natasha Fyles has revealed there have been two new Covid cases connected to the locked-down Binjari remote community.
One is a 17-year-old girl already at Howard Springs, while the other is a 19-year-old woman whose infection was detected in the Binjari community.
They bring the Katherine cluster to 58 cases.
Meanwhile, Ms Fyles said Covid traces had been found upstream of Bicentennial Road in the Katherine region.
“They’re very low readings but it’s important for anyone in Katherine, if they’re feeling slightly unwell, to please reach out to get tested,” she said.
“It could be someone shredding the virus, shedding the virus, sorry, or it could be another case that we do need to become aware of.
“So it’s really important if you’re symptomatic in Katherine, to please get a test.”
‘There may be more’
CHO Paul Kelly has warned that there “may be more” Omicron cases lurking in Australia in addition to the two cases currently confirmed.
He said authorities were also scrambling to compile information about the strain, given the contradicting reports so far.
“Some reports out of South Africa are that it’s mostly mild. Other information we have is that hospitalisation rates are increasing,” he said.
“So, we need to get further information there, and we are getting that information.
“What we do know of the two cases that have so far been diagnosed in Australia – and there may be more, but at the moment, two – both young people, both from South Africa, both fully vaccinated, asymptomatic. That’s just two people.
“We know in Hong Kong: Two cases there. Young people, a transmission in hotel quarantine from one person to the other, young, fully vaccinated, asymptomatic.
“So, we need to see whether that is actually the characteristic of this virus.”
Two more tested for Omicron in NSW
Three more recent arrivals are being tested for the Omicron strain as concerns grow over the emerging crisis.
Over the weekend, two positive cases in NSW quarantine were confirmed.
Earlier today, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet suggested a “possible” third case had been detected, although that case has since been ruled unlikely to be the new variant.
But it has now emerged that a flight which arrived in NSW on Sunday has brought in another three Covid cases from southern Africa, although it has not yet been determined whether those cases are the Omicron variant.
“Urgent genomic sequencing is underway to determine if the other two people have been infected by the new Omicron B. 1.1.529 variant of concern,” NSW Health confirmed, adding that results are expected this evening.
Possible third case in NSW
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has confirmed 141 passengers from those nine African nations of concern had touched down in the state.
He said all were in quarantine, and that there may be a third positive case in addition to the two already announced over the weekend.
It is understood that third potential case landed in Australia from a country of concern and tested positive in NSW, before travelling to Victoria, and then returning to NSW.
However, the Premier warned against “knee jerk” reactions to the variant.
“Those 141 travellers on five flights over the last 24 hours are in our health quarantine facility,” he said, adding he was not in favour of fresh shutdowns.
“But ultimately, as I said yesterday, we don’t just need to learn to live alongside Covid, we need to learn to live alongside the variants as well.
“And we’re very confident, based on our high vaccination rate.”
Health Minister to face media
Health Minister Greg Hunt will hold a press conference at 11.30am AEDT to discuss Omicron.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly is also due to speak.
Five new cases in QLD as Omicron fears spread
Five new Covid cases have been recorded in Queensland in hotel quarantine, reigniting Omicron fears and concerns over Christmas travel disruptions.
Fronting the media this morning, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the government was adopting a “cautious approach” to the emerging omicron crisis.
“As they always do, the Health Officials are monitoring issues around the world and if that should affect things here,” Mr Miles said.
He reassured that “nothing has changed at this moment”.
Seven new cases in ACT
The ACT has recorded seven new local Covid cases.
Seven people are in hospital with the virus, including five in intensive care.
ACT COVID-19 update (29 Nov 2021):
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) November 28, 2021
New cases today: 7
Active cases: 154
Total cases: 2,000
Negative test results (past 24 hr): 1,521
In hospital: 7
In ICU: 5
Ventilated: 4
Total lives lost: 11
COVID-19 vaccinations in the ACT: 97.7% of 12+ fully vaccinatedhttps://t.co/2rCcWDk4wlpic.twitter.com/Dd1PSixUD1
Travel bans not the answer
While speculation is growing over potential travel bans and border shutdowns in light of the Omicron strain, one expert has insisted they are not the answer.
Writing for The Conversation, UNSW’s Professor of Global Health and Development Anthony Zwi argued that “while a travel ban on southern African countries may slow the spread and buy limited time, it’s unlikely to stop it”.
“Travel bans on countries detecting new variants, and the subsequent economic costs, may also act as a disincentive for countries to reveal variants of concern in future,” he wrote, adding the WHO instead prioritises “vaccination, hand hygiene, physical distancing, well-fitted masks, and good ventilation”.
Victoria considers quarantine crackdown
According to The Age, the Victorian government is considering tightening Covid rules in response to Omicron.
Unnamed, official sources told the publication “state and national officials were mulling the quarantine extension beyond 72 hours”.
It reported face masks could also return, with a possible announcement expected within hours.
It comes as around 40 people now in the state are believed to have recently visited one of those affected countries.
150 new cases in NSW
NSW has recorded 150 new Covid cases overnight.
So far, 92.4 per cent of over-16s in NSW are double-vaxxed.
NSW COVID-19 update – Monday 29 November 2021
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 28, 2021
In the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm last night:
- 94.5% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 92.4% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/FfhSefJoNJ
Victoria records 1007 new cases
There have been 1007 new Covid cases confirmed in Victoria overnight.
Sadly, there have also been an additional three fatalities, bringing the total number of Delta deaths in Victoria to 506.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) November 28, 2021
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/bnzWPnMh4H
‘It will spread’
Chief health officer professor Paul Kelly told the ABC on Monday morning there were three key reasons why Omicron had experts on edge.
“Why are we concerned? Firstly, genetically, there are quite a few changes to this,” Prof Kelly said.
“I will stress, that it’s still the same SARS-CoV-2 that we’ve become used to, but it is different from previous versions and there are suggestions from that genetic variation that there could be changes in severity, transmissibility or indeed, interference the efficacy of vaccines and treatments.”
He said experts were also worried about Omicron’s transmissibility.
“It does transmit from person-to-person quite readily – at least as well as the Delta virus. And so that means that it will spread,” he said.
“And thirdly – in terms of the vaccines. There is no solid evidence at the moment that there is a problem with that. Although we will wait for further advice and laboratory studies in coming days and weeks.”
Appearing on Sunrise soon after, Prof Kelly said Omicron might “replace” Delta, and said the WHO was “concerned because it is different from previous variations we have had”.
“What sort of things are we looking at? Three main things,” he began.
PM won’t rule out border shutdown
Speaking to Nine this morning, Scott Morrison said there was a chance Australia could once again slam our borders shut to overseas travellers.
“We never rule anything out. No-one should read into that. We will take decisions based on the best information,” he told the network.
WHO’s Omicron update
The World Health Organisation has issued an update on what is known about Omicron so far, revealing the new variant remained a mystery.
The WHO revealed at this stage, it wasn’t known whether Omicron was more transmissible than Delta, or whether it causes more severe disease.
The WHO is now working with experts to investigate the efficiency of current tests and vaccines with regards to the new variant.
PM: Borders ‘are not open’
Appearing on Sunrise this morning, the PM also hit back at claims Australia had reopened too early leaving the nation exposed to the new strain, insisting that our borders “are not open”.
“Well, let me stress firstly, our borders are not open,” the PM said.
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“The only country to which our borders are open are Singapore and New Zealand, otherwise the only people coming to Australia are those who have very specific exemptions and those who are Australian residents and citizens.”
The PM said the National Security committee will meet this afternoon to discuss what Omicron means for international students and migrant workers, who were due to be welcomed back to Australia from December 1.
He said it was “a bit too early” to know whether a 14-day mandatory quarantine would be reintroduced for all arrivals.
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