Coronavirus Australia live news: Pfizer vaccine effective against mutant strains; NZ travel pause extended
Pfizer and BioNTech say their vaccine can combat the strains which have emerged in the UK and South Africa, as NSW names the locations of its first vaccination hubs.
- Pfizer vaccine effective against mutant strains
- Pfizer warns on vaccine supply
- NZ travel pause extended
- Queensland to reopen NSW border
- Australia 8th in Covid index
- Debt to double in next 5 years
Welcome to live coverage of Australia’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Pfizer and BioNTech say their vaccine is effective against the strains which have emerged in the UK and South Africa, as NSW names the locations of its first vaccination hubs.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd has announced Australia will extend the pause on flights from New Zealand for a further 72 hours.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has called on Scott Morrison to help Queensland tourism operators, as the state prepares to reopen its border to NSW on February 1.
Nicholas Jensen 11.03pm: Vaccine makers working to address shortfall: WHO
The WHO Director of Europe Hans Kluge has said vaccine manufacturers are working day and night to combat any shortfalls in supplies, urging countries not to compete for deliveries.
“Solidarity does not necessarily mean that each country in the world starts (vaccinating) at exactly the same moment ... The best understanding is that no one is safe before everyone is safe,” Kluge told an online news briefing.
Asked about delays in expediting Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to patients across the EU bloc, Kluge said governments and manufacturers should work together to address any “teething problems”.
“The reality is there is a shortage of vaccines,” Kluge said. “But we don’t doubt that manufacturers and producers are working 24/7 to bridge the gaps and we’re confident the delays we are seeing now are going to be made up by extra production in the future.”
READ MORE: Airports beg for help
Nicholas Jensen 9.33pm: WHO investigators leave quarantine in Wuhan
WHO officials engaged to investigate the outbreak of COVID-19 in China have left quarantine in Wuhan to begin a heavily scrutinised inquiry into the origins of the pandemic.
The group started a two-week quarantine on January 14 in the central Chinese city where the first known cluster of virus cases emerged.
The virus is believed to have derived from bats and to have spread from a wet market in Wuhan where wild animals were sold as food.
The WHO insists the visit will be closely linked to the science of how the virus moved from animals to humans.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, new White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said it was “imperative we get to the bottom” of how the virus appeared and spread worldwide.
Beijing responded, warning the US to “respect facts and science, respect the hard work” of the WHO experts. They must be allowed to work “free from political interference”, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian.
He said their mission will include “seminars, field trips and visits” specifically linked to “scientific origin tracing”.
However, it remains unclear what the expert team will be allowed to see in Wuhan or what useful evidence remains a year after the outbreak.
The outbreak remains a sensitive topic in China, with the Communist leadership seeking to stamp out discussion showing poor governance.
READ MORE: US demands ‘robust’ virus origin probe
Nicholas Jensen 8.21pm: ‘NZ will express concern over China influence’
New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has said that her country will continue to express concern about China’s influence despite an upgrade to their Free Trade Agreement.
Asked about China’s growing regional aggression and the timing of the updated FTA, Ms Mahuta said “I think it’s not necessarily the right connection of events to make”.
“People will remember that we were the first to have a FTA with China. And the upgrade actually puts us on par with what Australia had agreed in their own FTA with China,” she told ABC’s 7.30 Report.
“China has made some significant gains in the area of climate change. We have a maturing relationship, and that means we are predictable, and China understands the issues that we will stand apart on.”
Ms Mahuta’s comments come after Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said of the Australia-China relationship in a TV interview on Tuesday: “I can’t speak for Australia and the way it runs its diplomatic relationships, but clearly if they were to follow us and show respect, I guess a little more diplomacy from time to time and be cautious with wording, then they too, hopefully, could be in a similar situation.”
Asked to respond to Mr O’Connor’s interview, Ms Mahuta said “bilateral relationships of any other country is a matter for those countries. Certainly, in terms of the China-Australia relationship, that is something that we should not comment on.”
READ MORE: ‘Australia should show China respect’
Nicholas Jensen 7.12pm: Pfizer vaccine effective against mutant strains
Pfizer and BioNTech have said their vaccine is effective against the COVID-19 strains which have emerged in the UK and South Africa.
In a joint statement, the two companies said the “small differences” detected in tests comparing the original virus and the recent versions “are unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in the effectiveness of the vaccine”.
The statement comes after suggestions that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would not be fully effective in combating the South African variant, fearing that it may be more adept at dodging antibodies in the bloodstream.
While their investigation showed no need to develop a new vaccine to tackle the new strains, Pfizer/BioNTech said they would be prepared to find ways to counteract the variants if there was any evidence it was ineffective.
Both companies have said they will continue to monitor their vaccine’s “real-world effectiveness”, including against the emergence of any new strains.
“Pfizer and BioNTech believe that the flexibility of BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA vaccine platform is well suited to develop new vaccine variants if required,” they said.
Australia has purchased 10 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, which has been provisionally approved by the TGA.
READ MORE: EU threat to Australia’s vaccine rollout
Nicholas Jensen 6.36pm: NSW announces its first vaccine hub locations
The government has announced the first vaccine hubs will be located at 11 of the state’s largest hospitals.
The vaccination hubs are planned at Royal Prince Alfred, Westmead and Liverpool hospitals, as well as Hornsby, St George, Nepean, Newcastle, Wollongong, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga hospitals.
“Once more vaccine doses become available from Phase 1b, it is expected that one or more COVID-19 vaccines will be available for the wider population through usual immunisation providers, including GP practices, GP respiratory clinics and Aboriginal health services,” NSW Health said.
NSW Health said that “as doses will initially be limited, the vaccine will be first made available to people who are most vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 or who have the highest risk of being exposed to, or spreading, the virus.”
The vaccinations will be offered in phases, with some frontline health facility workers and quarantine facility workers having access to the vaccine in the first phase of the program.
The NSW Ministry of Health is working with Local Health Districts and Networks in NSW to identify the staff who will be considered for vaccination in the first phase of the roll out.
Details of the vaccine hubs come after Queensland confirmed it will open its borders to all of NSW from February 1.
NSW recorded no new cases of community transmission for the 11th consecutive day.
READ MORE: ‘Absolute caution’ over virus find
Richard Ferguson 6.20pm: NZ Trade Minister calls Tehan after China comments
New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor has called his Australian counterpart Dan Tehan after saying Australia should show respect and more diplomacy towards China.
After a year of trade tensions between Canberra and Beijing, the New Zealand trade minister said he was willing to mediate between the two sides and said Australia should watch its wording around issues relating to China.
After his explosive comments to a US news station, Mr O’Connor said he told Mr Tehan he did not mean to speak for Australia.
“The Australia-China relationship will always be a matter for China and Australia,” he said.
“I’ve spoken with my Australian counterpart earlier today to reiterate, as I said in the interview, that we do not speak for Australia on this or any other matter.”
Mr Tehan on Thursday did not criticise Mr O’Connor, but said relations with China would be dictated by Australia’s national interest.
“Our approach to trade policy will be guided by three Ps: proactivity, principle and patience. We pursue engagement with China on the basis of mutual benefit, and the complementarity of our economies makes us natural trading partners,” he said.
“We are always open to dialogue as the best way to resolve differences.”
READ MORE: Australia should show ‘respect’ towards China: NZ Trade Minister
Ellie Dudley 5.50pm: Parent visas to be granted onshore during pandemic
The federal government will grant concessions to parent visas, allowing applicants to have their visas granted onshore during the coronavirus pandemic.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced the change this afternoon, after the government in November granted similar concessions to those on partner visas, child visas and adoption visas – removing a requirement to be overseas when they are granted.
“The government is pursuing changes to allow certain parent visa applicants who have applied for their visa outside Australia to be granted that visa while in Australia during the COVID-19 period,” Mr Hawke said.
“This temporary concession would apply to parent visa subclasses and will allow eligible applicants who are in Australia and unable to travel offshore due to COVID-19 impacts to be granted that visa.”
The change comes after frustrated visa applicants called for an end to the “insanity” that forced them to leave the country in order to have permanent residency granted.
Julie Jin and Can Liu reached the point of despair after their plan to fly Can’s parents and others in the same predicament to New Zealand on an $88,000 charter flight was rejected by Australian immigration authorities.
The couple, who are expecting a child in August, have been in a months-long battle to keep grandparents Dong Liu and Lixia Wang, both Chinese nationals, in Australia on parent visas.
Ms Jin said she needs the grandparents in Australia to provide vital support for her children, and is discouraged by the lack of government support. “They’ve closed the door to us to get a charter flight, they don’t even want to help us,” she said.
However, the government has yet to set a date when the temporary concessions will begin.
Labor MP Julian Hill said: “Forcing people to fly overseas and back again, just so their visa can be granted, is madness in the middle of a global pandemic.”
Julian Hourigan, National President of the Migration Institute of Australia said the offshore requirement should be removed entirely. “It shouldn’t just be a COVID exemption, it’s a simple fix that should be applied across the board, permanently,” he said.
READ MORE: Qantas passengers choosing to pay to fly greener
Jacquelin Magnay 5.30pm: Pfizer warns on vaccine supply
Pfizer has warned export restrictions on its coronavirus vaccine Pfizer BioNTech could disrupt global supply of its highly effective jabs, including 10m doses earmarked for Australia.
Fresh uncertainty surrounds the pace and scale of delivery of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine into Australia, which had been due to start within weeks with an initial supply of 80,000 doses.
But it is now unclear how many of Australia’s frontline medical staff, the most vulnerable and the elderly will be offered the Pfizer BioNTech two dose regime in the opening weeks of the national vaccination effort, due to start in late February.
This comes as Australia’s other coronavirus vaccine, the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine, is also facing supply issues, with just 1.2m of an expected 3.8m doses now due to arrive by late February.
Pfizer is caught in a diplomatic row between the European Union and the British government over reduced supplies of the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine to Europe because of manufacturing difficulties at the AstraZeneca Belgium plant. The EU is to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine today, but has only 31m of an expected 80m order is ready for distribution around the EU’s 27 member states.
An angered European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen has blamed the UK for hoarding supplies and in a tit for tat move which she threatened ‘’means business’’ has demanded new rules requiring vaccine companies to notify the commission of all vaccine exports outside of the EU.
Such a licensing step has created further uncertainty about the staged delivery of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which is manufactured in Puurs, Belgium, into Australia. Another pharmaceutical company Sanofi has offered to help Pfizer scale up production at its Frankfurt plant in German after problems and delays with its own vaccine candidate, but this additional supply – of up to 100m doses – is expected to be quarantined for EU distribution.
In a statement to The Australian, Pfizer has acknowledged the fresh hurdles posed by the EU requirements.
The pharmaceutical giant said: ‘’We understand the EU proposed notification process is aimed at increasing transparency and does not intend to restrict global supply to patients. It is critical that governments do not impose export restrictions or other trade barriers that risk creating uncertainty and disrupting supply of vaccine to patients around the world.”
The company added that it was committed to delivering on its agreement with the Australian government to supply 10 million doses of its vaccine for COVID-19 over the course of 2021.
‘’At this time, we are on track to deliver the first doses in February 2021. However, we look forward to receiving further details on the EU proposal and assessing its impact on patients,’’ Pfizer said.
Australia is increasingly looking to the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured under licence at the CSL factory in Broadmeadows, Victoria, to underpin the national vaccination program after the Queensland candidate vaccine was halted before stage three trials.
CSL said the manufacturing of the local AstraZeneca vaccine started in early November and the first doses are planned for release in the first half of 2021.
Robyn Ironside 3.40pm: Airlines treble flights as Queensland border reopens
Airlines are set to triple the number of flights between New South Wales and Queensland in response to the border reopening on February 1.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Thursday the decision to reopen to Greater Sydney following the Northern Beaches Covid outbreak in December.
Although the move will come too late for the peak summer holiday season, tourism operators were hopeful pent up travel demand would help sustain them through quieter periods.
In response to the border reopening, Qantas planned to reintroduce scores of flights from Sydney to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Mackay, Hamilton Island and Cairns.
When borders closed on December 21, the airline reduced return flights between Queensland and New South Wales to about 35 a week.
By the end of February, providing borders remain open, Qantas expected to be operating 120 return flights a week.
Virgin Australia was already seeing a surge in flight searches between Sydney and several Queensland destinations following Ms Palaszczuk’s announcement.
A Virgin spokesman said the border reopening came in the nick of time for many in the tourism and aviation industries.
“The announcement provides a boost of confidence for thousands of our people who’ve been looking forward to returning to work, as well as for travellers who want to do business, reconnect with loved ones, family and friends,” he said.
“We are reviewing our schedules and are focused on adding more Queensland services from early February.”
On Wednesday, Virgin Australia revealed it was preparing to axe 350 head office and corporate workers, as part of the airline’s post-administration restructuring.
The redundancies will bring to 3000 the number of jobs axed from the airline, which previously boasted a workforce of 9000 people.
In a note to employees, CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the industry remained challenged, “with border movements still very fluid and ongoing government support unclear”.
READ MORE: Qantas passengers choosing to fly green despite Covid
Natasha Robinson 2.40pm: Pfizer may switch vaccine production to US
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer may switch manufacturing of its vaccine to the United States in order to fulfil supply agreements should the European Union carry through on threats to institute a travel ban.
Giving evidence at a Senate committee hearing on COVID-19 this morning, Pfizer Australia and New Zealand’s medical director Krishan Thiru said the company was exploring its options should the EU impose export bans.
“We have large scale of manufacturing across the US and Europe,” Dr Thiru said. “No determination has been made at this point in time about switching the source of our manufacture of vaccinations.
“It’s obviously critical that governments don’t impose export rest or trade barriers. Should that happen we will explore what options are available.”
Under questioning from Labor Senator Kristina Keneally, the company said the first time it engaged in discussions with the Federal government over supply of its mRNA vaccine was at the end of June last year.
Pfizer Australia and New Zealand’s director of market access, Louise Graham, said the company wrote to the federal government in June to discuss supply of its vaccine. The government had not contacted the company prior to that to discuss buying the vaccine, Ms Graham said.
“We continued our conversations through August and September and came to an initial agreements in early November,” Ms Graham said. The company only agreed to supply 10 million doses to the Federal government, Ms Graham confirmed. By the time it signed its agreement with Australia, it had agreed to supply a total of approximately one billion doses of its vaccine to 34 other countries.
The Senate hearing also heard from the president of the Australian Medical Association, Omar Korshid, who questioned why Australia did not have a contract for the Moderna vaccine.
“I think if we had more deals we would have a greater set of choices as to what vaccines as to what vaccines to use in our initial rollout. In particular we don’t have a contract with the Moderna vaccine which is one vaccine that could have been approved in Australia in a similar time frame to the Pfizer vaccine.
“We have no information as to why the government went with Pfizer over Moderna.
“I would have to say overall having made effectively a number of bets … the government went with a number of contracts and only the UQ vaccine has fallen by the wayside so far, so they’ve got a reasonably good hit rate in terms of success.”
READ MORE: EU threat to Australia’s vaccine rollout
Tim Dodd 2.28pm: Travel restrictions force Uni of NSW VC to stands down
University of NSW vice chancellor Ian Jacobs will step down, citing family commitments in the UK, after a challenging year for his university in which revenue fell 20 per cent and 500 staff were shed due to COVID-19 border closures and the loss of Chinese students.
Professor Jacobs, who will leave in January 2022, said he and his wife feel the need to be closer to their ageing parents in the UK because travel restrictions have made it impossible to make frequent trips.
“After careful reflection I have concluded that I cannot reconcile the leadership needs of UNSW in Sydney with the level of support I want and need to provide to my mother in London at this stage in her life,” he told staff in an email. Professor Jacobs’ father passed away in July last year.
UNSW was forced to make major spending cuts last year and will continue to run tight budgets, with borders unlikely to open to international students for the remainder of this year.
Professor Jacobs said that, in the context of other universities, UNSW was in a “strong position”.
But he said he would like the university to emerge from the COVID crisis with a better balanced portfolio of funding, with more from business and philanthropic sources and reduced reliance on international students.
Professor Jacobs’ pending departure means that both the top universities in NSW are seeking new leaders. University of Sydney’s previous vice-chancellor Michael Spence left in December and the university has not yet named a permanent replacement.
READ MORE: Bleak prospects for student return
Ellie Dudley 2.06pm: WA records no new local cases of virus
Western Australia has recorded no new cases of community transmission in the past 24 hours, and one in hotel quarantine.
The patient is a man in his 60s who travelled from the UK, via Dubai.
There are now 14 active cases in Perth’s quarantine hotels.
Ellie Dudley 1.49pm: Australia extends border closure to New Zealand
Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd has announced Australia will extend the pause on flights from New Zealand for a further 72 hours.
“The travel pause on green zone flights from New Zealand to Australia has been extended for a further 72 hours until 2.00pm on Sunday, 31 January,” he said.
“This allows continuing protection of the people of Australia, while the extent of the situation in New Zealand continues to be clarified.”
The decision comes after the green zone arrangements with New Zealand were suspended for 72 hours on Monday after a case of the South African variant was found in the country, which later spread to two others.
Prof Kidd said the government is following up on people who have travelled to Australia from New Zealand after being in the Pullman Hotel at the same time as the three confirmed cases.
“All these people are being followed up by the health authorities in the state where they landed,” he said.
“We know that 12 people who were in quarantine at the Pullman Hotel have arrived in Sydney. Three of these people have travelled onto Hong Kong and the authorities there have been advised. Two of these people travelled onto Queensland and the authorities there have also been advised. The others are all being followed up in New South Wales and are being tested.”
Prof Kidd also announced anyone who has arrived in Australia on a flight from New Zealand on or since 9 January should isolate and arrange to get a test and remain in isolation until they’ve received a negative test result.
“In particular, if you were in hotel quarantine or were a guest or a staff member at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland, between 9 January and 14 January, please isolate at your home, arrange to get tested for COVID-19, and follow the advice of the health authorities in your state,” he said.
Vaccines on track
Prof Kidd also addressed Australia’s vaccine position, saying the country is “on track” for a late February commencement of the Pfizer rollout with the availability of around 80,000 doses per week.
Further, he said the rollout of the AstraZeneca international dose is on track for an early March arrival, subject to approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the approval of final shipping information.
“The latest guidance from the company is for supply of approximately 1.2 million AstraZeneca doses from offshore during March, and the company remains committed to the full supply of the 3.8 million offshore doses, and will confirm additional shipping dates once global supplies are confirmed,” he said.
Mr Kidd said the government’s “certainty and continuity” of supply is “underpinned by the 50 million-does domestic production agreement with CSL and AstraZeneca.”
“This supply is now projected to commence in late March, earlier than previously expected, delivering 1 million doses per week,” he said.
“It is projected that 2 million domestically produced doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be supplied in late March.”
He added that the deliveries of the vaccine is subject to global production, supply and shipping processes.
Ellie Dudley 1.31pm: US wants robust investigation into China virus origins
The United States wants a “robust and clear” international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in China, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday.
She said it was “imperative we get to the bottom” of how the virus originated and spread worldwide.
Ms Psaki highlighted a “great concern” over “misinformation” from “some sources in China.”
The coronavirus has infected at least 100 million people, killed more than two million, and slammed the global economy since first being detected over a year ago in the Chinese city of Wuhan in the Hubei province.
Earlier this month, a team of experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) arrived in Wuhan after repeated delays to probe the virus’s origins.
The WHO investigators have recently been released from quarantine and are now working to trace the virus back to its beginnings.
Ms Psaki said the US government would devote significant resources of its own to understanding what happened.
She said Washington would “draw on information collected and analysed by our intelligence community” and also work with allies to evaluate the credibility of the international report.
READ MORE: Xi’s fine words can’t camouflage Beijing aggression
Adeshola Ore 1.09pm: Albanese promotes Marles in Labor reshuffle
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles has been appointed opposition spokesman for employment and small business and science, in a major shadow cabinet reshuffle aimed to repair internal divisions before a likely federal election this year.
Unveiling his new frontbench, Anthony Albanese said the reshuffle would ensure Australians “get the most out of Labor.”
“This is the strongest team to form an Albanese Labor government,” he said.
Mr Albanese said Mr Marles was now the “Minister for jobs, jobs and more jobs.”
Mr Albanese has confirmed that former opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen has been appointed to the climate and energy portfolio.
The Opposition Leader said Mr Bowen, who has previously served as the Treasury spokesman under Bill Shorten, would bring an “economic perspective” to the role.
READ the full story on Anthony Albanese’s cabinet reshuffle here
Ellie Dudley 1.04pm: First Australian Open players to come out of quarantine
The first group of people who travelled internationally to Victoria for the Australian Open will be released from hotel quarantine today.
Premier Daniel Andrews said they would be treated “no different to anyone else going through the hotel quarantine system” when being released from the premises.
He added that some will leave to stay at private homes, other to private hotels, while some hotels will convert from hotel quarantine premises to ‘Australian Open tennis hotels’.
Serena Williams, who is completing her quarantine in an Adelaide hotel, praised Australia’s border control program, saying the country is “doing it right.”
“We come here in Australia and everyone quarantines in a room for 14 days and it is insane and super intense but it is good because after that you can have a new normal,” she told The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“It is definitely hard with a three-year-old to be in the hotel all day but it is worth it because you want everyone to be safe.”
READ MORE: Power packed Barty reveals Australian Open weapon
RICHARD FERGUSON 12.48pm: NZ’s advice on China: ‘Show some diplomacy’
New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor has called on Australia to show “a little more diplomacy” and “respect” towards China if it wants to improve economic relations this year.
Australian barley, beef, coal, wheat, wine and other products have been slapped with bans and tariffs from Beijing in the past twelve months as strategic tensions between Canberra and China rise.
New Zealand upgraded its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China after eight years of negotiations, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern lauding Beijing as a key trading partner on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Mr O’Connor said his country had a “mature” relationship with China and took a veiled swipe at the Australian government’s handling of relations with the Asian superpower.
“We have a mature and honest relationship with China, and we’ve always been able to raise issues of concern,” he told US business network CNBC.
“But we have always respected the healthy trade relationship we have.
“I can’t speak for Australia … clearly if they (Australia) were to follow us and show respect, and I guess show a little more diplomacy from time to time and be cautious with wording then they too hopefully would be in a similar situation.”
READ the full story here
Ellie Dudley 11.59am: SA lifts quarantine restrictions to greater Sydney
South Australia Health Minister Stephen Wade has announced the state will remove its 14-day quarantine requirement to travellers from the greater Sydney area from 12.01am Sunday morning.
The decision to ease restrictions is subject to the identification of no further cases of coronavirus in New South Wales.
Travellers who have been in greater Sydney will need to submit to PCR COVID-19 tests on days one, five and 12 after arrival in South Australia. They will be required to isolate until they receive their first negative test result.
The testing regimen will not apply to travellers who’ve been elsewhere in New South Wales.
“A negative result [on day one] will be free to move into the community,” Mr Wade said.
“If someone does provide a positive test on day one, their exposure to the community has been dramatically limited so we can wrap that up in a close contact arrangement. We’ll do the contact tracing and minimise the risk to the South Australian community, while at the same time allowing people to travel as much as possible.”
READ MORE: ‘It’s how Olympics go ahead, not if’
Ellie Dudley 11.44am: UK introduces hotel quarantine for travellers
The United Kingdom will introduce hotel quarantine for travellers from 22 “high risk” countries as the country tightens its borders and tries to control its soaring case numbers.
Visitors from the countries will have to undergo a 10-day hotel quarantine at their own expense, taking tips from Australia’s handling of the virus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new rules would apply to travellers from “red list countries where we have particular concern about new variants.”
Meals and hotel expenses could end up costing travellers close to $3000 for the 10-day quarantine period.
The decision came a day after the UK reached the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths yesterday — the first country in Europe to do so.
READ MORE: Mixed messaging on masks a fatal mistake
Ellie Dudley 11.36am: CSL absent from Senate vaccine inquiry
Vaccine manufacturer CSL refused an invitation to appear before a Senate COVID-19 committee inquiry into Australian vaccine supplies today, at which Pfizer and AstraZeneca will both be present.
CSL said they were too “busy” and “unable to resource participation” to the hearing, according to emails obtained by The Guardian between the manufacturer and the committee.
The Melbourne-based organisation is responsible for manufacturing AstraZeneca vaccines for Australians.
Senate COVID-19 committee chairwoman Katy Gallagher said CSL held a “vital role” in Australia’s vaccine rollout and the committee believed it was “essential to hear from them directly.”
READ MORE: AstraZeneca CEO quits CSL board
Sarah Toy 11.27am: WHO recommends against vaccines for pregnant women
The World Health Organisation released new guidance about Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine this week, recommending generally against the use of the vaccine during pregnancy except in those at high risk of exposure or having a severe case.
“In the interim, WHO recommends not to use mRNA-1273 in pregnancy, unless the benefit of vaccinating a pregnant woman outweighs the potential vaccine risks, such as in health workers at high risk of exposure and pregnant women with co-morbidities placing them in a high-risk group for severe COVID-19,” the guidance said. The agency said its recommendations would be updated as more data become available.
The recommendation echoes guidance for Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE’s vaccine released earlier this month. The WHO said it doesn’t recommend pregnancy testing before vaccination, nor does it recommend delaying pregnancy following vaccination. The WHO does recommend that lactating women be offered the vaccines, saying that the shots are unlikely to pose a risk to breastfeeding children.
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines aren’t made from live virus, and the mRNA, or messenger RNA — named after the molecular couriers that deliver genetic instructions — doesn’t itself enter the cell’s nucleus and is degraded quickly, the WHO said. Developmental and reproductive toxicology studies in animals haven’t shown any harmful effects, the WHO added.
At the same time, there aren’t enough data on actual pregnant people to assess the vaccine’s effectiveness or risk in pregnancy, the agency said. Pregnant women should be given information and counselling on the lack of safety and efficacy data, it said.
Neither Moderna nor Pfizer enrolled pregnant women in their COVID-19 vaccine trials. Moderna says it plans to establish a registry to study pregnancy outcomes in mothers and infants. Pfizer says it intends to start a maternal vaccine study in the future.
Research has shown that pregnant women are at higher risk of having a severe case of COVID-19 than those who aren’t pregnant, and COVID-19 may be associated with a higher risk of preterm delivery. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says pregnant people may choose to be vaccinated if they wish, adding that a conversation with a patient’s clinical team can help.
— Dow Jones Newswires
READ MORE: More money, but hospital queues keep growing
Ellie Dudley 11.07am: NSW reports another day of zero local transmission
New South Wales has recorded no new cases of locally transmitted coronavirus for the 11th day in a row.
There were three cases in hotel quarantine, all acquired overseas.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 28, 2021
There were three cases acquired overseas, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,907. pic.twitter.com/ildmwwIzn2
A total of 7809 tests reported in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, down from the previous day’s number of 9723.
Low testing numbers remain a concern for NSW health authorities and they continue to urge anyone with symptoms to be tested immediately.
“Although NSW has now seen 11 days without a known locally acquired case of COVID-19, the virus may still be circulating in the community. We previously have seen runs of no local cases only to see them remerge after several days,” NSW Health wrote on Twitter.
“Testing numbers remain low, which is a concern given that high rates of testing are an important tool in tracking the spread of the virus.”
“NSW Health continues to urge people to come forward for testing if they have any symptoms that could signal COVID-19 – including a runny nose or scratchy throat, cough, or fever – as this is the best way to detect and stop any possible spread of the virus.”
READ MORE: Is Biden the circuit-breaker for Australia-China trade?
Paul Garvey 11.01am: Liberal quits WA race over 5G conspiracy
A Liberal candidate for the upcoming Western Australian election has stood down after it emerged she had authored an article linking 5G technology with COVID-19.
Andrea Tokaji has withdrawn as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Baldivis in Perth’s south following revelations she had pushed the widely debunked conspiracy theory that 5G mobile telephone towers were causing “interference with our molecular structure”.
She wrote that there was an “undeniable correlation” between the 5G technology and the original site of the coronavirus outbreak, writing “it has been claimed that Wuhan was the first city to introduce blanketed 5G”.
“So, how is 5G technology linked to COVID-19? The fact is: humans are made up of vibrations, and an interference with our molecular structure by outside environmental forces such as radio waves, satellite signalling or electromagnetic fields that are introduced to our biological system poisons it, killing our DNA or damaging its functionality and ability to regenerate,” Ms Tokaji wrote.
READ the full story here
David Rogers 10.53am: Share market extends fall to 2pc
Australia’s share market continues to fall as the after-hours sell-off on Wall Street worsens.
The S&P/ASX 200 fell 138.4 points or 2pc to a 3-week low of 6642.1 as S&P 500 futures fell as much as 0.7pc.
Apple fell 2.8pc, Tesla fell 3.4pc and Facebook fell 1.9pc in after-hours trading after their reports.
The ASX200 has punctured its 50-day moving average, now at 6656, for the first time since early November.
The early November break of the 50-DMA only lasted 3 days. However the index rose as much as 16pc since then.
The latest “swing low” at 6587 could offer solid support in the short-term.
FOLLOW live ASX updates at Trading Day
Ellie Dudley 10.47am: Strict mask rules to remain in Victoria
While NSW eases mask mandate restrictions slightly, there will be no change for Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews says.
Mr Andrews said masks were an “extra layer of protection insurance against a superspreader event” and played an important role in suppressing the state’s second wave.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Wednesday that masks remain mandatory on public transport, in places of worship, gaming rooms, beauty salons and for people-facing hospitality staff, but will become optional at supermarkets, and other retail and hospitality venues from 12.01am Friday.
READ MORE: Get rid of Covid padding, no equipment needed
Ben Wilmot 10.41am: Barangaroo rethink as luxury apartment market surges
Property developer Lendlease has dramatically brought forward the launch of its latest Barangaroo apartment tower as the luxury apartment market emerges as one of the hottest areas of residential property.
The ultra-luxury end of the market is being driven partially by offshore inflows as expats return but also very low interest rates which are inflating asset prices, prompting developers to bring more units to market.
READ MORE: Property listings a boon for investors
Ellie Dudley 10.34am: Andrews flags easing interstate travel restrictions
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says an announcement will be made tomorrow regarding an easing of interstate travel restrictions.
The “vast majority” of LGAs categorised as orange zones in NSW will move to green, he said. “Some others may stay orange, or go to orange from red.
“We’re having discussions with the Chief Health Officer during the week and are confident tomorrow there will be changes to settings.
“That will mean much greater freedom of movement.”
Mr Andrews will receive health advice on the borders tonight or tomorrow morning, and will make an announcement later on Friday.
The news comes as more than one million Victorian students return today to schools which are operating under COVID-Safe restrictions.
Victorian Education Minister James Merlino said secondary school students are required to carry masks with them at all times and wear them on public transport.
“The advice from the public health team is they are not mandatory in schools but are recommended if you can’t maintain social distancing,” he said.
READ MORE: Plibersek — Covid heroes deserve better for their sacrifice
Ellie Dudley 10.11am: As border reopens Palaszczuk asks for tourism help
Annastacia Palaszczuk has called on Scott Morrison to help Queensland tourism operators, as the state prepares to reopen its border to NSW.
The Queensland Premier said the federal government must address industries that are “hurting” when JobKeeper ends in March.
“Perhaps Scott Morrison and the federal government could look at those industries that are doing it tough and maybe JobKeeper does need to be extended for those,” Ms Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
“We know the tourism industry is hurting, especially those regions which rely heavily on international travellers.”
Speaking at a press conference in Cairns today, Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland had recorded no new local transmission again today after 6200 tests.
Addressing her earlier announcement this morning that Queensland would open its border to the whole of NSW on February 1, Ms Palaszczuk said it was “absolutely crucial’’ for Queenslanders to keep coming forward for testing.
“We know the tourism industry is hurting, especially in those regions which rely heavily on international travellers.,” she said.
“We want to showcase to the rest of Australia what there is up here for you to experience.”
Ms Palaszczuk said that while a lot of businesses are back on their feet, some industries are not.
“What we’re asking for is a helping hand in this hour of need,” she said.
Chairman of Tourism Tropical North Queensland Ken Chapman echoed the Premier’s plea saying “we’re going to need some help.”
“It’s not the time we would like to see the federal support from JobKeeper ending,” he said. “If that does happen, that’s really going to be very, very difficult for this part of the world.”
Tourism minister Stirling Hinchliffe also called on the federal government to support the tourism industry when subsidies end.
“JobKeeper, when it was brought in by the federal government was a very, very useful tool, a very blunt force tool, but one that made a massive difference right across our economy and our community,” he said.
“But as we move forward I think it is important that the federal government pick up tools that are maybe more finer grained, a bit more sharp, in how they respond to the needs of the economy and in particular industries like the tourism industry and in particular in those internationally exposed tourism spots like Tropical North Queensland and the Whitsundays.”
“I would encourage Scott Morrison and the federal government, including Dan Tehan, the tourism minister, to work closely with us and with the tourism industry here in Queensland, to respond to needs.”
State MP for Cairns Michael Healy called on Mr Morrison to financially assist the struggling tourism industry.
“I’ve been in the tourism industry for 35 years,’’ he said. “I remember when Scott Morrison was cutting his teeth in the marketing role of Tourism Australia and he came up with the campaign ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’” he said.
“My question to Warren Entsch and Scott Morrison at a time of great need is – where the bloody hell are you?”
READ MORE: Rents up but true picture ‘muddled’
Ellie Dudley 9.50am: NZ ‘providing all information’ ahead of bubble decision
Jacinda Ardern says the New Zealand government is providing “all the information that we have” to the Australian government ahead of a decision made today on the future of the trans-Tasman travel bubble.
“We absolutely want them to have the confidence we have in our systems and we can do that by giving them good information,” she said.
Ms Arden said the matter will be handled at a federal level for the moment, and is not in discussions with state leaders individually.
New Zealand health officials are currently testing everyone in the Pullman hotel — the site linked to the three cases so far detected — before Ms Ardern makes any concrete statements on what may have happened to cause the contamination.
“Whether or not it is surface transfer, someone touching the same button as we have seen before in a lift or with a rubbish bin,’’ she said. “We haven’t ruled out, while it is a low chance, aerosol transfer, so the air.
“We have looked at ventilation. We will look at the use of common areas and whether or not people have even passed each other. We analyse cameras, we look at swipe card access … we will do everything to try and identify what happened.”
READ MORE: Baillie snaps up New Zealand’s world famous Huka Lodge
Ellie Dudley 9.40am: Two new NZ cases linked to Auckland hotel quarantine
New Zealand health officials have confirmed the two new cases of COVID-19 caught the virus in the same quarantine hotel as a woman who tested positive over the weekend, leaving investigators desperately working out how the virus breached border controls.
The pair, an adult and child were out in the community after testing negative in managed quarantine.
Health officials said the facility — the Pullman Hotel in Auckland — was allowing no quarantine arrivals or departures as teams examine how the infection spread.
“It does suggest that something’s happened in the Pullman where these people have potentially come into contact with each other, that investigation will continue,” Minister for COVID-19 Response Chris Hipkins told Newstalk ZB.
The two new cases are of the more infectious South African variant of the virus, genomic sequencing confirmed.
Mr Hipkins said all close contacts linked to the three cases had so far tested negative and he was hopeful the outbreak had been contained.
“I’m fairly optimistic but you never know with these things,” he said. “The first 48 hours in any of these investigations tells you a lot.”
Coronavirus restrictions in New Zealand have not been tightened.
READ MORE: Ardern’s one-way bubble trouble
Ellie Dudley 9.08am: China gets to the bottom of new severe outbreak
Health authorities in China are using anal swabs to mass test residents for coronavirus amid a severe outbreak spreading from the northeast of the country.
Doctors claim the procedure can be more effective in detecting the virus than nasal swabs.
China, where coronavirus first emerged just over a year ago, is currently experiencing its worst surge in cases since March.
Multiple cities in the northern part of the country have been locked down after two cases of the UK variant were reportedly discovered.
It’s sparked a mass testing campaign with officials in Beijing aiming to test more than two million people in 48 hours.
While people have been tested using throat and nasal swabs and antibody tests for the duration of the virus, Chinese health authorities are now using rectal nucleic acid swabs which are said to be “more accurate.”
Li Tongzeng, deputy director in charge of infectious disease at Beijing You’an Hospital told CCTV that anal swabs will be more effective than throat swabs in detecting the virus
“It’s possible that there will be no trace of the virus in their throat after three to five days,” she said.
“What we’ve found is that in some infected patients, the coronavirus survives for a longer period of time in their digestive tract or excrement than in their respiratory tract.”
READ MORE: Editorial — Post-Covid strength comes at a high price
Adeshola Ore 9.02am: ‘Athletes will be vaccinated ahead of Tokyo Olympics’
The Australian Olympic Committee says it is confident the rollout of Covid vaccines will allow for athletes to be vaccinated ahead of travelling to Tokyo, despite global concerns of supply issues.
The federal government said rollout of the Pfizer vaccine would begin in late February, but do not know how long it will take Australia to receive its 10 million doses of the jab.
Australia’s Olympic committee will not mandate vaccinations for athletes competing in Tokyo, but will highly recommend they and their support teams are vaccinated.
“Absolutely, any athletes going to the Olympics won’t be doing any queue jumping,” committee chief executive Matt Carroll said.
International Olympic officials have given themselves a six-week window before reassessing if the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will go ahead in July.
READ MORE: Olympic vaccine for ‘vulnerable groups’ first
Ellie Dudley 8.42am: Vaccine companies face Senate scrutiny
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and AstraZeneca will face a parliamentary inquiry today to respond to questions regarding how vaccine supplies will be affected by disputes in Europe.
The Senate’s coronavirus response committee will on Thursday hear from the companies who have secured deals with the Australian government for a combined 63.8 million vaccine doses.
A European move to shore up supplies of both the Pfizer BioNTech and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines has raised concerns of derailing the pace of Australia’s vaccination program.
While the vaccination program is on track to start at the end of February, supply issues and an unseemly stoush between the EU and the UK will seriously affect the rate of delivery of Australia’s initial orders.
Pfizer Australia’s medical director Krishan Thiru and market access boss Louise Graham will front the inquiry today.
AstraZeneca Australia’s senior medical director Carla Swemmer and market access director Alice Morgan are also due to appear.
Therapeutic Goods Administration boss John Skerrit will give evidence about vaccine approval after Pfizer received the green light on Monday.
AstraZeneca is expected to become the second vaccine to be granted provisional approval.
Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy and the chair of the government’s vaccines advisory committee Allen Cheng will also answer questions.
READ MORE: AstraZeneca CEO quits CSL board
Ellie Dudley 8.34am: Border reopening came as surprise to Berejiklian
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement that the border would reopen to NSW came as a surprise to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, as the news was broken to her by 2GB host Ben Fordham on live radio.
When asked why Ms Berejiklian did not yet know the news, she replied: “The important thing is the right outcome is achieved.”
Ms Berejiklian has always campaigned for open borders across Australia, while Ms Palaszczuk has closed the border to NSW when outbreaks arise.
The topic has been of debate among state leaders across the country.
“I obviously have a view that you should only close borders as a last option in the pandemic,” Ms Berejiklian said this morning.
“Other state premiers use it as almost their first tool or their second tool.”
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Lisa Allen 8.29am: Triguboff switches purpose of towers as tourists dry up
In a major blow to the tourism accommodation sector real estate mogul Harry Triguboff has taken the difficult decision to convert up to five proposed serviced apartment towers planned for the eastern seaboard into residential complexes.
The Sydney-based Mr Triguboff, worth around $15.5bn, said the lack of tourists and the dropping accommodation prices had led him to the difficult decision, which will see the removal of thousands of rooms from the nation’s accommodation stocks.
“The serviced apartment prices have dropped by 10-15 per cent and they are not going up,” Mr Triguboff said in an interview on Wednesday night.
In Sydney, Mr Triguboff canned the development of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Meriton serviced apartment complexes in Pagewood in the city’s southern suburbs, as well as on company owned sites in Liverpool and Carter Street, Homebush, west of the CBD.
While he is proceeding with the construction of a serviced apartment tower in Melbourne, Mr Triguboff said he was also unsure if he will proceed with the development of a fifth serviced apartment tower in Canberra.
“Canberra might go ahead, maybe it will work, we will see,” Mr Triguboff said.
Latest hotel occupancy and revenue data reveals that Australian hotels recorded an average occupancy of just 44.7 per cent last year, down 39.4 per cent on 2019 levels.
READ the full story here
Ellie Dudley 8.17am: Victoria marks 22nd day with no local cases
Victoria has reported no new locally acquired cases over the past 24 hours, marking 22 days without community transmission for the state.
Yesterday there were 0 locally acquired cases reported, and 3 in hotel quarantine. It is 22 days since the last locally acquired case. Thank you for getting tested - 14,494 test results were received.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) January 27, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/dgad4PxVe3
Three new cases were reported in hotel quarantine, all which were acquired overseas.
A total over 14,494 tests were conducted yesterday, and the state now has 27 active cases.
READ MORE: School closures hit hip pockets
Ellie Dudley 7.47am: Berejiklian welcomes border opening
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has welcomed the announcement that Queensland will open its border to NSW from February, as restrictions are eased in NSW from midnight tonight.
“Fantastic news and I hope that means a lot of families that were hoping to get together over Christmas and New Years and couldn’t, can reunite now,” she told 2GB this morning.
Ms Berejiklian added that she hopes states won’t close borders to all over NSW again over only one or two hot spots.
“I don’t think it should mean the whole state is punished,” she said.
“We’ve got a sound quarantine system around Australia but within our own country, we should be allowed to move around freely.”
Ms Berejiklian also defended her decision to keep masks mandated on public transport, saying it was to protect commuters returning to work.
“We’re encouraging people to get back to work, we want people to think about school going back,” she said. “That’s why we’re keeping masks on public transport.”
“We want people to know that they’ll be wearing a mask, but so will everybody else. We want to give people that confidence,” she added.
“When NSW is strong, Australia is strong. It’s important we keep people in jobs as much as possible.”
From midnight tonight, restrictions in NSW will be eased and as follows:
— Visitors to households will be increased to 30 guests – including children
— Outdoor gatherings will be increased to 50 people in total.
— Weddings and funerals will be capped at 300 people (fully seated) subject to the one person per 4 sqm rule with no singing or dancing (except 20 nominated people in the wedding party can dance).
— All other venues including hospitality venues, places of worship and corporate event venues (fully seated with no singing or dancing) will be subject to the one person per 4 sqm rule.
— Smaller hospitality venues will be allowed at least 25 people.
— Singing indoors including choirs or places of worship will be limited to five people.
— Masks will be recommended but no longer compulsory at retail shopping venues.
— Masks will remain compulsory for front-of-house hospitality staff, on public transport, in places of worship, hairdressers, beauticians and gaming rooms.
— Aged care facilities and other health settings such as hospitals will receive tailored advice from NSW Health specific to their locations in relation to requirements around mask wearing.
Restrictions have not yet been lifted entirely to “reduce the spread in high-risk areas,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Once we get through the next couple of weeks, and Health is assured there aren’t any chains of transmission in west and southwestern Sydney that are still bubbling along, then we can relax more,” she said.
“At this stage, we’re making sure we don’t create a superspreader event.”
READ MORE: Mandated rules set to ease from Friday
Ellie Dudley 7.20am: Queensland to reopen border to NSW
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the Queensland border will reopen to New South Wales on February 1.
“It has been tough on everybody, but I’ve always maintained I’ve got to keep Queenslanders safe,” Ms Palaszczuk told Today this morning.
“The NSW border will reopen on the first of February. It’s a good time for families to be reunited, but also too for people to plan their holidays.”
She added that the tourism industry in the north of the state will benefit greatly from the borders reopening, imploring those in NSW to travel to Cairns.
“People will be here to welcome you with open arms,” she said.
READ MORE: Tourism pins hopes on open borders
Ellie Dudley 7.16am: Lebanon anti-lockdown protests get firey
Anti-lockdown rallies in Lebanon are continuing to rage on, with reports of protesters throwing petrol bombs and stones at police forces emerging on Wed
The protesters are also objecting to the government’s handling of the pandemic after the country plunged from an already bleak economic position into a deep recession.
Some attendees tried to enter a government building, while others gathered in the city’s central Al-Nour Square, a location that also hosted mass demonstrations against the political class in late 2019.
At least 23 people had been injured at the protests in Tripoli in the early evening, including one who was taken to hospital according to the latest count from the Lebanese Red Cross.
Tripoli was already one of Lebanon’s poorest areas before the novel coronavirus pandemic began.
Many of its residents have been left without an income since Lebanon imposed a full lockdown earlier this month in a bid to stem a surge in COVID-19 cases and prevent its hospitals being overwhelmed.
A around-the-clock curfew is in force nationwide and grocery shopping is restricted to home deliveries, which are often unavailable in poorer areas.
Authorities have extended the lockdown by two weeks to February 8.
READ MORE: Indian farmers storm Red Fort
Ellie Dudley 6.55am: Virulent variants spread to more than 70 countries
Variants of the coronavirus, which have higher infection rates and could render vaccines less effective, have now spread to dozens of countries, the World Heath Organisation said on Wednesday.
The WHO said the more contagious COVID-19 variant first spotted in the UK had by January 25 spread to 70 countries across all regions of the world.
That variant, known as B117 has been proven to transmit more easily than previous variants of the virus, and has spread to 10 more countries over the past week, the WHO said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also warned last week that studies have indicated the variant could be 30 per cent more deadly, but the WHO stressed Wednesday that those “results are preliminary, and more analyses are required to further corroborate these findings”.
While it was expected that the virus would mutate as it spread as other viruses do, the vast majority of mutations of the virus are of little importance. However, the WHO has urged countries to actively work to spot mutations that might significantly alter either the virus’s virulence or transmissibility – such as those found initially in the UK, Brazil or South Africa.
All variants and strains included, WHO said 4.1 million new cases of COVID-19 were registered around the world over the past week, and some 96,000 deaths.
While the number of deaths was similar to the previous week, the new case number marked a 15-percent decline week-on-week.
It was the second consecutive week that new case numbers declined, after peaking in the first week of January.
READ MORE: Johnson’s sorrow over grim UK milestone
Ellie Dudley 6.45am: IOC calls for patience over Tokyo Olympics
Olympic chief Thomas Bach has called for “patience” over the Tokyo Games, the decision to go through with which this summer is in continued doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japanese organisers rescheduled the Games for July 23 to August 8 this year, after they were cancelled in 2020 during the first wave of COVID-19.
But several reports have claimed that the Games should not go ahead, something Mr Bach was quick to shut down after a meeting of the IOC executive board.
“We’re not losing time or energy on speculation … about whether the Games are taking place,” Mr Bach said.
“We’re working on how the Games will take place.
“Our task is to organise Olympic Games, not to cancel Olympic Games … and that is why we will not add fuel to this speculation,” he said, adding that the complexity of organising the Games had increased as a result of the virus.
“I think it is too early to decide anything else,” he said.
After the last executive board meeting, the IOC released a statement
t on December 12, the same day the Pfizer vaccine was approved in the United States, expressing its “full commitment” to staging the Games.
Since then, the emergence of more infectious variants has sparked debate on whether the Games can take place and whether it is morally justifiable that competitors be prioritised for vaccination.
“We always have made it clear that we are not in favour of athletes jumping the queue,” Mr Bach said.
READ MORE: Tourism pins hopes on open borders
Ellie Dudley 6.35am: Decision today on trans-Tasman bubble
Australian health authorities say a decision will be reached today on whether the travel bubble with New Zealand that allows people to enter without quarantining will resume, after two more Kiwis, an adult and a child, tested positive.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said yesterday health experts were waiting on more details to come through from New Zealand about the new cases before deciding to resume green zone flights into Australia.
“The current arrangements run until 2.00pm tomorrow – that’s when the 72 hours expires,” he said.
“We’ll be getting further advice, we expect, overnight from our colleagues in New Zealand and a decision will be made tomorrow.”
The Australian Government announced it was suspending the bubble on Monday afternoon after New Zealand recorded its first case — a woman who recently returned from overseas — in the community in two months.
The two new cases were quarantining in the same Auckland hotel and had also returned negative tests.
READ MORE: Editorial: Post Covid strength comes with a high price tag
Ellie Dudley 6.25am: Africa death rates rise above global average
COVID-19 is tightening its grip on Africa, as case numbers soar and the death rate rises above the global average.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the continent reached 3,455,328 on Tuesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The fatality count stands at 85,883 as of Tuesday, or 2.5 per cent, rising above the global level of 2.2 per cent.
The Southern Africa region is the most affected area in Africa in terms of the number of confirmed positive cases, followed by the Northern Africa region, according to the agency.
This is thought to be due to a new, highly-infectious variant coming out of the southern region.
The most affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia, said the African Union (AU) Commission’s specialised healthcare agency.
Last week, John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC, stressed that the African continent is “in a critical phase of the pandemic.”
“As economies reopen and travels resume, we must pay attention to the prevention of transmission, prevention of deaths and prevention of harm by carefully and cautiously opening our borders,” Mr Nkengasong said.
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Will Glasgow 5.15am: Australia eighth in Covid performers’ league
New Zealand has been ranked the world’s most effective handler of COVID-19, just beating Vietnam in managing the coronavirus that has infected more than 100 million people.
Australia came in eighth place, trailing Thailand (population: 70 million), Cyprus (870,000), landlocked Rwanda (12 million) and Iceland, with a population less than Canberra’s.
“There are a lot of small countries that don’t get a lot of coverage that have done surprisingly well,” said Alyssa Leng, one of the Lowy Institute researchers who compiled the Sydney-based think tank’s Covid Performance Index.
The research project — released on Thursday — compared the handling of COVID-19 by 98 countries. It is one of the most rigorous studies of the dramatically different health impacts of the pandemic around the world.
Read the full story here.
Robyn Ironside 5am: Tourism industry pins hopes on open borders
Queensland is preparing to reopen its border to Greater Sydney residents, despite six COVID-19 cases remaining under investigation in the city.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will this morning receive a final briefing from Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young before announcing her decision.
The Australian understands NSW health authorities are confident of the origins of the six “mystery” cases and have shared that information with their Queensland counterparts.
On Wednesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she could see no reason why border restrictions remained within Australia.
“At this point in time, as has been the case for quite a few weeks, there is no place in Australia that’s deemed to be a hotspot so if you carry that science and data to a public policy position, why would you have internal borders?” she said.
“Why would you prevent your citizens from being able to freely move around their own country?”
Read the full story, by Robyn Ironside and Charlie Peel, here.
Adam Creighton 4.45am: Australian debt to double in the next five years
Public debt will more than double to $1.75 trillion in the next five years and “seriously weaken” the financial position of states, territories and the federal government, according to new analysis by the Centre for Independent Studies.
The period of “Australian exceptionalism” — as one of the least publicly indebted nations — is over, according to the report authored by former NSW Treasury official Robert Carling, with the total cost of the pandemic to governments at $800bn.
His analysis comes as the International Monetary Fund, in its latest quarterly economic update, said it now expected Australia’s economy to grow faster than previously forecast – up 3.5 per cent in 2021, 0.5 per cent higher compared to an October estimate, and 2.9 per cent in 2022.
Read the full story here.
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