Coronavirus Australia live news: Victoria overhauls virus messaging as numbers reveal state’s most worrying hot spots
The Victorian government has released a new graphic campaign focusing on survivors, as a case-by-case breakdown reveals the clusters of concern.
- Victoria overhauls virus message
- Calls for JobKeeper 2.0 overhaul
- Numbers reveal Victoria’s worrying clusters
- Victoria records 357 new cases
- ‘Mad’ to open borders to NSW, Vic
- Glimmer of hope in Victorian stats
- Nursing home virus crisis deepens
The Victorian government has released a new ad campaign focusing on survivors, one man describing how the virus tore through his family, killing his mother-in-law. A case-by-case breakdown reveals the clusters of greatest concern, as Victoria records 357 new cases of coronavirus and five more deaths.
Adrian McMurray 11.00pm: ‘Like drowning’: Victoria overhauls virus messaging
The Victorian government has overhauled its COVID-19 messaging with a new graphic advertising blitz built around personal stories of coronavirus survivors, frontline workers and their families.
The multi-language campaign launched as Victoria recorded 357 new cases and five more deaths in the 24 hours to midday Saturday, with 320 of those cases still under investigation.
In one clip, virus survivor Michael says his experience was “like drowning”.
“I’d have coughing fits that go for one to two minutes … I was put in an induced coma, the doctors thought I was going to die,” Michael says.
The middle-aged Victorian details how his wife contracted the virus, and his mother-in-law, who most likely caught it from his wife, would go on to die from COVID-19.
“COVID is real, it is very real,” he adds.
As the state grapples to bring the virus under control, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the second wave was an “unfolding tragedy that is hard to get your head around”.
“This isn’t like the first wave: the numbers have remained stubbornly high,” he said. “They haven’t gone up significantly and they haven’t gone down significantly in the last week.”
There are 229 Victorians in hospital and 22 in intensive care.
The new cases were identified out of 20,313 tests, and Premier Daniel Andrews said aged care facilities were a particular concern for the government.
There are multiple significant outbreaks at such facilities across Melbourne, with 536 active cases in 38 aged care settings and infections split “roughly” evenly between staff and residents.
In total, there are 3395 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria.
NSW meanwhile recorded 15 new cases on Saturday, with an additional four picked up after the reporting period to be added to Sunday’s tally. There are fears of a growing cluster linked to a church in Sydney’s southwest, with a woman who attended five separate services between July 16 and 19 spreading the virus among worshippers.
Health authorities conducted 30,535 tests in the 24 hours to Saturday. There are currently 97 active cases of coronavirus in the state, while 51 people have died.
With Paul Garvey, Frances Vinall
READ MORE: Calls for coronavirus campaign overhaul
Rosie Lewis 9.30pm: Business, unions call for JobKeeper 2.0 overhaul
A leading business group and unions have urged the federal government to let new workers receive JobKeeper 2.0 payments, as Scott Morrison stands by a stricter eligibility test that industry is warning will trigger mass job losses after September.
With Labor signalling it may not wave through JobKeeper 2.0 legislation if there are “improvements” to be made, concerns are growing within industry that too many employers and employees will be cut off from the wage subsidy and forced on to JobSeeker after the first phase ends on September 27.
The Australian revealed on Friday that industry groups feared the tougher turnover test to qualify for the second phase — in which a business must show its turnover declined by at least 30 per cent in the June and September quarters — would be the “death knell” for some sectors.
There are also concerns the government has kept March 1 as the date an employee must be connected with an employer to receive JobKeeper 2.0 payments.
That will rule out any full-time, part-time or fixed-term employee who has been hired by an employer since March 1 from receiving the wage subsidy, as well as casuals who may have clocked up 12 months with a business after that date.
READ the full story here
Bernard Lagan 7.30pm: Celebrities slip through COVID net
Several Australian celebrities have been accused of avoiding strict quarantine rules, causing outrage in areas that have suffered a resurgence of the virus. Among those who have got around the directive are Nicole Kidman, the Oscar-winning actress, and Dannii Minogue, the actress sister of the singer Kylie.
Under Australia’s measures to prevent people bringing in the infection, all overseas travellers must isolate for two weeks in hotels under government management. Those in hotel quarantine are confined for two weeks to their rooms, except for exercise sessions.
The rules also appear to have been eased for Kerry Stokes, allowing the 78-year-old media mogul to avoid two weeks in a hotel room on his return to Australia from America. Instead, he is in isolation at his Perth home.
READ MORE: Celebrities slip through COVID net
Frances Vinall 6.36pm: Where Victoria’s new virus cases are from
Victoria recorded 357 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday with five deaths as the second wave of the pandemic continues in the state.
Sadly, a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 90s, and a man in his 80s have died from COVID-19.
As the state grapples to bring the virus under control, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the second wave was an “unfolding tragedy that is hard to get your head around.”
“This isn’t like the first wave: the numbers have remained stubbornly high,” he said. “They haven’t gone up significantly and they haven’t gone down significantly in the last week.”
Of the 357 new cases identified in the 24 hours to midday Saturday, 37 are connected to known outbreaks and 320 are still under investigation.
There are 229 Victorians in hospital and 22 in intensive care.
The new cases were identified out of 20,313 tests, and Mr Andrews said aged care facilities were a particular concern for the government.
There are multiple significant outbreaks at aged care facilities across Melbourne, with 536 active cases in 38 aged care settings and infections split “roughly” evenly between staff and residents.
In total, there are 3,395 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria.
WHERE THE CASES COME FROM
- 74 cases linked to St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner
- 71 cases linked to aged care facility Estia Health in Ardeer
- 60 cases linked to Menarock Life Aged Care in Essendon
- 44 cases linked to aged care facility Estia Health in Heidelberg
- 49 cases linked to Glendale Aged Care in Werribee
- 23 cases linked to Baptcare Wyndham lodge in Werribee
- 22 cases linked to Regis Aged Care in Brighton
- 138 cases linked to the Al-Taqwa College
- 80 cases linked to Somerville Retails Services in Tottenham
- 45 cases linked to Australian Lamb Company in Colac
- 21 cases linked to Woolworths Distribution Centre in Mulgrave
- 10 cases linked to StarTrack parcel distribution in Laverton
- 7 cases linked to Bingo Recycling in West Melbourne
- 5 cases linked to staff at KFC Truganina
- 5 cases linked to Probe Group in Melbourne CBD
- 2 cases linked to D’Orsogna Meats in Mickleham
- 2 cases linked to Alfred Health Grand Chancellor Hotel
READ MORE: Where Victoria’s new virus numbers are from
Ellen Ransley 6.00pm: Pandemic linked to sharp DV spike
The coronavirus pandemic created a “perfect storm” which has seen a shocking increase in the rate of domestic and family violence in Queensland.
Domestic violence reports are up 23 per cent since the onset of the pandemic, with police and support services noting a huge spike in the brutality and severity of attacks on victims.
Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Di Farmer said COVID-19 had been a nightmare for those on the front line.
“It’s created the perfect storm of income loss, job loss, financial hardship, substance abuse and anxiety which has created enormous challenge for victims of domestic violence,” she said.
“It’s why the Palaszczuk government has been working closely with the commonwealth government to allocate funding to support domestic violence services at the front line.”
READ MORE: Pandemic created ‘perfect storm’ for violence victims
Ellen Ransley 5.45pm: Cops enforce no-standing rules at nightclubs
Police will randomly inspect pubs, clubs and bars across Queensland on Saturday night as venues readjust to the latest round of coronavirus restrictions.
It comes as the State’s Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young announced that patrons would not be allowed to stand in licensed venues.
Queensland Police took swift action, conducting more than 200 compliance checks at licensed venues across the state on Friday night.
“There were no fines issued,” a police service spokesman said. “There were a few issues addressed, but as it was the first night of the new no standing rules the officers tended toward educating.
“We were able to address the issues without fining anyone.”
READ MORE: Cops enforce no-standing rules at nightclubs
Angela Seng 5.30pm: Living on the border making families furious
Tweed region residents are fed up and want a solution to the border chaos gripping the community.
And they want NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Queensland’s Annastacia Palaszczuk to stop squabbling and fix it fast.
Tweed mum-of-three Susie McCarthy is pulling her hair out over border chaos. The Tweed region native has spent up to three hours in traffic following school pick up with her 5, 10 and 12-year-old.
Ms McCarthy said the daily school run caused her family great anxiety each day and was affecting her ability to earn a living as a health and wellness professional.
“I have had to cancel my afternoon appointments in preparation for the unpredictable daily pick up and a lot of my clients are coming from Queensland – so they’re often late or having to cancel,” Ms McCarthy said.
“I think we get forgotten up here because we’re so far north. [The Premier] needs to come here and see for herself and listen to the residents of Tweed.
“The sad things is we’ve always acted as one community – the Tweed and Coolangatta community – and this is beginning to create a divide that has never been there before.”
READ MORE: Why living on the border is making families furious
Ellen Ransley 4pm: Commonwealth steps in as Vic aged care spread worsens
A partnership between the Victorian and federal governments will ensure additional support in the wake of Victoria’s coronavirus outbreaks in aged care centres.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt today announced the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre would ensure the alarming rates of community transmission were adequately addressed.
“Aged care is a significant reflection of community transmission. Wherever that is high, there’s no immunity for our magnificent and courageous aged care workers,” Mr Hunt said.
“Focusing on supporting this is an absolute priority.”
It comes as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a further five deaths and 357 cases of coronavirus in the state in the past 24 hours.
Mr Andrews reported today there were 536 active cases in 38 aged care locations. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton revealed a full list of where the cases were.
The response centre will focus on quality control, workforce provision, prevention of outbreaks, rapid response, supporting provider and communication to families.
Mr Hunt said: “This will be at the Victorian State Control Centre, and will be jointly managed by Emergency Management Australia, Emergency Management Victoria and VicHealth.
“Participating members include the ADF, the Australian Government, the Victorian Government, the Aged Care quality and safety commissioners team, clinical leadership, geriatrician and emergency management support.
“That is an important step forward in helping to ensure rapid response where these cases are occurring.”
READ MORE: CEO’s first-hand lesson in beating COVID-19
Frances Vinall 3.30pm: NSW Police catch 100 at bush party
Up to 100 people partying in front of a DJ in a national park near Thredbo, in the NSW ski fields, have been busted by police with a significant number detained and fined for breaching COVID-19 health orders.
The illegal bush bash was one of a number of incidents of rule-breakers caught by NSW Police on Friday and Saturday.
It comes as NSW confirmed 15 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, including eight linked to the Thai Rock cluster.
Six of the new cases are in hotel quarantine and one case is under investigation, with 30,535 people tested in the past 24 hours.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Scott Whyte said more than 20 people were found in two private residences and fined, along with a NSW resident recently returned from Victoria caught flouting quarantine at Mt Druitt Railway Station who was arrested.
Police Minister David Elliott said Saturday was the six month anniversary of the first positive case of coronavirus being detected in Australia.
READ MORE: Sackings ‘a given’ in next phase
Max Maddison 3pm: Queensland chalks up another day with zero cases
Queensland has gone another day without a recorded case of coronavirus, with only five active infections across the state.
Despite concerns about cases in NSW spreading north, Queensland Health said the total number of cases remained unchanged from 1,076. Of those, 1,063 have recovered, two patients are currently in hospital, while six people have passed away from COVID-related causes.
Coronavirus (#COVID-19) case update 25/07.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) July 25, 2020
Detailed information about COVID-19 cases in Queensland can be found here: https://t.co/kapyXpSIAP pic.twitter.com/fsaA2TltOP
Health authorities have almost conducted half a million tests, with the 7,954 tests in the past 24 hours taking the state’s total to 497,848.
READ MORE: Tough new rules for all in public hospitals
Caroline Overington 2.30pm: ‘For how long will Australians tolerate this?’
You know that old saying about Australia being the best place on earth, and why would anyone want to go anywhere else?
Well, you can’t currently go anywhere else. The international border is closed, and when might it open? I’m going to make the case for right now.
Not for tourists. That’s still too risky. But if you’re an Australian citizen, or indeed a permanent resident, and you want to go to Greece to visit your long-lost second cousins for, let’s say three months, why shouldn’t you be allowed?
There is currently no date for the opening of the borders, but for how long will Australians tolerate being held in an island version of the Hotel California? Associate Editor Caroline Overnighton makes the case that it’s time to let Australians leave.
Read the full story here.
Paul Garvey 2pm: Call for campaign overhaul as messaging falls flat
Marketing experts have called on governments and health departments around Australia to tear up their current coronavirus ad campaigns and replace them with simpler, emotive messages to re-engage a complacent public.
As much of Australia continues to disregard social distancing guidelines, and with Victoria scrambling to enact new measures aimed at combating the virus’s resurgence, communications experts told The Weekend Australian the public health messaging to date had been too complex and unengaging.
Steve Harris, chief executive of The Brand Agency, said too much of the communication from health authorities had missed the mark. Authorities needed to look at the template behind Australia’s world-leading health advertising and communications, such as anti-tobacco and road safety campaigns that had been replicated overseas.
Read the full story here.
Max Maddison 1.35pm: Andrews dodges aged-care blame game
Daniel Andrews says he won’t be drawn into a blame game over soaring infections at aged care facilities, as health authorities scramble to limit contagion between homes.
With 536 active cases in aged-care centres across the state — about half of them affecting staff — Victoria’s Premier said the vulnerability of residents, combined with an insecure workforce, made for a “very challenging setting”.
“The commonwealth regulate this sector and there isn’t much to be gained by me offering commentary on that. We are all focused on this together, Minister Colback, Minister Hunt, the Prime Minister and I are all focused on the very big challenge that is private-sector care,” Mr Andrews told a press conference on Saturday.
“If you get community transmission and then you have chains of transmission that are driven by staff, then you will see outbreaks. That’s exactly the challenge we are facing at the moment.
“It is incredibly difficult to keep this out of aged-care settings, particularly with such a transient and flexible and often insecure workforce.”
Five more people died in Victoria overnight, including four women in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and a man in his 80s.
Mr Andrews said the federal government was offering help to aged-care workers affected by the outbreak.
“The Commonwealth are providing financial support to ensure that that doesn’t financially disadvantaged workers that work in those facilities, and that may possibly finish up with less shifts because they are only working at the one aged-care site,” he said.
READ MORE: Community spirit vanishes in border ‘Bermuda Triangle’
Max Maddison 1.10pm: Top doc warns of sting in second wave’s tail
With daily cases of coronavirus staying stubbornly high, Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says there is “no magic bullet”, warning restrictions will likely be in place in the state for a long time to come.
Professor Sutton said that unlike the first wave of infections, the resurgence of cases in the current second wave was likely to have “quite a tail”.
Three-hundred and twenty of the 357 new cases diagnosed in Victoria overnight have no known source and are still under investigation. The state has nearly 4000 active cases of COVID-19, with 42 patients currently in intensive care.
“In terms of the daily change, but we are coming in with new interventions all the time. There is no magic bullet here, and there is nothing that will all of a sudden see numbers hit zero in the next couple of weeks,” Professor Sutton has told a press conference.
“When you have got outbreaks that are really difficult to manage, those will have ongoing cases for some time yet. So this will have quite a tail, even if we see numbers start to drop in the next week or two. But it is not going to be something that suddenly disappears in the way that wave one did.”
Premier Daniel Andrews also warned: “This second wave is more stubborn.”
READ MORE: Morgan Stanley CEO opens up about surviving coronavirus
Max Maddison 12.45pm: Five more Victorians die as aged-care spread worsens
Another five Victorians have died from COVID-19, as Premier Daniel Andrews confirms 357 new cases overnight.
Mr Andrews said the deaths included women in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s and a man in his 80s, and sent his condolences to each of the families.
“I’m very sad to have to report a further five Victorians have passed away, bringing the total to 61, the number of Victorians who have died because of this global pandemic, this virus,” Mr Andrews said.
“We send our condolences and our best wishes to each of those families, this will be a very difficult and challenging time for them. They are in our thoughts and prayers.”
In addition, Mr Andrews said there were 500 active cases in aged care settings, which was split evenly between staff and residents.
Max Maddison 12.30pm: Watch Daniel Andrews give his daily update
Rachel Baxendale 11.50am: Victoria records 357 new cases
Victoria has recorded 357 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Saturday.
While the number is significantly lower than the record 484 cases on Wednesday, and only the fifth-worst number in the past week, it has been sufficient to reverse Friday’s trend of a dip in the seven-day average daily number of new cases for the first time in more than seven weeks — meaning the long term trend is again heading up.
Victoria has recorded its worst seven-day daily average of the pandemic on Saturday, with 365 cases, compared with 345 on Friday, and the previous record of 363 on Thursday.
That number has steadily risen since June 9, when the seven-day daily average was just three cases.
Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to address the media at 12:30pm.
READ MORE: Peter van Onselen — Quarantine buck stops with the commonwealth
Max Maddison 11.40am: Four cases linked to Sydney church services
Fears of a COVID-19 cluster among worshippers in Sydney’s south west has been confirmed, with four cases linked to church and funeral services.
Fifteen cases were recorded by NSW Health overnight. The four linked to the church services were detected after 8pm and will be officially added to Sunday’s tally.
In a statement, NSW Health said four cases had been linked to the Fairfield woman in her 40s, who attended five separate services from July 16 to July 19.
While six infections were in hotel quarantine, the remaining nine cases included a couple in their 60s from the North Coast, and a couple from south western Sydney.
15 new cases of #COVID19 have been diagnosed in NSW between 8pm on 23 July and 8pm on 24 July.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 25, 2020
For the latest list of COVID-19 locations, visit: https://t.co/pqkRdfh3cR pic.twitter.com/zMtgJpwL05
Eight of the cases are associated with the Thai Rock cluster.
Health authorities conducted 30,535 tests in the past 24 hours. There are currently 97 active cases of coronavirus in the state, while 51 people have died.
READ MORE: Melborne outbreak — 'I don’t know if my mother is alive'
Max Maddison 11.15am: NSW wild weather ‘could pose transmission risk’
NSW Police Minister David Elliott has warned the risk of flooding in parts of NSW over the coming days could inadvertently pose a transmission risk, as small evacuation centres are inundated with people.
Coastal areas north of Wollongong are forecast to get a drenching on Monday and Tuesday
Speaking on Saturday, Mr Elliott requested residents who may be forced to evacuate, to ensure they have a face mask.
“The Bureau of Meteorology is suggesting that there will be some significant wet weather across the state. And, of course, sometimes that means localised flooding and occasionally that means that we have to establish and raise evacuation centres,” Mr Elliott said.
“This will be a new challenge under the auspices of a pandemic. Some of these evacuation centres are in small community halls, small clubs, where under the current circumstances, we would not be inviting people to gather in such circumstances.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Scott White detailed several breaches of the public health order, including a party in Thredbo with 100 people, warning individuals face $1,000 fine and possible jail time if they don’t follow social distancing restrictions.
“We’ve seen evidence in the last 24 hours of people acting irresponsibly and those persons will be subject to fines and other police action,” Mr White said.
The breaches included two instances where more than 20 people were gathered at private residences, and the 22-year-old woman with no fixed address who was arrested for a continual breach of a COVID direction from the Victorian border.
READ MORE: Paul Kelly — Treasurer hostage as nightmare haunts nation
Max Maddison 10.40am: Albanese pushes for labour market deregulation
The vulnerability of insecure workers has been exposed during the coronavirus pandemic, says Anthony Albanese, as he calls out the federal government’s plan for labour market deregulation.
Speaking at a press conference, the Opposition Leader said job insecurity meant many people felt they had no alternative other than turning up for work, even if they are feeling ill.
“The fact is that insecure work is not just a problem for the economy, we’ve seen during this crisis, that insecure work is an issue with the spread of this virus,” Mr Albanese said.
“The fact that many people feel that they have no alternative but to turn up to work, or in order to feed their kids, or to simply miss out on that income they need.”
However, Mr Albanese threw his support behind the decision to send government ministers Marise Payne and Linda Reynolds to the United States, despite the resurgence of coronavirus cases across the country.
“It’s absolutely right for Australia to engage and participate with the United States. You know that the United States is our most important ally, and it’s important that these discussions take place,” he said.
“And I certainly wish that the Defence and Foreign Minister well. I’m sure that there will be
appropriate safety mechanisms put in place.”
READ MORE: Industry concerns rise over JobKeeper 2.0
Max Maddison 10.15am: Global virus cases make largest daily leap
Global confirmed cases of coronavirus saw their largest daily leap yet, theorld Health Organisation has revealed, as the total number of infections races towards 16 million.
The WHO said the total rose by 284,196 in 24 hours, outstripping the previous record set on July 18. The soaring daily figure continued to be led by the United States, Brazil and India.
Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 tracker showed rocketing infections across the US, with another 70,874 new cases confirmed taking the country’s total to 4,038,748. The Jair Bolsonaro-led Brazil has also seen a spike in infections over the past couple of days, with daily cases now hovering around 60,000.
Meanwhile, India witnessed another grim milestone, with 49,310 new cases setting a daily record. The country has reported 1,288,108 cases, and 30,601 deaths.
The number of confirmed cases globally stands at 15,656,042, with global deaths at 636,848.
READ MORE: Adam Creighton — So much healing awaits once sickness has passed
Agencies 9.50am: Chinese biologist accused of concealing military ties
A Chinese researcher accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military on a visa application she submitted so she could work in the US has been booked into a Northern California jail and is expected to appear in federal court on Monday.
Sacramento County jail records show Juan Tang, 37, was being held on behalf of federal authorities after she was arrested by the US Marshals Service. It was unclear if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
The Justice Department on Thursday announced charges against Tang and three other scientists living in the US, saying they lied about their status as members of China’s People’s Liberation Army. All were charged with visa fraud.
Tang was the last of the four to be arrested, after the justice department accused the Chinese consulate in San Francisco of harbouring a known fugitive.
READ MORE: Ministers call out Beijing’s conduct
Max Maddison 9.30am: Infected Sydney woman attended five church services
NSW Health is on high alert for an outbreak of COVID-19 among worshippers in Sydney’s south west, after a potentially infectious woman attended several places of worship in five days.
The Fairfield woman in her 40s, who has since tested positive for coronavirus, attended five separate funeral and church services from July 16 to July 19, including Ausia Funeral Services for several hours on July 17.
The Fairfield woman attended the following services:
– St Brendan’s Catholic Church Bankstown on July 16 for one hour from 6.30pm
– Ausia Funeral Services at Fairfield East on July 17 between 1pm and 8pm
– Funeral service at St Brendan’s Catholic Church Bankstown on July 18 for one hour from 10am
– Burial service at St John of God Lawn at Rookwood on July 18 between 11.30-1pm
– Our Lady of Mt Carmel at Mt Pritchard on July 19 for one hour from 7.30am
In a statement, NSW Health urged attendees of these services to monitor their symptoms.
NSW Health & the South Western Sydney Local Health District are urging attendees of the following funeral & other church services to monitor for symptoms and if they develop symptoms to self-isolate immediately and get tested. Read more https://t.co/jjthr0xY11 #COVID19 #COVID19au pic.twitter.com/K5zXN4Z2NN
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 24, 2020
“NSW Health and the South Western Sydney Local Health District are urging attendees of the following funeral and other church services to monitor for symptoms and if they develop symptoms to self-isolate immediately and get tested,” the statement said
“People must remain isolated until they receive their test result.”
Health authorities have begun contact tracing.
READ MORE: Chris Kenny — We can’t just keep going into lockdown
Cameron Stewart 9am: Breakthrough nears in stem-cell virus treatment
Australian biotech company Mesoblast is just weeks away from learning if it has found a world-first breakthrough in the treatment for coronavirus.
The Australian/US company is awaiting the interim results of a 300-patient trial to see if its stem-cell based treatment confirms the promise of an early trial which produced a stunning survival rate among seriously ill COVID-19 patients.
If the interim results confirm the effectiveness of the treatment, the company will move quickly to seek FDA approval, raising the possibility that an Australian company will spearhead the world’s first lifesaving treatment for the deadly virus.
Read the full story here.
Agencies 8.30am: ‘Tropical Trump’ set to win despite virus chaos
Three polls released this week show gains for President Jair Bolsonaro, putting him as favourite to win re-election in 2022 despite his controversial handling of Brazil’s raging coronavirus crisis.
The far-right leader, who is himself currently infected with the virus, has downplayed the pandemic even as it has exploded in Brazil, the country with the most infections and deaths from COVID-19 anywhere in the world except the United States.
But this week’s polls suggest the man dubbed the “Tropical Trump” is weathering the crisis relatively well.
The latest, published Friday by news magazine Veja, puts the far-right leader comfortably ahead in the first round of the presidential election, with 27.5 to 30.7 per cent of the vote, depending on his opponents.
Bolsonaro would easily win the second round against any opponent, even his popular ex-justice minister turned nemesis, Sergio Moro, or leftist former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the poll found.
AFP
READ MORE: A formidable threat grew while we looked away
Agencies 8am: China, Russia unite to stop ‘disinformation spread’
China accused “certain countries” of spreading disinformation in a video call Friday with Russia, as the two nations sought a closer alliance while relations continue to deteriorate between Beijing and Washington.
The remarks come as China and the US have been caught in an escalating tit-for-tat dispute that spans media, territorial sovereignty, diplomacy, human rights, trade and technological dominance.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman and director of its information department, Hua Chunying, spoke with her Russian counterpart Maria Zakharova, the ministry said in a statement Friday evening.
“Both sides agreed that … certain countries, out of ideological bias and political needs, have been spreading disinformation, distorting history … politicising the pandemic, pinning labels on the virus,” said the statement, echoing Beijing’s rebukes to US accusations that China had covered up the initial outbreak and handled it badly.
Such acts have “severely poisoned the atmosphere of global public opinion, obstructed international co-operation against the virus, and set obstacles to mutual understanding among people from different countries,” the statement continued, without naming the US directly.
Zakharova, for her part, said that instead of pooling resources to fight the coronavirus pandemic, China and Russia “must fight against attacks in the information field”. — AFP
READ MORE: Alan Dupont — Who’s afraid of China’s big bad wolf warriors?
Geoff Chambers 7.40am: Australia ‘can’t shut itself off from the world’
Australia’s COVID-19 suppression strategy has been reaffirmed by the national cabinet to avoid “recklessly” shutting the country off from the rest of the world, as federal, state and territory leaders backed the fast-tracking of major infrastructure projects to support 66,000 jobs.
A new freight code to support the movement of trucks between state borders, changes to environmental approvals and Scott Morrison’s JobTrainer plan were also endorsed at yesterday’s national cabinet meeting.
The Prime Minister said the suppression strategy was aimed at neutralising and ensuring against community transmission in the face of new waves of COVID-19 infections in Victoria and NSW.
“The goal of that is, and has always been, no community transmission,” he said. “There will always be cases that come because Australia has not completely shut itself off from the world. To do so would be reckless.”
Read the full story here.
Paul Garvey 7.15am: Health authorities miss the mark on virus message
Marketing experts have called on governments and health departments around Australia to tear up their current coronavirus ad campaigns and replace them with simpler, emotive messages to re-engage a complacent public.
As much of Australia continues to disregard social distancing guidelines, and with Victoria scrambling to enact new measures aimed at combating the virus’s resurgence, communications experts told The Weekend Australian the public health messaging to date had been too complex and unengaging.
Steve Harris, chief executive of The Brand Agency, said too much of the communication from health authorities had missed the mark.
“If you look at the great social-change advertising, particularly around health, it’s been highly emotively engaging,’’ Mr Harris said. “That’s what we are missing … You can’t just sell to the head, you’ve got to sell to the heart. We are missing that emotionally engaging advertising that is going to sit up and get noticed, and really motivate changing behaviour.”
Read the full story here.
Samantha Bailey 6.40am: The Star casino to enforce new patron limits
The Star has been forced to limit the number of people at its Sydney casino after a NSW public health crackdown aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus was extended to include casinos.
Each separate area of The Star is now limited to 300, and customers gathering in different areas will not be able to “mingle”, the company told the ASX on Friday.
Before the changes, The Star had been required to adhere to the four square metre rule but it was exempt from capping the number of patrons to 300, as many pubs and other venues had to.
Read the full story here.
Angelica Snowden 6.10am: NSW hospital visitors ‘must’ wear face masks
NSW Health has ramped up the fight against coronavirus, directing all healthcare workers, patients and visitors to wear face masks at public hospitals across the state as community transmissions increase.
The directive, effective Friday, decrees all staff, visitors and patients who attend public hospitals “must” wear face masks when they cannot maintain a 1.5m distance.
“Given the current context of local transmission, NSW Health has directed all public hospitals that health workers must now wear a surgical mask if they are within 1.5m of patients,” NSW Health said in a statement. “Patients are also required to wear a mask where possible.”
Read the full story here.
John Ferguson 5.20am: States ‘mad’ to open borders to Victoria, NSW
Australia risks becoming a divided country until a COVID-19 vaccine is found, because the successful states would be “mad” to open up their borders to Victoria and NSW, an eminent epidemiologist has warned.
Melbourne University professor Tony Blakely says the other states would be very unwise to open their borders to states with significant virus spread.
Dr Blakely said Victoria had a standout problem with the virus, with surging infection rates and deaths, but that NSW may also be problematic for the successful states and territories.
He said Australia’s suppression strategy meant that the aim was not to eliminate but keep infections suppressed, which meant there was always a risk of an outbreak in states like Victoria.
He said the premiers of the three mainland states that had controlled the viruses would think hard about their next steps.
“You’d be mad to open your borders to someone like Victoria or even NSW at the moment,” he told The Weekend Australian. “Absolutely mad.”
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 5.15am: Stats offer hope in Victoria’s second wave
Victoria’s seven-day average number of new COVID-19 case has dipped for the first time in more than seven weeks, offering a glimmer of hope that numbers may be stabilising.
But the slight decrease, which may or may not be an indication of a longer-term trend, comes as Melbourne’s COVID-19 numbers have increased to a point where one in 775 Melburnians has now tested positive for the virus.
As the state notched a grim record of seven coronavirus deaths in the 24 hours to Friday, amid 40 clusters totalling more than 450 cases in aged care centres, abattoirs and smallgoods factories were also emerging as new cluster hot spots, including in regional Victoria.
Read the full story here.
Stephen Lunn 5am: Nursing homes fighting devastating virus outbreak
Victoria’s nursing homes are fighting a devastating coronavirus outbreak, with eight residents dying in two days, elderly patients evacuated from the worst-hit facilities, and infection numbers soaring to more than 450.
Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck and bureaucrats held emergency talks with nursing home operators on Friday night in a bid to stem the outbreaks, which have claimed 22 lives this month.
As authorities struggled to contain the aged care crisis, the Andrews government reported 300 new infections statewide on Friday. Five of the seven coronavirus deaths in the previous 24 hours were nursing home residents.
Read the full story, by Stephen Lunn and Rachel Baxendale, here.
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