Victoria Covid news live: Greg Hunt hits back at Daniel Andrews’ vaccine fury
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has hit back at Daniel Andrews’ fury at the government’s vaccine distribution, accusing the Premier of “looking for a fight”.
Welcome to our live coverage of Victoria’s Covid-19 situation.
Victoria recorded 246 new Covid cases on Tuesday, matching the number of infections confirmed yesterday.
The state has now passed 60 per cent first dose vaccinations, with Premier Daniel Andrews promising some restrictions will ease when that hits 70 per cent.
This live blog has now ended. Read below for the main updates from the day.
Hunt hits back at Dan’s vaccine criticism
Health Minister Greg Hunt has hit back at Daniel Andrews, after the Victorian Premier furiously unleashed on the Federal and NSW Governments regarding the revelation NSW had been sent extra jabs to the detriment of Victoria.
“I signed on to a national plan to vaccinate our nation, not a national plan to vaccinate Sydney,” Mr Andrews said during his update today.
“Some don’t like to see this as a race but a race it surely is. What I didn’t know was that Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s in a sprint while the rest of us are supposed to do some sort of egg and spoon thing.”
Questioned over the situation today, Mr Hunt said that redirecting extra vaccine doses was done to “save lives” in areas where outbreaks were occurring.
“In particular, we started with prioritising Victoria when there was a Victorian outbreak – 300,000 doses. 150,000 for Victoria and 150,000 brought forward were made available for Victoria when there was a Victorian outbreak,” he said.
“Indeed, the Victorian state system has received a higher per capita rate of doses delivered than NSW, and you put that in context, I think Victoria has received just over three million doses to the state system.
“The NSW Government has received just over 3.3 million doses. That is 32 per cent versus 26 per cent.
“The critical thing here is to save lives and protect lives. Every state and every territory receives a per capita allocation, and where they had an outbreak, we made sure that saving lives has been at the heart of what we are doing. So, I think that is a critical thing here.”
Without naming Mr Andrews, the Health Minister said that “some people are looking for a fight” and “we’re not”.
“Sometimes these things can be a little stage-managed,” he added.
Woman charged for breaching WA quarantine
Police in Western Australia have charged a woman after she allegedly breached quarantine.
The 30-year-old arrived from Queensland into WA last Thursday, and was directed to self-quarantine at a suitable premises for two weeks.
When police conducted a routine check yesterday, she was allegedly not at the home, and was arrested, charged and refused bail.
Police will allege she breached quarantine four times between Friday and Monday, including visiting family in Fremantle and visiting a pawnbroker in Perth.
She has been charged with four counts of failing to comply with a direction.
Australia passes 21 million administered doses
In an update, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed eight million Australians have now received their second Covid-19 jab.
“I am delighted to be able to announce that over the course of the next week, 1.7 million additional doses sourced from Singapore and the United Kingdom will be distributed to the states and territories around Australia,” he said.
“This comes at the same time as we have news that Australia has now passed the significant mark of 21 million doses, and very significantly, 13 million first doses and eight million second doses.”
‘Extremely frustrating’: Businesses slam DHHS
Carlton’s Rathdowne Village Delicatessen has become the latest Victorian business to take contract tracing measures into their own hands.
Despite being considered an exposure site – due to a member of the deli’s team testing positive – they’re yet to hear from Victoria’s DHHS, and took to their Instagram to alert any customers who may have been exposed.
“At this stage we have had no communication from DHHS but know it’s our responsibility to let all of our customers know. Every staff member has been tested and we will isolate for 14 days meaning the shop will remain closed until we are all cleared and the shop undergoes a clean in line with DHHS guidelines,” they wrote yesterday.
In a further update last night, they wrote that they “have still not had any communication from DHHS and have not yet been listed as an exposure site”.
“So we are unable to confirm if we are a tier one or tier 2 site this is extremely frustrating for us but we remain pro active,” they added.
NT’s hard border likely to stay through Christmas
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has warned Territorians with family in NSW and Victoria that they may not be spending Christmas together this year, with the hard border between the NT and the two virus-riddled states unlikely to drop before December 25.
“I can’t see – certainly in NSW – I can’t see that clearing up before Christmas,” Mr Gunner told ABC Radio Darwin earlier today.
“It’s more the method of quarantine and whether they’re hotspots or not. I can’t see that cooling before Christmas.”
Under the Territory’s current hard border restrictions, anyone arriving from a Covid-19 hotspot must undertake two weeks of mandatory quarantine at Howard Springs, and foot the $2500 per person bill.
Home quarantine, however, could become an option for Territorians once 80 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, Mr Gunner said last week.
PM responds to Dan’s claims
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he didn’t share Victorian Premier Daniel’s view that Covid-19 vaccine doses had been unfairly distributed to NSW.
“Victoria had doses brought forward in their cases in their first crisis, and when they were hit again, we brought forward doses,” Mr Morrison told Keiran Gilbert on Sky News.
“On top of that, 4 million doses coming from the UK, 500k from Singapore, and another 500k that came from Poland that were shared among all the states and territories excluding NSW, because they got the 500k from Poland.
“It was me. I wasn’t going to have doses moved from other states to NSW, I went out and got more doses from Poland.”
Mr Morrison said he didn’t share Mr Andrew’s view that he had been blindsided by the extra doses being sent to NSW.
Dan fires up over NSW’s vaccinations
Premier Daniel Andrews has unleashed on NSW and the Federal government, following revelations Victoria was missing out on vaccines that were being sent to NSW instead.
“I signed on to a national plan to vaccinate our nation, not a national plan to vaccinate Sydney,” he said.
“We’ve seen hundreds of thousands of vaccines that should now be in the arms of Victorians going into Sydney.”
Mr Andrews said he didn’t begrudge NSW needing some extra allocations due to the state’s Covid-19 outbreak.
However, the Premier claimed there were extra doses going to NSW that weren’t announced publicly by the Federal government.
“I have been very clear the extra allocations that were given to them – known and announced and above board and clearly transparent – that was a good thing, we didn’t begrudge them that.
“Let’s be clear, we are not talking about those doses. We are talking about otherwise secret arrangements that are just not right.”
Mr Andrews said there was approximately 340,000 doses that didn’t come to Victoria that should have, saying the state would have much higher vaccination rates if it had been distributed “fairly”.
“It would mean we were closer to 70 per cent or 80 per cent or closer to ending these lockdowns so you can see a sense of frustration and in others a sense of anger,” he said.
“Some don’t like to see this as a race but a race it surely is. What I didn’t know was that Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s in a sprint while the rest of us are supposed to do some sort of egg and spoon thing.
“No, we want our fair share. These allocations, which are totally unfair and were under the table need to stop and we need to get a make-good. We need to get those doses we didn’t get fast tracked to us.”
Vaccine capacity to be increased
Victoria will increase its Covid-19 vaccination capacity, with an extra 40,000 doses to be administered each week.
“That’s further significant growth so we can play a bigger part in this race to 80 per cent,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
“There will be 25 additional cubicles added at the Melbourne town hall, the Port Melbourne town hall, and at Eagle Stadium. A new vaccination centre at Latrobe Uni, Wyndham, and the Eagle Stadium drive through,” he said.
“And that will mean we have an increase of about 50 per cent capacity at each of those sites. So that’s a significant boost.
“While additional cubicles at Melton drive through will double its capacity each and every day, opening hours will also be extended across the system so we can have more appointments and more people moving through our state run hubs.”
Victoria records 246 new cases
Victoria has recorded another 246 new Covid-19 cases, the same number of infections recorded on Monday.
Of the 246 local cases, just 90 are linked to known cases and outbreaks, with the source remaining 156 still under investigation.
‘Highly likely’ Vic could see 2500 cases a day
An infectious diseases expert has warned Victoria could soon be dealing with cases higher than what is currently being seen in NSW, with the state’s outbreak continuing to grow.
University of Sydney’s Professor Robert Booy warned Victoria could see infections jump to 2500 a day, more than the 1220 infections recorded in NSW today.
“They’re on the rise and haven’t stopped rising so getting up to 2000, 2500 is certainly highly likely,” he told Nine’s Today.
Yesterday Victoria’s Covid Response Commander Jeroen Weimar warning residents to prepare for “significant” community transmission.
“With the numbers we are seeing in recent days we need to be prepared for significant community transmission to occur,” he said on Monday.
“We need to do everything we possibly can to stop every single possible case in order to get us through this over the weeks and months ahead.”
‘Stop scaring people’: New Liberal leader lashes Vic Gov
After becoming the new Victorian Liberal leader this morning, Matthew Guy wasted no time lashing out at Premier Daniel Andrews’ leadership.
Speaking with Neil Mitchell on 3AW, Mr Guy said he thought there were multiple elements of Victoria’s lockdowns that have been too harsh, including playground bans and residents being barred from coming back into the state.
He said the Victorian leaders “need to stop scaring the hell out of people”.
“We’ve got to stop blaming others,” he added.
“There are things we will agree with this government on. I want to work with the government to get us out of this mess.
“We need to encourage people to get vaccinated, we need to encourage people to obey the rules because they are there for a reason.”
Victoria furious over NSW hoarding Pfizer
The revelation that Victoria is being left with less than its fair share of Pfizer doses, with the Health Minister criticising the Federal government for its plan to vaccinate NSW “at the expense of all other Australians”.
On Monday night, ABC’s 7.30 reported that the Federal Government distribution of Pfizer has seen “huge shifts in favour” of NSW, with Victoria and Queensland the two state’s most adversely affected by the shift.
Population size would normally mean Victoria should receive about 82 per cent of NSW’s allocation. Instead, it is only set to receive between 66 per cent and 69 per cent, with the lion’s share going to NSW.
In August, NSW administered a massive 904,184 jabs in two weeks in August, more than double Victoria.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley expressed his frustration at the revelation, telling 7.30 in a statement that it was “disappointing that the Commonwealth appears to be pursuing a national plan to vaccinate NSW at the expense of all other Australians”.
Mr Foley also hinted at the lack of Pfizer doses during Monday’s press conference.
“We can always look to do more. At the moment, we’re still a little bit constrained by supply,” he said.
The Federal Department of Health horizon allocation document show extra weighting of future Pfizer allocations favour NSW for the rest of the year. It also shows that Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia continuing to receive much less than their population share of vaccines.
A spokesperson for Operation Covid Shield, the national body responsible for the rollout, said to balance the distribution, extra doses would be provided to other states, with Victoria set to receive more jabs from September 13.
Iconic Aussie attraction closed for good
The iconic attraction, the Melbourne Star, has had its last ride and will now be shut down for good.
Citing Covid-19 lockdown and travel restrictions as the cause, MB Star Properties Pty Ltd said it was with a “heavy heart” the company had to announce the ride’s closure after 15 years in operation.
“The giant observation wheel has been a part of the city’s skyline for more than 15 years, during which time we have welcomed millions of guests from Australia and all over the world,” a statement read.
“Unfortunately, the global Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions and sustained shutdowns, adding to pre-existing challenges of operating amid increased high development and changes in the Docklands area, has made it impossible to sustain the business.
“The directors of the wheel are absolutely committed to doing the right thing by our dedicated team and have made arrangements to ensure all our employees will be paid their full entitlements.”
Lockdown in regional Vic could ease this week
Despite yesterday’s spike in Covid-19 cases, Health Minister Martin Foley said there were still plans to ease lockdown restrictions in the majority of regional Victoria this week.
“As the Premier and the chief health officer have indicated, there are still plans for, not a snap back, but certainly an easing of restrictions for regional Victoria. With the likely exception of the Shepparton, Goulburn Valley area, because of the cluster there,” he said.
“And that would be focusing around support measures, wellbeing measures and a gradual easing.
“It shouldn’t be seen as a snap back to where we were, say in April or May, but certainly a recognition that the chains of transmission in the regions are different, and in most of the regions, very different, to what they are in Metropolitan Melbourne.”
Mr Foley said the main risks to regional Victoria continue to be things like truck drivers and other workers unknowingly spreading the virus.
State’s big move on cutting-edge vaccines
One Aussie state has revealed its next move on a major vaccine development project – which promises to change the way it responds to future health challenges.
Big move as new Covid variants spread
Australians could soon be eligible for two new Covid vaccines, created to protect against new strains of the virus.
New trend emerges in Covid deaths
A clear trend is emerging in Covid deaths and 2024 could mark a significant milestone in the progression of the virus, new data has revealed.