As it happened: State records two new local COVID-19 cases linked to Southbank apartment; active infections drop

Health Minister Martin Foley and COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar spoke at 1.15pm, you can watch it here:

After that flurry of activity over the two new cases announced at the press conference this afternoon we’re going to leave it there but here’s a quick recap of what’s happened today:

We started the day with zero local cases of coronavirus, but two positive tests have been found after a pop-up testing blitz at the Southbank apartment complex where four people were previously positive. Those two cases will go in tomorrow’s numbers.

People from regional Victoria will be able to travel to South Australia again, as long they have a test on arrival and isolate until they get their result. Melburnians, however, are still not welcome across the border.

The online vaccine booking portal is up and running, after dedicated phone lines buckled under the number of calls it was receiving at the start of the outbreak and when vaccine eligibility was opened to people aged 40-49.

The advice on the interval between Pfizer doses seems to have morphed from three weeks to between three and six weeks, with Professor Terry Nolan of the Doherty Institute saying the longer break may even improve immunity.

There is no word yet on whether travel restrictions will ease in time for the impending school holidays, and Health Minister Martin Foley refused to be drawn on that topic at today’s outing.

That’s all for today, see you tomorrow.

Queenslanders made up almost one-third of yesterday’s COVID-19 vaccinations.

Just over 64,000 people went out and got vaccinated yesterday, and Queenslanders made up almost one-third of them.

There were more vaccine doses administered in Queensland than in any other state or territory yesterday, perhaps influenced by the fact it was one of the only two states that did not have a Queen’s Birthday public holiday on Monday.

In Victoria, there were 10,602 vaccine doses administered - the lowest single-day total for three weeks.

You can follow the vaccination progress of your state/territory using the interactive table below:

Bookshop owner Corrie Perkin is closing her independent bookstore after 12 years, a victim of COVID-19 lockdowns and lease negotiations.

Despite parts of the book industry profiting from the pandemic, four lockdowns proved too much for Perkins’ My Bookshop on Malvern Road in Hawksburn.

Corrie Perkin in her Hawksburn store.

“It’s really sad,” Perkin told CBD. “The customers are devastated, we are devastated, my family is devastated.”

“When people aren’t going in your door and spending, it puts extra pressure on your personal finances and your business finances.

“If there was a promise that for the rest of the year we would be free of any more lockdowns, then I would take the gamble.”

The business will continue online at mybookshop.com.au as will Perkin’s highly-regarded author interviews. Events will transfer to neighbouring Cafe Latte in Hawksburn.

Read more: ‘Devastated’: Corrie Perkin announces closure of Hawksburn bookshop

Vaccine concerns have eased slightly after new coronavirus outbreaks, with the number of adults who say they are unlikely to be vaccinated falling from 29 to 26 per cent.

More Australians are getting their first doses, completing two doses or registering with authorities to be vaccinated, taking this group to 48 per cent of adults in a new survey.

Another 26 per cent say they are likely to be vaccinated in the months ahead, signalling a small gain in support for the program after Victorian lockdowns and concerns in other states about COVID-19 spreading in the community.

The Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age by research company Resolve Strategic, finds majority support for vaccination but highlights the obstacles in signing up the last quarter of adults.

“Encouragingly, over the last month we see a significant jump in the number of adult Australians taking up their first vaccine jab and a flow through to new registrations to do so,” said Resolve director Jim Reed.

“However, we still see 26 per cent of Australians are hesitant to get vaccinated, down from 29 per cent last month, so this has not been greatly shifted by the Victorian outbreak.”

The Resolve Political Monitor showed last month that older Australians and women were more hesitant than men to sign up for the vaccine according to responses from people who had not already had a vaccine or registered for one.

The latest results have a margin of error of 2.5 per cent and come from questions asked of 1600 voters online from June 8 to 12.

Outside those who have already had a vaccine or signed up for one, the survey found 8 per cent were “extremely likely” to be vaccinated while 8 per cent were “very likely” and 11 per cent were “fairly likely” to do so.

However, 12 per cent said they were “not very likely” and 14 per cent said they were “not at all likely” to be vaccinated. These results were down from 14 per cent and 15 per cent respectively one month ago.

Read more: Vaccine concerns ease, but only slightly, as 26 per cent say unlikely to get jab

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Many Melburnians would traditionally be off in search of sunshine and warmer weather at this time of year.

For school families in particular, it’s been an anxious time deciding whether to book or delay holiday plans amid continuing travel restrictions.

Those limits are in force until 11.59pm Thursday, leaving many holiday plans in disarray and Health Minister Martin Foley was not offering any advice about whether Melburnians should keep bookings.

“It’s a day to day proposition, we know families and businesses need the certainty… When we’ve got more to say about that, we’ll have more to say,” he said.

Have you cancelled or delayed your travel plans due to the current restrictions? Share your story below.

South Australia will reopen its borders to regional Victorians, including people from Geelong, our Adelaide friends at Nine are reporting.

Regional Victorian travellers will be required to get tested and isolate until they get a result.

We had some technical trouble with the South Australian Premier’s press conference and we’re sorry we couldn’t bring it to you live as promised.

It’s live! The online booking system for Victorians launched today, after weeks of people looking for vaccines being directed to a phone line that struggled to cope with demand.

Here’s the link for those who need to book a second Pfizer shot: https://portal.cvms.vic.gov.au/

(Spoiler: this blogger has an appointment for a first Pfizer jab this Thursday, but couldn’t book an appointment online for the second dose yet. Foiled!)

Victoria’s COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar says the two new positive cases identified at the Southbank apartment complex are linked to communal areas, and wider areas will lock down.

The two cases are both adult men who live in separate apartments “adjacent to the other four positive cases” in the complex.

“Those two positive cases are connected to some communal areas that we are concerned about, thoroughfares within that particular complex,” Mr Weimar says.

“There is a total now of six positive cases, one of the positive cases is a very young infant and they are remaining in the apartment with their mother.”

Since this outbreak started, 7000 primary close contacts have been cleared and 1600 primary close contacts still need to receive their test results.

Infection control and testing teams are now focusing on the Southbank apartment.

Eligible Victorians won’t even be able to book for Pfizer vaccines this week, after walk-ins were also paused, as authorities wait for commonwealth supply to catch up with demand and people needing second doses are prioritised.

Health Minister Martin Foley said more COVID vaccine doses had been delivered to Victoria than any other state, with 92,000 doses of Pfizer and nearly 35,000 of AstraZeneca administered in the past week.

“Victorians had have proven that they want to be vaccinated and Victorians, have taken the Commonwealth, commitment, after the last national cabinet, that there was no need to stockpile second doses, the Commonwealth would do that, and deliver to the states,” Mr Foley said.

“We have the supply to meet all of those second doses. So I stress that everyone who needs a second dose will be getting a second dose.

“But we can’t keep doing the first doses at the rate that we would like to do, and the rate at which Victoria has an appetite.”