Coronavirus Australia live news: Daniel Andrews instructs department to publish hotel quarantine report
After the Premier claimed that the data was not the department’s to release, DHHS has been told to publish a report linking the quarantine program to the state’s second wave.
- Department to publish hotel report
- Colbeck’s tough aged care grilling
- Just one case for NSW
- Victoria records 179 new cases
- Europe moves to live with virus
- Chilblains ‘symptom of COVID’
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Daniel Andrews has asked Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services to prepare to publish genomic sequencing linking his government’s bungled hotel quarantine program to the state’s deadly second wave. National cabinet will develop a code for farmers hampered by closed state borders, as Queensland relents on allowing NSW border communities to access health care. Victoria has recorded its lowest daily increase in coronavirus cases since July 13, with 179 new cases. NSW has recorded just one new case .
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.05pm: Appetites up as consumers get a taste for home living
Amid financial difficulties wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Australians have still managed to spend up big on food delivery, gambling and alcohol.
And physical lockdowns have been no barrier to spending by customers of some of the biggest ASX listed retailers, corporate results have revealed.
On one hand, discount retailer The Reject Shop reported a 3.4 per cent increase in sales to $820m, while its sales mix changed as consumers sought out the cheapest possible prices for their essentials.
“Second-half comparable store sales growth was mainly driven by strong customer demand for ‘essential’ and ‘stay at home’ products during the first wave of COVID-19 in Australia,” the company said in its report.
Read the full story here.
David Aaronovitch 7.30pm: Will we ever feel the power of a crowd again?
In Minsk protesting Belarusians filled the thoroughfares.
But in Southampton bad light stopped play at the Test in an empty ground to no protest. In homes across the world Manchester United supporters watched their team perform, accompanied by the recorded sound of fans who, some time ago, had watched an entirely different game.
And this week in Milwaukee a smiling Joe Biden did not gather his extended family around him, flanked by dozens of cheering staffers. There was no one to razz my, your or anyone’s tazz. Instead, viewers of the virtual convention’s early proceedings saw and heard things that possessed the decorum and civilised informality of a decent Swedish funeral but one held entirely online.
One Harvard political scientist tweeted about pictures of “Montana cows! Iowa corn! Hawaii beaches! New Mexico mountains. What’s not to like? Better than a noisy convention hall!” Which might be paraphrased as, “Who needs crowds anyway?”
By way of answer, an entirely corporeal Donald Trump was filmed pitching up at an aircraft hangar in Yuma, Arizona, to speak to several dozen mostly non-mask-wearing enthusiasts, who were seated in the blistering heat. The US President seemed in no doubt that the physical interplay between the speaker and the spoken to is a critical part of persuading others that something exciting is going on.
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 6.50pm: Andrews instructs department to publish hotel report
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has asked the state’s Department of Health and Human Services to prepare to publish genomic sequencing linking his government’s bungled hotel quarantine program to the state’s deadly second wave of coronavirus cases, after claiming for more than seven weeks that the data was not the department’s to release.
On June 30 Mr Andrews cited genomic sequencing linking “at least a significant proportion” of Victoria’s caseload to breaches in hotel quarantine, announcing an inquiry into his government’s bungled program.
Since that time, Mr Andrews and the department have said the sequencing belonged to the Doherty Institute, and was therefore not theirs to release.
As recently as Tuesday, when the inquiry led by retired judge Jennifer Coate heard that all of Victoria’s cases had been linked to hotel quarantine, Mr Andrews said:
“I don’t have the sequencing. I do not have it. It is not something that I can give to you, because I don’t have it to give.”
Shortly before 6.30pm on Friday evening, Mr Andrews’s office issued a statement indicating the sequencing will finally be released.
“The Premier has requested that the Department of Health and Human Services prepare the genomic sequencing data for publication,” a spokeswoman for the Premier said.
“The department is currently preparing explanatory material to accompany the data which will be published on the DHHS website next week.”
READ MORE: Sorting fact from fiction in Victoria’s coronavirus crisis
Rachel Baxendale 6.00pm: Lowest Vic LGA virus caseloads in almost a month
All of Victoria’s local government areas now have coronavirus caseloads of less than 500, for the first time since July 26.
Wyndham, in Melbourne’s outer southwest, has the highest number of active cases of any LGA in the state, with 467 cases, down from 544 on Thursday. Wyndham’s active cases peaked at 929 on August 12.
The only two Melbourne LGAs to record a net increase in active cases on Friday were the City of Yarra, taking in Richmond, Collingwood and Fitzroy in Melbourne’s inner east and north, and inner city bayside Port Phillip, with Yarra increasing by two cases to a total of 74 active cases, and Port Phillip increasing by two to 52.
There were also increases of two cases each in Shepparton, in the state’s north, and Mitchell, immediately north of Melbourne’s outskirts. Both now have 18 active cases.
Wellington in Gippsland in the state’s east had an increase of one case to a total of three, while Indigo, in the state’s northeast has one case on Friday after having none on Thursday.
Maroondah, in Melbourne’s outer east, has the lowest number of active cases of any metropolitan Melbourne LGA, with 21.
Of Metropolitan Melbourne’s 31 LGAs, 14 have more than 100 active cases of coronavirus.
Greater Geelong is the only regional LGA with more than 100 cases, recording a net decrease of nine cases on Friday to 109.
The total number of active cases in regional Victoria fell by 26 on Friday to 269.
The statewide total fell by 443 to 4421.
Active confirmed cases of COVID-19 by LGA as of Thursday, with net increase and percentage change since Wednesday in brackets:
Wyndham (outer southwest): 467 (-77)
Brimbank (outer west): 401 (-77)
Hume (outer north): 318 (-21)
Whittlesea (outer north): 295 (-35)
Melton (outer northwest): 275 (-32)
Moreland (north): 256 (-14)
Darebin (north): 221 (-17)
Casey (outer southeast): 205 (-23)
City of Melbourne: 139 (-17)
Hobsons Bay (inner southwest): 130 (-11)
Greater Dandenong: (outer southeast): 125 (-16)
Maribyrnong (inner west): 121 (-9)
Moonee Valley (northwest): 107 (-17)
*Greater Geelong (southwest regional Vic): 109 (-9)
Kingston (southeast): 106 (-5)
Bayside (southeast): 89 (-3)
Yarra Ranges (outer east) 80 (-4)
Frankston (outer southeast): 75 (-2)
Yarra (inner northeast): 74 (+2)
Mornington Peninsula (outer southeast): 58 (-2)
Banyule (northeast): 55 (-1)
Monash (southeast): 55 (-5)
Port Phillip (inner south): 52 (+2)
Boroondara (east): 49 (-3)
Nillumbik (outer northeast): 44 (-2)
Cardinia (outer southeast): 43 (-7)
Glen Eira (east): 40 (-3)
Manningham (east): 33 (-3)
Whitehorse (east): 31 (-2)
Knox (outer east): 29 (-8)
Stonnington (inner southeast): 28 (-1)
*Greater Bendigo (central regional Vic): 25 (-2)
Maroondah (outer east): 21 (-3)
*Mitchell (central regional Vic, north of Melb): 18 (+2)
*Greater Shepparton (northern regional Vic): 18 (+2)
*Macedon Ranges (central regional Vic): 16 (-4)
*Ballarat (western regional Vic): 13 (-5)
*Latrobe (eastern regional Vic): 13 (-5)
*Colac-Otway (western regional Vic): 12 (-3)
*Moorabool (western regional Vic): 8
*Warrnambool (southwest regional Vic): 7 (-1)
*Surf Coast (southwest regional Vic): 4
*Glenelg (western regional Vic): 4 (-1)
*Murrindindi (northeast regional Vic): 4 (-1)
*Wellington (eastern regional Vic): 3 (+1)
*Baw Baw (eastern regional Vic): 3
*Horsham (western regional Vic): 2
*Bass Coast (southeast regional Vic): 2
*Indigo (northeast regional Vic): 1 (+1)
*Golden Plains (western regional Vic): 1
*South Gippsland (eastern regional Vic): 1
*Mansfield (northeast regional Vic): 1
*Ararat (western regional Vic): 1
*Campaspe (northern regional Vic): 1
*Mildura (northwest regional Vic): 1
*Central Goldfields (central regional Vic): 1
Interstate: 4 (-1)
Unknown: 126
Regional total: 269 (-26)
TOTAL: 4421 (-443)
*Denotes regional Victorian LGAs
Source: Victorian Department of Health and Human Services
READ MORE: Sex, spin, bungled quaratine and ADF troops
Rachel Baxendale 5.03pm: Latest on Victoria’s hospitalisations, deaths
There are currently 43 people aged under 50 in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, six of whom are in intensive care.
Those in intensive care include three people in their 30s and three in their 40s, while those in hospital but not in ICU include a person aged 10-19, eight people in their 20s, eight in their 30s, and 20 in their 40s.
Others in intensive care include 14 people in their 50s, 18 in their 60s, 10 in their 70s and five in their 80s.
Others in hospital but not in intensive care include 37 people in their 50s, 62 in their 60s, 104 in their 70s, 208 in their 80s and 125 in their 90s.
There are 626 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus on Friday, including 53 in intensive care.
Of the 385 people who have so far died with coronavirus in Victoria, 15 are aged under 60.
This includes one man in his 20s, two men in their 30s, one man in his 40s, and three women and eight men in their 50s.
Three men and 12 women in their 60s have also died.
People in their eighties represent the most common age group for coronavirus deaths in Victoria, with that age group accounting for 42.6 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in the state, including those of 89 women and 75 men.
Those in their 70s account for 17.7 per cent of Victoria’s coronavirus deaths, including those of 25 women and 44 men, while those aged above 90 account for 31.7 per cent of deaths, including those of 70 women and 52 men.
Overall, 190 women (49.4 per cent) and 195 men (50.6 per cent) have so far died.
READ MORE: Sex, spin, bungled quarantine and ADF troops
Mackenzie Scott 4.50pm: Melbourne auctions plunge as vendors lose their nerve
The number of auctions to be held in Melbourne this Saturday has plunged into double digits as vendors lose their nerve to proceed under the hammer in lockdown.
Only 52 of the originally scheduled 234 auctions in the Victorian capital are still slated to go ahead tomorrow. While 53 sellers decided to sell early, a majority (75) decided to try their luck with a normal private treaty campaign, while 53 vendors pulled their properties from the market, according to data firm SQM Research.
Similar double digit levels were last seen in Melbourne May 16, towards the end of the first lockdowns, if long weekends figures are excluded because of volatility.
Auction numbers in Sydney are also down on what were originally scheduled, from 576 properties to 362. Of the change, 122 were sold prior to auction, 44 converted to normal sale and 48 withdrawn from market.
Preliminary auction clearance figures will be made available Sunday morning.
READ MORE: Mad Monday over and out
Rachel Baxendale 4.02pm: State of play: Victoria COVID-19 breakdown
Of Victoria’s 179 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, 42 have so far been linked to outbreaks, while 137 are under investigation.
Of the total 17,852 people who have had coronavirus in Victoria since the pandemic began, 12,940 have recovered - an increase of 606 since Thursday.
There have been 16,426 cases in people from metropolitan Melbourne and 1081 in those from regional Victoria, as well as 8563 cases in men and 9260 in women.
As of Friday, there are 1739 active cases of coronavirus linked to 126 Victorian aged care facilities, down from 1811 cases on Thursday.
Of Victoria’s nine coronavirus deaths in the 24 hours to Friday, seven were linked to aged care facilities.
Of the 385 coronavirus deaths in the state since the pandemic began, 259 have been linked to aged care facilities.
The total number of cases linked to aged care facilities in Victoria since the pandemic began is 3392, including 1594 cases in residents, 1366 in staff and 432 cases in other contacts.
The largest aged care clusters include:
- 209 cases linked to Heritage Care’s Epping Gardens facility in Melbourne’s north - the same number as on Thursday. This included 100 residents, 77 staff and 28 contacts on Wednesday;
- 194 cases linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner, in Melbourne’s north, up from 193 on Thursday. This included 90 residents, 74 staff and 26 contacts on Tuesday;
- 158 cases linked to Estia Health in Ardeer, in Melbourne’s west - the same number as on Thursday. This included 50 residents, 76 staff and 31 contacts on Wednesday;
- 152 cases linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer southwest - the same number as on Thursday. This included 60 residents, 59 staff and 17 contacts on Tuesday;
- 132 cases linked to Kirkbrae Presbyrterian Homes in Kilsyth, in Melbourne’s outer east - the same number as on Thursday. This included 55 residents, 51 staff and 25 contacts on Wednesday;
- 113 cases linked to Outlook Gardens aged care facility in Dandenong North, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, up from 112 on Thursday. This included 40 residents, 55 staff and 16 contacts on Wednesday;
- 113 cases linked to Cumberland Manor aged care facility in Sunshine, in Melbourne’s west, up from 110 on Thursday. This included 51 residents, 36 staff and 12 contacts on Tuesday;
- 112 cases linked to Twin Parks aged care in Reservoir, in Melbourne’s north, up from 111 on Thursday. This included 65 residents, 34 staff and two contacts on Tuesday;
- 110 cases linked to Estia Health in Heidelberg, in Melbourne’s northeast - the same as on Thursday. This includes 29 residents, 57 staff and 24 contacts;
- 107 cases linked to Japara Goonawarra in Sunbury, in Melbourne’s outer northwest, up from 105 on Thursday. This included 48 residents, 38 staff and 14 contacts on Wednesday;
There were also 62 active case in residential disability accommodation in Victoria on Friday, down from 65 on Thursday. This included 13 residents and 49 staff.
Other significant Victorian clusters with new coronavirus cases on Friday include:
- 156 cases have been linked to JBS abattoir in Brooklyn, in Melbourne’s west, up from 153 on Thursday;
- 154 cases have been linked to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Royal Park campus in Melbourne’s inner north, up from 148 on Thursday;
- 65 cases have been linked to the Linfox warehouse in Truganina, in Melbourne’s outer west, up from 64 on Thursday;
- 55 cases have been linked to Golden Farms Poultry in Breakwater, in central regional Victoria, up from 53 on Monday;
- 37 cases have been linked to Hazeldene’s Chicken Farm in Bendigo, in central regional Victoria, up from 36 on Thursday;
- 32 cases have been linked to Diamond Valley Pork in Laverton North, in Melbourne’s west, up from 31 on Thursday;
- 28 cases have been linked to the Coles distribution centre in Laverton, in Melbourne’s west, up from 27 on Saturday;
The health department is also investigating cases linked to the following settings:
- The Melbourne Clinic mental health clinic in Richmond, in Melbourne’s inner east, where a case was previously detected in a healthcare worker in late June;
- St John of God Rehabilitation Centre in Frankston, in Melbourne’s outer southeast;
- The Royal Women’s Hospital Outpatients Pregnancy Clinic in Melbourne’s inner north;
- Plenty Residential Services in Bundoora, in Melbourne’s north;
READ MORE: Vaccine hopes face another obstacle
Rachel Baxendale 3.50pm: Andrews unsure over nurse evidence request
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said he does not know why the taxpayer-funded legal representative acting on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services at the hotel quarantine inquiry applied to have evidence given on Thursday by a hotel quarantine nurse suppressed.
DHHS barrister Claire Harris QC withdrew the suppression application on Friday morning, after the move was opposed by lawyers acting for The Australian and other publications.
It related to an order which would have suppressed the publication of evidence given on Thursday by nurse Michael Tait, who told the inquiry he had heard a rumour that it took “a couple of days” before the body of a hotel quarantine resident who had committed suicide was found.
Under the order, the evidence would only have been able to be published with accompanying “context” provided by DHHS.
Asked whether it was appropriate for the government’s lawyers to be deciding how evidence should be treated, and why DHHS lawyers had applied to suppress the evidence, Mr Andrews said: “I’ve no idea”.
“I really can’t comment on that, because I’m not aware of it,” Mr Andrews said.
“In complete certainty the first I’ve heard of that is the question you’ve just asked me, but I’m happy to follow it up.”
READ MORE: Guards trained in ‘diversity’, not infection
Hannah Moore 2.45pm: Six new hot spots declared for NSW
Health authorities have announced six new coronavirus hot-spot locations around NSW as the desperate hunt for the sources of 16 “mystery cases” continues.
On Friday, all of Newcastle, the Woollahra area – including Point Piper and Double Bay – The Hills LGA in northwest Sydney and the Hornsby LGA were all declared hot spots.
The suburbs of Guildford and Merrylands in Sydney’s southwest were also added to the list.
Anyone who lives in these areas or has visited in the last two weeks is asked to get tested at the sign of the mildest symptoms.
The new suburbs join the Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, City of Sydney east, Fairfield, Liverpool and Parramatta local government areas.
Only one new case of coronavirus was recorded on Friday, out of 32, 580 tests.
The patient was a close contact of a previously reported infection at Hornsby Hospital.
Despite the low case numbers over the past week, there are still 16 cases with no known source, an issue Premier Gladys Berejiklian has described as anxiety inducing.
Increased pressure has been put on residents in southwest Sydney and western Sydney to be tested at the first sign of the smallest symptom.
Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the only way to find the source of the mystery cases – including the one that set off the Thai Rock restaurant cluster of more than 100 people – was to increase testing.
“The virus continues to circulate in the community and vigilance must be maintained,” she said on Friday.
“It is vital that high rates of testing continue in order to find the source of the cases still under investigation and to identify and stop further spread of the virus.”
READ MORE: Rent row threatens more retail stress
Rachel Baxendale 2.32pm: Group of men fined for Dandenong-Werribee drive
A group of men making the hour-long drive from Dandenong in Melbourne’s outer southeast to Werribee in Melbourne’s COVID-ravaged outer southwest to “visit friends” are among 144 people fined by Victoria Police for breaching coronavirus restrictions in the 24 hours to Friday.
Werribee is in the local government area of Wyndham, which on Thursday had 544 active cases of coronavirus — the highest caseload of any LGA in the state.
Police said another of those fined was a man from Tarneit, also in Wyndham, who could not offer a valid reason for being at Heidelberg railway station in Melbourne’s northeast, more than 40km from home.
A woman from bayside Port Phillip was also fined after being intercepted by police driving around North Melbourne, telling police she was picking up a friend on the way to visit another friend.
Melbourne went into Stage Three restrictions on July 9, with home visits for purposes other than work or essential caregiving purposes banned since that time.
Stage Four restrictions, which came into effect on August 2, have seen an 8pm to 5am curfew in place and all exercise and shopping limited to within a 5km radius of people’s homes, with work and medical care otherwise the only legitimate reasons for leaving home.
The 144 people fined also included 30 who received $200 fines for failing to wear a face mask, and 45 who breached curfew.
There were eight fines issued as a result of 15,751 checks conducted at vehicle checkpoints.
Police conducted 4530 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places in the 24 hours to Friday, with a total of 308,718 spot checks conducted since March 21.
READ MORE: ‘Why is it so hard to say you’re in charge?’
Tessa Akerman 2.22pm: One hour of online training for hotel quarantine
A Parks Victoria ranger team leader completed a one hour online module on employee equity and diversity but received no training in infection control or personal protective equipment before starting work in hotel quarantine, an inquiry heard.
Luke Ashford began his first shift as an authorised officer on 21 May with a 10 minute handover and a draft document of procedures, he told the hotel quarantine inquiry on Friday.
He said he: “Sort of took [PPE] off my own intuition I guess... did the best I thought I could.”
“For me it was just my own personal needs and want of when I should use it,” he said.
He also questioned the management of the scheme in the individual hotels.
“There was never any one formally identified as being in charge of the quarantine,” he said.
Mr Ashford resigned from the role less than a month later, having worked at seven different hotels and socialised with a colleague who was deemed a “close contact” of an infected person at the Stamford Plaza.
Mr Ashford said he had done “dangerous work” previously, serving in the navy and fighting with Parks Victoria, however he gave evidence that he considered it a greater risk to work in hotel quarantine once his friend had to self-isolate.
“Just the situational awareness sort of concerned me... It me me think about my role with DHHS and how much I wanted to put myself at risk, also my family,” he said.
“I didn’t want to shut my daughter’s school down.”
Mr Ashford also told the inquiry about guests receiving compassionate leave and temporary leave passes for extended amounts of time with no supervision.
He said it was up to the authorised officer to sign off but there was a lot of forms, paperwork, hard copies and doubling up.
He said one woman at the Pan Pacific received leave to visit her mother in palliative care between 8am and 5pm every day.
“It was purely up to that person and their moral compass, I guess, to do the right thing,” he said.
Mr Ashford said he spoke to someone at DHHS after tendering his resignation and the woman appeared “quite concerned” with what he had to say.
However Mr Ashford told the inquiry he had received no follow-up from the department.
“It’s disappointing. There’s lessons to be learned there and no one tapped into that,” he said.
READ the full story here
Richard Ferguson 2.04pm: PM defends Aged Care Minister after senate grilling
Scott Morrison has led an impassioned defence of his Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck, after he failed to recall the number of COVID deaths in aged care homes in front of a senate committee.
Senator Colbeck is under increased pressure after he fumbled through his testimony to the COVID-19 senate inquiry several times, including on the number of deaths and infections.
The Prime Minister said he was sure the Aged Care Minister regretted the inability to remember statistics, but Senator Colbeck still has his confidence.
“I know those issues are not far from his mind on a minute-by minute basis,” Mr Morrison said in Canberra.
“I am sure the minister regrets not being able to bring those figures immediately to mind. On occasion I can’t bring figures to mind.”
READ MORE: Richardson — Andrews has done well but virus could beat him
Richard Ferguson 1.51pm: Premiers start to see sense on borders
National cabinet will develop a code for farmers hampered by closed state borders, as Queensland relents on allowing NSW border communities to access health care.
Scott Morrison says premiers will return in two weeks to develop a plan for cross-border agricultural trade.
The national cabinet will also come up with a national definition of a COVID hotspot. But there is still no deal to determine when or when not to close borders as businesses have called for.
The Prime Minister said New Zealand showed that closed borders did not equal elimination of COVID.
“Borders are no substitute for testing, tracing ... You can get outbreaks in states that have borders,” he said in Canberra.
“Quarantine arrangements won’t always be perfect, they are human processes and they are subject to vulnerability.”
READ MORE: Private schools granted more HSC exam help
Richard Ferguson 1.40pm: $170m more for aged care COVID response
Scott Morrison will pump another $170m into the nation’s COVID aged care response, after agreeing to set emergency response centres with every state if they fall into a crisis like Victoria’s.
Any state will now be able to set up a ERC with the federal government at their request, but none of them will move to that phase of aged care crisis response yet.
The $170m will go into a number of currently running aged care responses including the current ERC arrangement with Victoria and the Commonwealth’s aged care COVID task force.
“Our investment in aged care throughout the pandemic is now over a billion dollars,” the Prime Minister said in Canberra.
“We’re going to be doing this for much longer.”
READ MORE: 18,000 Aussies desperate to get home
Robert Gottliebsen 1.25pm: The rent trap facing retailers
A new set of accounting standards is creating chaos for many audited corporate balance sheets and making it very difficult for those who use net tangible asset backing as part of their portfolio evaluations. And its also distorting earnings, forcing companies to ignore accounting standards in their direct messages to small shareholders. Nowhere is the chaos better illustrated then in our two outstanding retailers, Coles and Woolworths.
READ the full story here
Remy Varga 12.52pm: Quarantine guest ‘panicked’ by lax control
A former hotel quarantine guest says she “felt panicked” by lax infection control at the bungled Victorian program, inquiry hears.
Returned traveller Liliana Ratcliff said she observed guards not wearing gloves and standing close to each other at the Stamford Plaza, saying they would go from room to room to take guests for walks without changing personal protective equipment.
“I observed them getting in the lifts, some of them didn’t have gloves, they didn’t socially distance,” she said.
“Knowing they were doing all the walks, that made me concerned because if they were to pick up something from another traveller, they would then give it to other travellers or to each other,” she said.
When asked by counsel assisting Ben Ihle why she said she felt panicked in her statement, Ms Ratcliff said it seemed the guards didn’t have time to follow proper infection control when taking guests for supervised walks.
“The head guard said: ‘I have a very long list of people, my time is really tight, I’m going to have to come back in 10 minutes’,” she said.
“That already made me a bit panicky because I think if you have a tight schedule that it’s harder to think through infection control.”
As well, Ms Ratcliff said she never saw nurses conducting coronavirus testing change their gloves
“I didn’t see spare gloves, I didn’t see a PPE bin… they didn’t change inbetween testing the three us,” she said.
“I inferred from that there was no intention to change their gloves.”
Ms Ratcliffe said she refused to answer questions in an attempt to escalate her concerns with hotel quarantine management.
“Probably about eight days into it, I got a call from the nursing manager,” she said.
“He basically said ‘you’re making our job difficult, just answer the questions’.”
READ the full story here
Agencies 12.40pm: Airbnb bans parties, caps the number of guests
Citing public health concerns amid the coronavirus, homesharing company Airbnb has imposed a worldwide party ban at its rental properties and capped occupancy at larger homes to 16.
The ban on parties and events will be “in effect indefinitely until further notice,” the company said on its website, adding that guests “may be legally pursued by Airbnb if they violate our policy.”
Airbnb began cracking down last year as rowdy parties were causing problems with neighbours in some communities.
In November, the company banned “party houses” after a deadly shooting at a Halloween party with more than 100 guests at a California rental.
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 12.14pm: Lowest positive Victorian test rate in a month
Victoria’s 179 new coronavirus cases on Friday have brought the state’s total since the pandemic began to 17,852.
Nine deaths in the 24 hours to Friday have brought the state’s death toll from the virus to 385.
These deaths include those of a man in his 60s, a woman in her 70s, two women and two men in their 80s, two women in their 90s and a man in his 100s.
Of the nine, seven deaths were linked to aged care.
There are 626 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus on Friday, including 40 in intensive care, of whom 25 are on ventilators.
This compares with 622 people in Victorian hospitals on Thursday, including 43 in intensive care, of whom 28 were on ventilators.
There have now been 2,049,235 coronavirus tests processed in Victoria since the pandemic began.
There were 20,326 tests processed in the 24 hours to Friday, resulting in a positive test rates from 179 new cases of 0.88 per cent.
This is the lowest positive test rate since July 18, more than a month ago.
It compares with a record positive test rate of 3.73 per cent from 671 new cases and 18,000 tests processed on August 2.
There have now been 3808 cases in Victoria where contact tracers have been unable to establish a source of infection —- an increase of 24 since Thursday.
This does not include 736 cases which remained under investigation on Thursday, and a proportion of the 179 new cases on Friday which are yet to be linked to known outbreaks.
There are 668 active cases of coronavirus in Victorian healthcare workers as of Friday - a net decrease of 85 active cases since Thursday.
The number of active cases linked to aged care has similarly fallen by 79 cases to a total of 1732 on Friday, across 126 facilities.
There are 62 cases linked to residential disability sites on Friday, down from 65 cases on Thursday.
Victoria’s total number of active coronavirus cases has fallen by 443 on Friday as the number of people recovering from the virus greatly exceeds the number of new cases.
The total number of active cases is now 4421, down from a peak of 7880 active cases on August 11.
Of Friday’s 179 new cases, 15 are in regional areas.
There are currently 4022 active cases in metropolitan Melbourne and 269 in regional areas.
This compares with 295 active cases in regional Victoria on Thursday and a peak of 512 active cases in the regions earlier this month.
There are currently 109 active cases in Geelong, 25 in Bendigo and 13 in Ballarat.
This compares with 118 in Geelong, 27 in Bendigo and 18 in Ballarat on Thursday.
READ MORE: Kim’s rare admission of failure
Angelica Snowden 12.05pm: Half those exposed to virus may have immunity
Global research has found up to 50 per cent people never exposed to COVID-19 may have immune cells in their bodies that could recognise the COVID-19 virus.
The study examined results of five different reports from the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore and the UK which found up to half of the subjects had T cells which reacted to the unique spike protein on COVID-19.
“Taken together, five studies report evidence of pre-existing T cells that recognise SARS-CoV-2 in a significant fraction of people from diverse geographical locations,” the report read.
T cells are an important part of the body’s “adaptive immune system” which are designed to recognise and attack pathogens.
It has previously been reported because most people have never been exposed to the novel coronavirus, they would not have memory T cells used to fight the infection.
But the latest research, published in Nature Reviews Immunology, indicated the “SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in unexposed individuals might originate from memory T cells derived from exposure to ‘common cold’ coronaviruses”.
The report also said people with T cells which recognise COVID-19 could get better faster if they contract the virus.
“It is plausible that people with a high level of pre-existing memory CD4+ T cells that recognise SARS-CoV-2 could mount a faster and stronger immune response upon exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and thereby limit disease severity,” the report read.
While the results are positive, the authors said data has not yet demonstrated “the source of the T cells or whether they are memory T cells”.
“It has been speculated that the SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in unexposed individuals might originate from memory T cells derived from exposure to ‘common cold’ coronaviruses,” the report read.
“Large studies in which pre-existing immunity is measured and correlated with prospective infection and disease severity could address the possible role of pre-existing T cell memory against SARS-CoV-2.”
READ MORE: Retail holds line against Victorian slump
Tessa Akerman 11.43am: ‘No assistance’ from hotel security
Friday’s first witnesses at Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry, Ron and Sue Erasmus, gave evidence that security guards stood by and didn’t offer any assistance when Mrs Erasmus slipped and fractured her foot during an exercise/fresh air break.
The couple and their two children were staying at the Stamford Plaza in May, after flying in from South Africa, shortly after the death of Mr Erasmus’ father.
The couple detailed their concerns about the guards misuse of PPE and their behaviour following Mrs Erasmus’ injury which occurred in a bar off the hotel lobby.
Under cross examination by legal counsel for the security company, Mr Erasmus defended his claim that the security guards saw his wife injure herself and “just stood there” before rushing in.
“They saw my wife in distress and pain and they saw me picking her up,” he said.
“Their reaction was ‘go back to your room’.”
He said the guards “rightly or wrongly absconded” from the scene and it fell to him to call for a nurse.
Mrs Erasmus was taken to hospital later that day and spent the rest of quarantine on crutches.
The couple tried to get a room with a shower/bath that was easier to get into with crutches but were unable to bring their children with them.
Instead the inquiry heard the family stayed in their original rooms and Mrs Erasmus slipped a disc in her back while using the shower.
Their stay was made more difficult by Mr Erasmus’ depression at the recent death of his father.
Mrs Erasmus said her husband talked about the height of the hotel and jumping out of the atrium.
Mr Erasmus said someone from the Department of Health and Human Services told him to speak to a specific person about grievance counselling but discovered the person no longer worked there.
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Stephen Lunn 11.38am: Victoria ‘not as prepared’ as NSW for aged care outbreaks
Victoria’s health system was not as prepared as NSW to handle the COVID-19 outbreak in aged care facilities, the nation’s top health bureaucrat says.
Federal Health Secretary Brendan Murphy told the Senate COVID-19 committee that NSW had the best public health system to deal with a pandemic, and Victoria’s had been “overwhelmed”.
Professor Murphy said all states should check their public health preparedness in the wake of the Victorian outbreak, which has seen 258 people in aged care, including 254 nursing home residents, die of coronavirus so far.
“This virus is incredibly infectious and unfortunately the Victorian public health response was unable to control the outbreaks in the way that NSW has done,” Professor Murphy said.
“NSW is effectively stamped out an outbreak of a similar size to that in Victoria.
“Victoria … have been overwhelmed,” he said.
“The challenge was always to have the system to stop them getting beyond that first 30-50 (cases) and they have acknowledged that they had system issues and that NSW has had a much longer history of devolved public health response across the system.”
Professor Murphy said NSW had public health teams in every local health district led by senior physicians.
“There are many states and territories like Victoria that do not have as well-developed systems as NSW,” Professor Murphy said.
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Rachel Baxendale 11.26am: Andrews to address media at midday
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to address the media at midday.
Mr Andrews’s press conference comes as Victoria records its first daily number of new cases below 200 in more than five weeks.
However, the Premier is also expected to face questions over evidence heard at the inquiry into his government’s bungled hotel quarantine program, and a now abandoned attempt by taxpayer-funded lawyers acting for the Department of Health and Human Services to suppress evidence given at the inquiry yesterday.
The inquiry yesterday heard evidence of filthy, bed bug infested rooms and personal protective equipment dumped in general waste bins.
Angelica Snowden 11.20am: Just one NSW case among 30,000 tests
Just one new COVID-19 case has been recorded in NSW overnight out of more than 30,000 tests.
The latest case is close contact of a previously reported case at Hornsby Hospital.
NSW Health said in a statement the person “went into isolation before the commencement of their infectious period, following notification of the previous Hornsby case.”
“While case numbers have remained low this week the virus continues to circulate in the community and vigilance must be maintained,” the health authority said in a statement.
It followed news Victoria also recorded it’s lowest daily total since July 13 with 179 new cases recorded on Friday.
Remy Varga 11.15am: Backdown on hotel quarantine evidence
The Victorian government has backed down after attempting to control how evidence given at the hotel quarantine inquiry relating to an apparent guest suicide was reported on by news outlets.
In a move branded “propaganda” by a top media lawyer, the Department of Health and Human Services advised Thursday night their intention to apply for an order prohibiting the publication of information without context they decided on.
It followed nurse Michael Tait telling the hotel quarantine inquiry that he heard a rumour it took “a couple of days” before the body of a guest who committed suicide was found.
On Friday morning, Claire Harris QC, who is representing DHHS at taxpayer expense, said a decision had been made not to proceed with the application.
“We will not press that application further this afternoon,” she said.
The Australian with other news outlets was going to fight the order, with lawyer John-Paul Cashen saying DHHS was attempting to dictate media reporting.
“DHHS wants an order that says media outlets must report the government version of events or they will be breaking the law,” he told The Herald Sun.
“That’s propaganda, and it’s simply not acceptable,”
“Occasionally orders are made prohibiting what people can say but they should never dictate what a media outlet must say. These orders seek to do that.”
In an open hearing, Mr Tait said: “It occurred after an incident at the Pan Pacific where a resident killed himself and I think was in the room for a couple of days before being discovered.”
In a hearing that was muted at the request of Ms Harris, Mr Tait said under cross examination: “This is the rumour that I hear. I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
DHHS media advisers attempted to get journalists to retract reports, saying they were “inaccurate” despite being based on public testimony.
A transcript of Mr Tait’s comments during the muting hearing was eventually distributed to media outlets.
Since announcing the probe on June 30, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has repeatedly said he wants the $3 million inquiry to operate at arm’s length from the government.
READ MORE: Quarantine hell: mould, bed bugs
STEPHEN LUNN 11.04am: Aged care apology: ‘We haven’t got it right’
Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck has accepted the government “haven’t got it right” and could have done better in keeping Victorian aged care residents safe from COVID-19.
Fronting the Senate COVID-19 committee, Senator Colbeck said no country in the world had been able to keep the virus out of aged care facilities if there was a significant community outbreak, but accepted there were mistakes in the response.
In a tense exchange with Labor Senator Katy Gallagher, Senator Colbeck said the government had worked hard throughout the pandemic to support providers in their efforts to prevent outbreaks and contain them when they occurred.”
“We haven’t got it right. We apologise for that. We are not happy that some things haven’t worked out as we might have hoped,” Senator Colbeck said.
“It has cost lives and that is an absolute tragedy in every single circumstance.”
“There were things that we could have done better. I acknowledge that,” he said.
The committee heard that 258 aged care residents had died in Victorian aged care settings since July, including 254 from nursing homes.
There are 1811 active cases of aged care residents in Victoria, the committee heard.
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Sarah Elks 10.40am: Deputy Premier hits back at Dutton on borders
Queensland’s Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles has defended Queensland’s border closure against federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, accusing him of failing on international borders.
Mr Dutton said Queensland’s decision was based on politics and not health advice - an allegation Mr Miles strongly rejected.
Mr Miles and Mr Dutton knew personally what it was like to bring COVID-19 into Queensland, after contracting the virus early in the pandemic.
“He’s failed on cruise ships, he’s failed on hotel quarantine,” Mr Miles said.
Mr Miles — whose state electorate covers similar ground to Mr Dutton’s federal seat in Brisbane’s outer-northern suburbs — said the pair should go for a walk in their local shops and “see what Queenslanders think”.
“Queenslanders want our borders to be kept safe...they want their government to continue to take the health advice,” Mr Miles said.
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David Rogers 10.21am: Vaccine positivity buoys US futures
Positive news on the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine is helping US stock index futures.
S&P 500 futures rose 0.3pc after the BNT162 MRNA-based vaccine advanced to phase 2 and the companies said they were on track for regulatory approval as early as October.
They say 11,000 people were dosed with BNT162B2 and it was “well tolerated across all populations.” Pfizer says it will share T cell immune response data in the near future.
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Sarah Elks 10.17am: Queensland records zero cases despite testing blitz
Queensland has recorded zero new cases of coronavirus, despite a testing blitz at the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre.
The state has six active cases, of a total of 1094 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.
A woman in her 70s, who works at the detention centre, tested positive late on Wednesday night, and authorities locked down the facility in response.
Staff and detained children at the centre are being tested, and more than 50 tests have been returned negative, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.
Of the detention centre, Dr Young said every single resident in the centre would be tested, and every single staff member during “period of concern” would be tested.
There are more than 500 staff who work at the centre, and more than 100 child residents.
More generally, Dr Young said she was concerned about the amount of movement from Sydney to northern NSW.
“Were the virus to get out into the Tweed area (on the NSW side of the NSW-QLD border), that would be a very big concern for us in Queensland,” she said.
“There is no restriction for people in NSW to move into northern NSW, so it is a big concern.”
“It’s clear they (NSW) are getting on top of it (community transmission of COVID-19), the numbers are coming down, which is really reassuring, but they’re still having those cases they don’t know where they’re coming from.”
Dr Young said her advice to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was driven purely by health.
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Erin Lyons 10.11am: Victorian-NSW border ‘a complex decision’
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant says reopening the NSW-Victorian border is a complex decision that requires the consideration of “multiple” factors.
Speaking to the Today show on Friday morning, Dr Chant remained tight-lipped about when the border would reopen to the southern state but said she was pleased with the stabilisation of numbers.
“I am very pleased that we are seeing some stabilisation in the regional spread of COVID in Victoria,” she said.
“And (it’s) also pleasing to see the stabilisation and the decrease in some of the numbers coming out of Melbourne.”
When pushed on what numbers Victoria would need to produce in order for the border to reopen, Dr Chant said it would depend on several things.
“These are sort of complex decisions that often relate to what other settings Victoria has in place,” she said.
“Some of the concerns we would have would be the movements of people from infected areas (and) what sort of outbreak control measures they’ve got in place. So it’s not just one factor.
“It‘s multiple factors we would take into account in assessing the public health at that time.”
Despite NSW recording just five new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the chief health officer urged caution, noting the virus will always be with us until we have a vaccine.
“Because this virus can spread so stealthily in the community … we have to be vigilant for its reintroduction, and we therefore can’t go back to how we were before,” she said.
“We must continue to adopt COVID-safe practices and recognise the threat is with us.”
The border has been closed since July 8.
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Angelica Snowden 9.44am Queensland border closure political: Dutton
Peter Dutton has once again criticised the border closure of his home state in Queensland as Scott Morrison prepares to debate the contentious shutdowns at the national cabinet meeting today.
“When you hear about families separated from sick kids or can’t get medication, can’t get to work, their business is on one side of the border and they live on the other, these are the practical implications of this closed Queensland border scenario,” the Home Affairs Minister told the Today show.
“It’s driven by politics at the moment which I just think is frustrating a lot of Queenslanders,” he said.
The border closures were not based on medical advice, Mr Dutton said.
He accused Queendsland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of turning the issue into a political one ahead of the state election in October.
“There is an election in October and I think Palaszczuk is concerned about that,” he said.
But Australia Labor Party deputy leader Richard Marles stood by Ms Palaszczuk’s decision.
“There are single digit active cases in Queensland right now,” Mr Marles said.
“Right now there are three times as many active cases in Ballarat as there are in the entire State of Queensland. So I think you can understand why Anastacia is doing what she’s doing,” he said.
Scott Morrison should try to “work cooperatively with the State Premiers” rather than “wagging his finger” and “calling them into line”, Mr Marles said.
READ MORE: Premier’s selfish goals above wellbeing
Rachel Baxendale 9.03am: Victoria records 179 new virus cases
Victoria has recorded its lowest daily increase in coronavirus cases since July 13, more than five weeks ago, with 179 new cases on Friday.
#Covid19VicData for 21 August 2020.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 20, 2020
There are 179 new cases of #coronavirus (#COVID19) detected in Victoria in the last 24 hours, and an additional 9 deaths reported. We are sending condolences to their loved ones. More information will be available later today. pic.twitter.com/1oHSoNMqQd
There have been nine deaths in the 24 hours to Friday, taking the state’s death toll since the pandemic began to 385 — all but 20 of which have occurred since July 4.
The seven day daily average number of new cases has fallen to 246 — the lowest since July 15, and less than half the record seven day average of 573 cases reached 16 days ago on August 5, with a record 725 new cases that day.
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Angelica Snowden 8.07am: Confusion surrounds playing of school sport
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has defended the cancellation of sport in schools, saying she felt “sympathetic” for students but the move was vital to stop the transmission of COVID. However NSW Sports Minister Geoff Lee has told 2GB’s Ben Fordham that the elite GPS boys’ competitions have been cleared to play.
BREAKING: NSW Sports Minister @GeoffLeeMP confirms GPS sport CAN go ahead tomorrow.
— Ben Fordham Live (@BenFordhamLive) August 20, 2020
He spoke to NSW Health yesterday.
It's now up to GPS schools whether they go ahead or not. #AAGPS #NSWpol
“I’m really sympathetic and I understand for a lot of these kids they would be disappointed,” Ms Mitchell said on 2GB.
“From our perspective we have got to follow the advice that comes from health and that’s what the new guidelines that have come out this week have reiterated,” she said
“It’s about trying to break that chain of transmission and reduce the likelihood of COVID spreading.”
She also said the HSC was only “weeks away” and authorities wanted to make sure exams were not disrupted by outbreaks of the virus.
“This is a different year for the HSC there is no doubt about that and we are taking all of that into consideration,” she said.
“For those students studying for their exams now it has been quite a disruptive year.”
Ms Mitchell also addressed revelations a primary teacher was employed by a state public school even though he was fired from his previous teaching job after he confessed to downloading pornography of young children.
“That’s something that has been brought to my attention,” she said.
“I can say that individual is not currently teaching and the circumstances of the matter are being looked into,
“It raises broader questions around what are the processes that are in place in the system if somebody has not had a conviction recorded but there has been a matter that has been dealt with through mental health provision.”
The Australian revealed last week Michael Thomas was employed to teach 10-year-olds at Moree Public School, in northwest NSW.
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Angelica Snowden 7.37am: Border closures ‘keeping mass transmission out’
Former Labor party treasurer and ALP president Wayne Swan has defended current border closures, saying “it is not the issue people are making out”.
“We have got the Prime Minister, the Premier of NSW, we’ve got the business community telling the Premiers to lift border controls and ignore the science and advice of their Chief Health Officers,” Mr Swan said on the Today show.
“I’m gobsmacked. These people want to risk mass transmission out of Victoria into NSW and the health consequences of that are severe but the economic consequences of that are catastrophic,” he said.
He conceded there were some “issues to do with medical treatment” but said mass transmission of the virus was prevented by border closures.
“The Prime Minister has been pot-shotting the Queensland Premier and now the NSW Premier over border controls,” he said.
“The truth is those border controls have kept mass transmission out of NSW and out of Queensland, that’s good for the economy and good for confidence.”
READ MORE: PM appeals to premiers on borders
Angelica Snowden 7.24am: ‘Do more for agriculture on border closures’
NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall says he is “bloody frustrated” by Australia’s border closures and is calling on the federal government to do more for the agricultural industry.
“Agriculture is absolutely essential not just for the livelihood of farmers and rural communities and our overall economy which as we all know is tanking at the moment,” Mr Marshall said on the Today show.
“It’s essential to keep these lovely people who live in our cities with supermarket shelves that are fully stocked,” he said.
After exemptions were granted for farmers and contractors employed in the sector to move between NSW and Victoria without undertaking a quarantine period, Mr Marshall said it was a “step forward”.
“What was announced on Tuesday doesn’t fix all the problems,” he said.
“I’m not going to be happy until we have free flow of agricultural produce ... and workers across all state borders and to that extent I have joined together with my Victorian counterpart and written to the Prime Minister and Commonwealth Government yesterday to put on the agenda at National Cabinet a national agricultural code that allows the free movement of agriculture.”
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Angelica Snowden 7.08am: African countries see significant drop
As cases continue to rise in parts of Asia, Africa provided a brighter perspective on Thursday after it registered a significant drop in the total number of infections last week.
“We have begun to bend the curve slowly... it’s important to recognise those slight tendencies that are positive,” head of the African Union’s health body Africa CDC John Nkengasong said.
The daily average across the continent was 10,300 last week, down from 11,000 the week before
Africa has recorded 1,148,849 cases with about half of those in South Africa.
Despite the continent-wide drop in cases, Moroccan authorities slapped tight controls on movement in Casablanca and Marrakesh following a spike in coronavirus infections.
Several districts of the two cities - the North African country’s economic and tourist capitals - were to be sealed off, and opening hours shortened for restaurants, coffeehouses, businesses and public parks.
Several beaches were closed in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city with 3.3 million inhabitants, following similar measures imposed on Tuesday near the capital Rabat.
Partial lockdowns were ordered Tuesday in Rabat and the port city of Tangiers, with armoured vehicles deployed on the streets and police manning checkpoints.
COVID-19 infections have been on the rise since the start of August and now exceed 1,000 new cases per day in the country of 35 million.
Thursday’s tally was 1,325 new cases and 32 deaths, the latter up from 29 on Wednesday.
Morocco has confirmed a total of over 47,500 cases of novel coronavirus, including 775 deaths.
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Angelica Snowden 6.30am: Iconic Rio hotel reopens after four months
The iconic luxury hotel on the Rio de Janeiro waterfront - the Copacabana Palace - has reopened after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to close for the first time in its 97-year history.
Four months after it closed to all but two long-term residents - musician Jorge Ben Jor and the hotel’s own general manager, Andrea Natal - the soaring art-deco building opened again for travellers and even locals looking to escape the daily grind of the coronavirus pandemic.
Social distancing will be enforced in high traffic areas such as pools and restaurants.
The Copacabana Palace has hosted the likes of Rita Hayworth, Brigitte Bardot, Mick Jagger, Princess Diana and Madonna.
The reopening came amid uncertainty over when and how Rio and Brazil - the country hit second-hardest by COVID-19 after the United States - will return to normal life.
The country has registered nearly 3.5 million infections and more than 111,000 deaths during the pandemic.
Rio has already announced it is seeking a new format for its traditional New Year’s Eve party, which usually draws millions of revellers to Copacabana beach for a fireworks show.
The city’s world-famous carnival, held in February, also risks being cancelled.
The Australian Institute of International Affairs previously said “COVID-19 hit Latin America with unimaginable force” due to massive inequalities between the rich and poor.
Brazil is the virus hotspot in Latin America followed by Peru with 558,420 cases, Mexico with 537,031 cases and Colombia with 502,178 cases.
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Jacquelin Magnay 6.00am: Europe moves to ‘live with coronavirus’
European countries have adopted a range of society-friendly measures to “live with coronavirus’’ as the UK looks to adopt airport testing for incoming passengers to help shorten quarantine periods.
As cases of infections begin to rise, there hasn’t been an associated rise in the numbers of hospitalisations and deaths across Europe, with rates or near to low record daily levels.
French president Emmanuel Macron has ruled out introducing another national lockdown despite the country experiencing a small rise in infections.
Mr Macron told Paris Match magazine: “There is no such thing as zero risk. We cannot bring the country to a standstill, because the collateral damage of confinement is considerable. Zero risk never exists in society. We need to respond to this anxiety without falling into the doctrine of zero risk.’’
He added: “What we want is to avoid being totally overwhelmed. We have very localised strategies. going up to targeted lockdowns that could be imposed if necessary.”
France, which has had over 16,000 infections in the past week, has introduced localised measures, such as wearing masks in Paris and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. In Nice and Toulouse, face masks are mandatory outside.
On Thursday the UK, which is also imposing regional lockdowns when case numbers spike, has added Croatia and Austria to its list of countries from where arriving travellers must undergo a self imposed two weeks quarantine.
But the UK released Portugal, where cases are falling, from the quarantine restriction.
The British government is also looking at measures adopted in Germany, Paris, Dubai and Iceland where incoming passengers at Heathrow are tested upon arrival and then again several days later, reducing any need for the current hard-to-police two week quarantine periods. Another plan under consideration is to have a single test five days after returning home, which would halve the quarantine time.
These are being presented to government next week so the vast majority of Britons returning home from a summer vacation on the continent can rejoin the workforce as soon as possible and restart the stuttering UK economy which lost 22 per cent of GDP throughout the pandemic.
Governments across Europe have been also preparing for any fresh spike in cases once schools reopen in September.
In Italy the government has closed nightclubs and encouraged mask wearing at night and has been testing travellers from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain at Rome’s airport.
“We cannot throw away the sacrifices made in the past months” – said health minister Roberto Speranza
“Our priority must be to reopen schools in complete safety in September”.
Germany introduced airport testing several weeks ago and has recorded around 1700 cases and about ten deaths a day, attributed to returning holidaymakers.
European countries have been reporting that the majority of new cases has been among young people on vacation, including a hotel in Sardinia, and a bar in Croatia.
Most have not had serious illnesses, leading some scientists to believe the virus has already found its way to those most susceptible – the elderly with comorbidities – and that large swathes of the population have some form of natural immunity to fight the virus through T-cells and B-cells.
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Remy Varga 5.45am: Mould, bed bugs in hotel quarantine
A distressed guest was told to stop threatening suicide over a cigarette and a family was left stranded in a hotel room for a week without a single phone call, an inquiry into Victoria’s hotel quarantine program has heard.
Put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 from returning travellers, the quarantine quickly unravelled — guests told the inquiry of filthy, bed bug infested rooms and personal protective equipment dumped in general waste bins.
One nurse told the inquiry, headed by former Family Court judge Jennifer Coate, that guests with health problems including type-2 diabetes had their names put on a white board that shamed “problematic guests”.
“When little things popped up that seemed quite manageable … rather than proactively fix this problem, somehow it was the guests fault,” the nurse, who worked at the Park Royal hotel and was identified as Jen, said. “They were being annoying.”
The white board also contained the names of a guest who threatened suicide and “was told by someone from (the Department of Health and Human Services) to stop being so dramatic because they wanted a cigarette,” Jen said.
“I definitely saw their name on that board …. I did get the impression they were being viewed as problematic guests rather than people who had issues that needed.
READ the full story here.
Natasha Robinson 5.30am: ‘Chilblain’ sufferers may be symptomless victims
Doctors are raising concerns that there may be significant numbers of undetected COVID-19 cases in the community after highly unusual increases in patients presenting with apparent chilblains.
Chilblains are a circulatory disorder that creates inflammation of small blood vessels in the skin, commonly in the feet. International research has linked coronavirus with chilblain-like symptoms, with the rashes being dubbed “COVID toe”. Coronavirus-infected patients have been observed to develop reddish-purple lesions on their fingers and toes that resemble chilblains.
Chilblains are uncommon, but GPs from across the country are reporting an increasing number of patients presenting with the condition. They believe the chilblains in many cases are in fact COVID toe, despite many of the patients testing negative.
Sydney GP Bruce Solomon said he had seen three cases of apparent chilblains in past weeks. Discussing the issue with GP Anna Lindsay, who had seen four recent cases, they became convinced their patients had COVID toe.
READ the full story here.