Coronavirus Australia live news: South Australia lockdown lifted early after pizza store lie exposed
SA will start to ease restrictions from Saturday after revealing a lie told to contact tracers by a pizza shop worker led to a state shutdown.
- Pizza store lie sparked SA lockdown
- SA ‘moving towards’ mandatory masks
- There is no Labor spill: Fitzgibbon
- Arthritis drug effective on COVID-19
- South Australia isolated from world
- ‘Doctors failed on infection control’
Welcome to live coverage of Australia’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. South Australia’s lockdown will end early, after it is revealed the decision was based on a lie from a pizza store employee to contact tracers. And an everyday arthritis drug has been found to be effective in treating COVID-19 patients in a landmark international study.
Emily Ritchie 9.30pm: Mesoblast drug deal good for patients, investors
Australian-based stem cell treatment developer Mesoblast rose by 11 per cent on the ASX on Friday after announcing it had teamed up with a biotech giant to develop its flagship drug for treatment of acute respiratory distress caused by COVID-19.
Chief executive Silviu Itescu revealed on Friday morning the company had signed a licensing and collaboration deal with Novartis, a Swiss-based pharmaceutical company, which would include a $US50m ($69m) payment to Mesoblast.
“Our collaboration with Novartis will help ensure that remestemcel-L could become available to the many patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the principal cause of mortality in COVID-19 infection,” Mr Itescu said.
Mesoblast is investigating the effectiveness of remestemcel-L in treating ARDS in coronavirus patients, the success of which is yet to be reported.
The company has also been trying to get the treatment approved for use against graft-versus-host disease in children.
Under the deal, Novartis will pay Mesoblast $US25m upfront and will also spend $US25m in buying Mesoblast shares.
Read the full story here.
Remy Varga 8.30pm: Second attempt at hotel isolation
Victoria will again quarantine returning international travellers after the state’s first hotel-based program unleashed the devastating second wave that claimed 800 lives and sentenced Melbourne to months in lockdown.
The state has not received international travellers since the end of July after a resurgence in case numbers was linked to infection control breaches at the program.
The Victorian government on Friday wrote to the commonwealth seeking an extension to the suspension of international flights to finalise the new hotel quarantine program.
A state government spokeswoman said international travellers would start arriving on December 7, with an initial cap of 160 travellers a day.
“Victoria has asked the commonwealth for a short extension of the suspension of international flights landing in Melbourne from November 22 to December 6 to allow the final preparations for Victoria’s reset quarantine accommodation program for returned travellers to take place,” she said.
Read the full story here.
Richard Gluyas 7.50pm: Banks learn a lesson from Facebook on data
When ANZ boss Shayne Elliott recently likened the benefits of big-data analytics to the critical task of contact tracing in the COVID-19 pandemic, the banking industry’s data wonks silently thanked him for some long-overdue recognition.
Sure, there is a gaping chasm between the ability of legacy banks and the likes of Google and Facebook to monetise their never-ending torrents of customer data.
However, after the distraction of the financial services royal commission, Elliott and his peers have started to showcase the rewards from past investment; namely, real-time insights into customer behaviour that were unimaginable only five years ago.
“We’re literally able to see in real-time how people are behaving — what they’re spending, where they’re spending, we can see it at postcode level, we can see it by industry segments, and of course we can see it at a customer level,” the ANZ chief said at the bank’s full-year result.
“And so we have the ability to really understand what’s going on with this particular small business or this particular homeowner and determine what’s right for them — it’s a massive capability and it’s going to prove to be a real advantage for us in terms of helping the community.
Read the full story here.
Chandni Vasandani 6.50pm: Indonesia poll to go ahead despite outbreak fears
Indonesia will push ahead with local elections across 270 regions early next month, despite a task force warning of hundreds of “COVID-19 transmission risk areas”.
More than 100 million people are eligible to vote for nine governors, 37 mayors and 224 regents on December 9, amid fears the polls could become a super-spreader in a country that has struggled to stem the infection spread.
COVID-19 task force head Doni Monardo told a parliamentary commission there were 17 towns with a high risk of disease transmission and 215 towns at medium risk.
Read more here
Rebecca Le May 6.15pm: ASX finishes up for a fifth straight day
The Australian sharemarket racked up its fifth straight day of gains as investors clung to the positivity of COVID-19 vaccine progress.
The Australian sharemarket has finished a buoyant week on a high, despite northern hemisphere worries about rising COVID-19 cases and what that means for restrictions.
The S&P/ASX200 finished 0.2 per cent firmer at 6539 while the All Ordinaries Index inched 0.1 per cent higher to 6740.
Debbie Schipp 5.30pm: NT to relax hotspot declaration on SA
The Northern Territory will revoke its coronavirus hotspot designations in South Australia on Saturday morning.
The lifting of the declaration was announced by NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner via Facebook this afternoon.
“This afternoon I received the latest information from our Chief Health Officer, who has been participating in AHPPC and in contact with South Australian authorities,” the post said.
“We are aiming to lift the whole of South Australia as a hotspot tomorrow at 9am.
“Tomorrow morning our Chief Health Officer will confirm this advice, and that will mean everyone in quarantine will be able to leave, and those entering the Territory from SA will no longer need to quarantine.
“But before they do leave quarantine, they will have one final check over, as well as a COVID-19 test.”
READ MORE: Stalked by virus, but free at last
Deirdre Macken 4pm: How virus has changed your summer break
This summer holiday will be like no other, if only because it will be like everyone else’s holiday.
For the first time since the 1950s, Australians are planning to have the same holiday. They will stay local, bunk down in a beach house and because we’re not rich, it will be in someone else’s house.
READ the full story here .
David Penberthy 3pm: As lies go, this was a triple-supreme
COMMENT: Lies, like pizzas, come in different sizes. Small, medium, large, family, party.
As far as lies go, this was a triple-supreme, cheese-filled crust, party-sized monster, with extra ham and double pepperoni, dreamt up by a selfish, card-carrying idiot who – after applying the pineapple – shoved its rough end square up the backside of the South Australian economy.
Let’s stop and marvel at the impact this bloke has had on South Australia over the past three days.
Weddings and funerals cancelled. Elective surgery banned. The entire Schoolies celebration scrapped. Every pub and restaurant shut, their dumpsters heaving with spoiled perishables. Almost every business closed, students barred from attending school and university, supermarkets pillaged, bottle shops cleaned out.
READ the full story here.
Oliver Moody 1.47pm: Sweden realises it’s not a nation apart after all
Alarm is rising in Sweden that its light touch approach to Covid-19 has failed as its per capita infection rate rises above Britain’s, with the number of hospital admissions almost doubling each week.
“The situation is serious,” Goran Hansson, a cardiology professor at the Karolinska Institute and head of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, said.
“Intensive care units are not at maximum capacity but may become full soon if the trend is not broken.”
Since the start of the pandemic the Swedish “experiment” has raised profound questions about the best way to overcome the disease and the nature of the state’s duties to its citizens.
Critics of Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist in charge of the response, and his advisers believe it is finally clear that Sweden has paid too high a price for too few tangible results.
Sweden alone did not impose a lockdown or establish a national contact tracing system for months.
Read the full story here.
Emily Cosenza 1.12pm: Three new SA cases, all in quarantine
On the state’s second day of its circuit breaker, South Australia recorded three new COVID-19 infections.
There are now 25 cases linked to the Parafield cluster and a further 44 are suspected cases.
All of those three new infections are in hotel quarantine and are close contacts of confirmed cases; two of them are family members of a medi-hotel security guard and the other is an aged care worker.
The state’s total is now at 553 with 37 considered active.
Restrictions in the state will be eased after news a close contact of a COVID-19 case lied about their whereabouts.
READ MORE: Three new cases in SA
Max Maddison 12.49pm: SA’s restrictions eased from midnight Saturday
South Australian’s six-day restrictions will be eased from midnight Saturday, as the state reels from revelations the circuit breaker was the consequence of a lie.
Group exercise activity will be allowed effective immediately, while a raft of other restrictions will be eased from Saturday. This included gyms reopening, while venues will be restricted to one person per four square metres, with hospitality premises limited to 100 patrons.
In addition, gatherings in private residences will be restricted to 10 people, weddings will be allowed 150 people, although dancing won’t be permitted. Religious ceremonies will be returned to 100 people. Personal care providers will be required to wear masks.
Premier Steven Marshall said he hoped to relax the Victorian SA border on December 1.
In response to a question regarding why the state was still in lockdown, Police Commissioner Grant Steven said it was “exactly the question” he had asked health authorities. However, he rejected the assertion that the lockdown represented an “overreaction”.
“No, we made a decision to go into the six-day lock down because of the fears in relation to the transmissibility of the strain of the COVID-19 virus and the number of people who had potentially been exposed,” Mr Stevens told a daily briefing on Friday afternoon AEDT.
“If this person had told the truth and it was the circumstances as we believe them to be, we would have then made the right decision. Things evolve as we become aware of the facts as they really are and this is the reason we’re here today.”
READ MORE: Massive changes to SA restrictions
Remy Varga 12.42pm: International flights return to Victoria on December 7
Victoria will start accepting international flights from December 7 when the state’s quarantine program resumes.
A Victorian government spokeswoman said the state had asked the commonwealth for an extension to the original November 22 date to allow for the final preparations of the quarantine program.
“Victoria will commence receiving new passengers from 7 December and has requested an initial cap of 160 incoming passengers each day. This cap may be revised up in time,” she said.
“The government will release further details about the program and our response to the interim report of the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry soon.”
READ MORE: The Aussies who could prolong the pandemic
Max Maddison 12.17pm: Pizza store lie sparked SA lockdown
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has slammed the “disgraceful conduct” of an employee at the Woodville pizza bar whose false statement to contact tracers forced the state into a six-day lockdown.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the male individual told contact tracers he’d only bought a pizza from the Woodville pizza bar – when in fact he was an employee who had worked for several shifts – had incorrectly sent the state into lockdown.
“That clearly changes the circumstances and had this person been truthful to the contact tracing teams, we would not have gone into a six-day lock down,” Grant Stevens told a daily briefing on Friday afternoon AEDT.
“The second consequence of that lie is this person has numerous associates, persons of interest that we are now trying to identify and locate that we would not have had to do so had they been truthful from the beginning.
“There is an absolute need for us to move quickly over the next 24-36 hours to identify and locate these people so we know we have eliminated the risk of this particular strain spreading further into the community.”
However, despite the magnitude of the lie, Mr Stevens said there was no penalty for failing to truthfully answer questions in the current emergency management act, meaning the individual wouldn’t face any consequences.
With contact tracers needing to “find and isolate” an entirely new cohort of associates, Mr Marshall blasted the “disgraceful conduct” of the employee, but stressed he wouldn’t allow the behaviour to keep SA in these conditions “one day longer” than necessary.
“What those investigations showed is that one of the close contacts linked to the Woodville pizza bar deliberately misled our contact tracing team. Their story didn’t add up. We pursued them. We now know that they lied,” Mr Marshall said.
“To say I am fuming about the actions of this individual is an absolute understatement. This selfish actions of this individual have put our whole state in a very difficult situation. His actions have affected businesses, individuals, family groups and is completely and utterly unacceptable.”
READ MORE: Liar who sparked lockdown won’t be charged
Max Maddison 11.22am: No new cases in NSW, warning for south coast
NSW has recorded its 13 consecutive day without a locally acquired case of COVID-19, but sewerage samples have detected fragments of the virus on the state’s south coast.
In a statement, NSW Health said all three of the cases reported were in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, yet warned residents of the Batemans Bay area to remain vigilant after samples detected fragments of the virus. The catchment takes sewerage from approximately 21,000 people.
Fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been detected in samples taken on Tuesday 17 November from the sewerage system that serves Batemans Bay as part of the state’s sewage surveillance program. The catchment takes sewage from approximately 21,000 people.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 20, 2020
“Fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been detected in samples taken on Tuesday 17 November from the sewerage system that serves Batemans Bay as part of the state’s sewage surveillance program,” NSW Health tweeted on Friday morning.
“While this positive result may be explained by a previous case who is no longer infectious, as a precaution, NSW Health is calling on people in the Batemans Bay area to get tested if they have even the mildest COVID-19 symptoms.”
NSW Health tested 18,391 people in the past 24 hours.
READ MORE: Has COVID changed the agenda for women?
Max Maddison 11.02am: Warning for Victoria despite another zero day
It’s another day of donuts for Victoria and Queensland, but Victorian health authorities have warned a possible case is under investigation.
In a statement, DHHS announced another day of zero confirmed cases, marking three weeks straight or 21 days without a locally acquired infection. However, they noted an initial test result was “weak +ve”.
There is a possible case reported that is under investigation; the initial test result is a weak +ve. Further testing today, inc review by an expert panel. The case may be a false +ve or historic infection. Precautionary public health actions in place as investigations continue.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 19, 2020
“Further testing today, inc review by an expert panel. The case may be a false +ve or historic infection. Precautionary public health actions in place as investigations continue,” DHHS said in a tweet on Friday morning.
Over 18,000 Victorians were tested for coronavirus on Thursday, while there’s only two active cases.
In Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also announced zero new confirmed cases, with only 11 cases active across the state.
Friday 20 November – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 19, 2020
• 0 new confirmed cases
• 11 active cases
• 1,190 total confirmed cases
• 1,318,805 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,171 patients have recovered.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/9NKRebfAPd
READ MORE: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shows promising signs
Richard Ferguson 10.30am: ‘Ideological bias’: Treasurer slams Labor’s super resistance
Josh Frydenberg has slammed Labor’s resistance to any attempts to freeze the superannuation guarantee, saying they have shown an “ideological bias” before reading the Retirement Incomes Review.
The Treasurer has been speaking in Melbourne before the full review – which signals the superannuation guarantee should not rise to 12 per cent – was released on Friday morning.
Anthony Albanese says he will try to block any move to prevent the rise in super contributions, which Mr Frydenberg said on Friday showed a “lack of understanding” of the review.
“I find it amusing … it reflects their ideological bias in this space and their lack of appreciation, and understanding, for evidence based policy development,” he said in Melbourne.
“What we have here is an independent report. We have not yet released it. There have been some excerpts of quotes from the report in the papers today and we have spoken at length about it this morning.
“The opposition, like other stakeholders will have an opportunity to read through the report.
“I would have thought that rather than showing their hand before they read the report, they would have at least pretended to have read it and then made their position known.”
READ MORE: Workers to lose wages ‘if super rate rises’
Max Maddison 10.24am: New one-month stay-at-home order in California
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a new limited stay-at-home order, as the state grapples with near record numbers of daily COVID cases.
On Thursday night, Mr Newsom said the curfew would be enforced for all counties in the “purple zone” – around 94 per cent of the state’s population – stopping all non essential work, movement and gatherings between 10pm and 5am.
Due to the rise in #COVID19 cases, CA is issuing a limited Stay at Home Order.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 19, 2020
Non-essential work and gatherings must stop from 10pm-5am in counties in the purple tier.
This will take effect at 10pm on Saturday and remain for 1 month.
Together--we can flatten the curve again.
“Due to the rise in #COVID-19 cases, CA is issuing a limited Stay at Home Order,” Mr Newsome tweeted. “This will take effect at 10pm on Saturday and remain for 1 month.”
“Together —we can flatten the curve again.”
The state recorded 11,478 daily infections on Thursday, close to the record of 12,807 set on July 27. Hospitalisations across the state also jumped to 5,319.
READ MORE: Trump’s team claims ‘national conspiracy’
Max Maddison 10.06am: Palaszckuk’s text message jab at Berejiklian
Anastacia Palaszckuk has taken another stab at Gladys Berejiklian, inviting Queenslanders to contribute to her next text message to the NSW Premier, as the two leaders’ relationship hits a new rock bottom.
While congratulating the Queensland Origin team for their series win against NSW on Wednesday night, Ms Palaszckuk said many people had asked her what she would be messaging Ms Berejiklian.
“Well I’m asking Queenslanders what should I text the NSW Premier,” Ms Palaszczuk told a press conference on Thursday afternoon. “I’ll be looking forward to hearing your comments and the best one I’ll be sending.
“So please send those options to me as soon as possible.”
The jab from the Labor leader comes at a low ebb for the Premiers. After the Maroons’ victory earlier this month in Adelaide, it was revealed Ms Palaszczuk sent a text gloating about the result to the NSW Liberal Premier, with the message just containing one word: “Queenslander”.
The continuing stoush over the closure of the NSW-Queensland border has had such a detrimental impact on their relationship that Ms Berejiklian admitted in September she was struggling to get in contact with Ms Palaszckuk.
“It’s not through want of trying,” Ms Berejiklian told Ben Fordham on 2GB. “I’ve tried to establish a positive relationship but it’s a bit difficult when decisions are made without them even telling us.
“And can I compare that to Dan Andrews and the Prime Minister, the three of us worked together on a very difficult decision on the Victoria-NSW border.
“Can I be absolutely frank, she has made a decision and isn’t willing to talk about that decision and is refusing to budge.”
However, rather than repairing the damaged relationship it appears Ms Palaszckuk’s parochial state pride remains her prime concern, as she used Thursday’s press conference to praise the Wayne Bennett-led side.
“How good is Queensland,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “Many people wrote the Queensland team off. Let me say this very clearly: never, ever write off a Queenslander.”
READ MORE: As it happened: Maroons clinch series victory for the ages
Richard Ferguson 9.50pm: Albanese vows to fight for super rise
Anthony Albanese has vowed to fight any attempt to stop the incoming 12 per cent increase for superannuation contributions, after a government review signalled it should be scrapped.
Average workers would lose wages to subsidise the retirement funds of the well-off if compulsory superannuation contributions were lifted beyond the 9.5 per cent rate, a report on the retirement income system says.
The Opposition said on Friday that the Retirement Incomes Review was an attempt to “lay the groundwork” for Scott Morrison to freeze super contributions.
“This is a government that has never supported universal superannuation,” Mr Albanese said in northern NSW.
“We have a legislated increase to universal superannuation to 12 per cent. The Coalition committed to not change that but once again they are laying the groundwork for another backflip.
“This government’s ongoing attack on superannuation will be resisted by Labor … Labor supports the existing 12 per cent superannuation increase and we will fight any attempt to undermine it or change it.”
READ MORE: Workers to lose wages ‘if super rate rises’
Agencies 8.50am: Biden: No nationwide shutdown
US President-elect Joe Biden has insisted he would not order a nationwide shutdown to fight the COVID-19 pandemic despite a surge in cases.
President-elect Biden says he has no plans for a national shutdown, because the COVID-19 situation will be different across various communities: "There is no circumstance which I can see that would require a total national shutdown. I think that would be counterproductive." pic.twitter.com/OEiUJd4FOC
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 19, 2020
“There’s no circumstance which I can see that would require total national shutdown. I think that would be counterproductive,” Biden, who takes office on January 20, told reporters. “I will not shut down the economy, I will shut down the coronavirus.”
READ MORE: In the US, virus horse has bolted
Max Maddison 8.30am: SA ‘moving toward’ mandatory masks
South Australian Health Minister Stephen Wade says the state is “moving towards” the mandatory use of face masks, but cautions there’s an “issue of supply”.
While he said there was an ample amount of masks available, Mr Wade said the issue was ensuring they get to the “right place”.
“We are moving towards mandatory use of masks, but there is an issue of supply. We are working hard to make sure that masks are available through the community,” Mr Wade told ABC News Breakfast on Friday morning.
“A lot of pharmacies and other outlets are selling masks. We have strong supplies. South Australia, during the pandemic, has established a domestic production capacity.”
With South Australians showing their “commitment and their determination” to stop the spread of the virus across the state, Mr Wade also said restrictions on outside exercise could be eased in the coming days.
READ MORE: Lockdown happy premiers can see the advantage
Max Maddison 8.20am: Northern Ireland in 2 week lockdown
Northern Ireland will be plunged into a two week lockdown, as the country grapples with another wave of coronavirus cases.
Northern Ireland to face tougher Covid-19 lockdown measures for two weeks from next Friday.https://t.co/M0mWKrOcUe pic.twitter.com/OITmoLAz9P
— BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) November 19, 2020
The Northern Ireland Executive agreed for the circuit breaker lockdown to begin next Friday on November 27, with the Health Minister saying the further restrictions were necessary to curb the COVID-19 infection-rate and ensure health services weren’t overwhelmed.
All non-essential retail will close, along with services considered to be close contact. Hospitality businesses will only be allowed to offer takeaway services. Places of worship will also be closed.
Speaking at a press conference, Chief Scientist Advisor Professor Ian Young warned further restrictions could be imposed before Christmas.
READ MORE: Has COVID changed the agenda for women?
Angelica Snowden 8.15am: ‘Significant number’ of Aussies won’t get vaccine
A “significant” number of Australians say they will not get a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available, new research has revealed.
While about three-in-five Australians – or 58.5 per cent – said they would definitely get a COVID-19 jab, a new analysis from the Australian National University showed 5.5 per cent said they definitely would not get the vaccine.
In addition 7.2 per cent said they probably would not get the vaccine.
“Overall there are significant levels of vaccine hesitancy or resistance across Australian society,” co-author and associate professor Ben Edwards said.
“We found females, those living in disadvantaged areas, those who reported that risks of COVID-19 were overstated, and those who had more populist views and higher levels of religiosity were more likely to be hesitant or resistant to a vaccine,” he said.
“In contrast, those who had higher levels of household income, those who had higher levels of social distancing, who downloaded the COVID-Safe App, who had more confidence in their state or territory government or confidence in their hospitals, or were more supportive of migration were more likely to intend to get vaccinated.”
The survey of 3000 adult Australians revealed people above the age of 55 were more likely to say they would have the vaccine compared with other age groups.
People who lived in a higher income household compared with a lower income household were more likely to say they would get vaccinated against COVID-19.
There were also neighbourhood differences, where people who lived in “disadvantaged” areas – defined by the Index of Relative Social Advantage or Disadvantage – more likely to be resistant to a vaccine.
The data also showed people with a university qualification were more likely to say they would have the vaccine compared with Australian who had a year 12 qualification only.
The World Health Organisation has urged governments to proactively target vaccine hesitancy “hotspots”, the authors said.
“To open up our society, economy and community fully again, we need to develop a vaccine and get it out to the population as quickly as possible,” study co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said.
“Our findings show vaccine hesitancy, which accounts for a significant proportion of the population, may be addressed by public health messaging,” he said.
“But for a significant minority of the population with strongly held beliefs, alternative policy measures may well be needed to achieve sufficient vaccination coverage to end the pandemic.”
READ MORE: Infection control chief answers critics
Max Maddison 7.55am: Stevens defends call for private hotel guards
South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has stood by his call to allow private security guards at hotel quarantine to continue working second jobs, saying it’s not possible for these workers to “quarantine themselves for the rest of their lives.”
After another coronavirus outbreak was linked to the Peppers quarantine hotel, Mr Stevens said despite the growing public anger, it was “simply unreasonable” to expect people not to get on with their lives when not working at quarantine hotels.
“It is not just about them, it is about police, hotel staff, nurses, and also extend s to people working in the pop-up testing stations, our hospitals, police officers doing compliance checking. It is simply not possible for these people to quarantine themselves from the rest of their lives,” Mr Stevens told Nine’s Today show on Friday morning.
“By stopping them having a second job doesn’t stop them spreading the virus if they do contract it in a medi-hotel. They still have families and other commitments within the community. It is just as much as it might be an aspirational goal, it doesn’t achieve what I think people think it would achieve.”
After recording another 24 hours without a new case, Mr Stevens said the response from the community had been “exceptional”.
“ Adelaide is like a ghost town. People are doing their very best to abide by these restrictions and I think it’s a genuine collective effort to make sure that this is a short lockdown and as short as possible,” he said.
READ MORE: Oxford vaccine shows promising signs
Jacquelin Magnay 7.30am: ‘Chance COVID-19 may become vaccine-resistant’
Coronavirus will fight back against mass vaccination and some pitfalls may emerge in the coming months to challenge the success of any of the world’s new COVID-19 vaccines, a leading infectious disease specialist has warned.
Dr Gifty Immanuel, an infectious disease specialist from Bangalore, India, hailed the “heroic” effort to have several viable vaccines available within 12 months, saying coronavirus was currently “having a field day” as it effectively fed on a naive human immune system.
However, Dr Immanuel warned that throughout history, there were examples of diseases becoming vaccine-resistant.
Synergia Forum in partnership with @BlavatnikSchool : join our online discussion at 18.30IST https://t.co/NghetSfHRf
— Synergia Insights (@SynergiaImpact) November 19, 2020
on the #racetothevaccine with @DrGiftyImmanuel @SuerieMoon Srinath Reddy(@thePHFI), @jarottingen , @TobbySimon @JoWolffBSG, and moderator @MayaJTudor pic.twitter.com/3zxL1p16Ux
The hepatitis B vaccine currently has an efficacy rate of about 80 per cent, while the influenza vaccine is around 60 per cent.
“Look at the Darwinian principles: when viruses are put under the selection pressure of a vaccine it is bound to become resistant … the day we put an effective antiviral in the (human) host and virus ecology, the virus will fight back,” Dr Immanuel told a University of Oxford and Blavatnik School of Government briefing.
“There are huge probabilities that vaccine mutants escape, which we had with hepatitis B.’’
John Arne Rottingen, the CEO of the Research Council of Norway and an adviser to the World Health Organisation, told the briefing that large-scale vaccine trials involving as many as 30,000 to 50,000 volunteers were able to pick up any concerns about side effects, with most occurring in the first couple of months.
“More than 10,000 have now been followed for more than two months,’’ he noted. However, he said there was a possibility of rare side effects, as occurred following the rollout of the swine flu vaccine.
Mr Rottingen said solid monitoring of vaccines after approval should be mandatory.
READ MORE: Chinese COVID-19 vaccine gives scientists pause
Max Maddison 6.50am: ‘There is no Labor spill’, Fitzgibbon asserts
Labor backbencher Joel Fitzgibbon has denied he’s preparing for a leadership spill, but warns no one is bigger than the Labor Party.
After being quoted saying he’d given Anthony Albanese a “big warning” and that the Opposition Leader needed to “grasp that opportunity or we’ll have to go to the next step”, Mr Fitzgibbon downplayed the prospects of a spill.
However, he said he wanted to ensure the party was delivering the “right policies and right messaging”.
“ … there is no spill, Anthony Albanese was the leader of the Labor Party. He maintains my support,” Mr Fitzgibbon told Nine’s Today on Friday morning.
“What I’ve been doing is encouraging him to spend more time thinking about looking (and) thinking about, talking to and designing policies which are designed to win the hearts and minds of the people we have traditionally represented.
Joel Fitzgibbon says Anthony Albanese is “still a chance†of leading Labor to the election if he is “more clear and loud†in backing blue-collar jobs and traditional industries. #auspol https://t.co/NCOVPoigIT
— Greg Brown (@gregbrown_TheOz) November 19, 2020
“That is typically hardworking Australians and blue-collar or high-viz, those who go to work proudly every day to do good things for your nation.”
The denial comes amid news Mr Fitzgibbon will quit as the leader of Labor’s Right faction, telling Sky News he wanted to become a “policy leader”, enabling him more freedom to express his views about Labor’s direction.
"This is the essence of the irrational climate contest: Left combatants overstate the threat while the right mounts an economic scare campaign."
— Daniel Sankey 🎠(@Daniel_Sankey) November 19, 2020
Joel Fitzgibbon @fitzhunter right in the very, VERY sensible centre here. And he's spot on, by the way.https://t.co/78OU5mRgGG
READ MORE: Niki Savva — Tips for Albanese, straight from the horse’s mouth
Max Maddison 6.30am: Americans warned not to travel for thanksgiving
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a stark warning to Americans, advising against travelling for the thanksgiving holiday.
Deaths in the US have surpassed 250,000, while more than 11.5 million people have been diagnosed with coronavirus since the first case was reported in late January. Daily cases have rocketed in the past month, with 161,000 people contracting the virus on Thursday alone.
In a briefing with reporters, CDC COVID-19 incident manager Henry Walke cited the million new cases recorded in the last week alone, as he advised people against travelling for the holiday.
We understand. You’re tired of hearing about #COVID19. But facts are facts: This pandemic is not over and cases are still rising across the U.S. Do your part: #WearAMask over your mouth AND nose. Stay 6ft from others. Wash your hands. Stay home if you can. https://t.co/DmfPOAPMjW pic.twitter.com/tCslAZvlgw
— CDC (@CDCgov) November 19, 2020
“Right now, especially as we are seeing exponential growth in cases and the opportunity to translocate disease or infection from one part of the country to another leads to our recommendation to avoid travel at this time,” Dr Walke said.
“At the individual household level, what’s at stake is basically the increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then being hospitalised and dying.”
The safest way to celebrate #Thanksgiving is with your household members. Cook traditional family recipes, have a virtual dinner with your friends and family, or watch parades and movies from your cozy couch. More tips: https://t.co/zLzjYgnxYn. pic.twitter.com/v5Kv80iH4Z
— CDC (@CDCgov) November 18, 2020
Across the globe, the situation for several countries afflicted by the worst of the outbreak has eased. The seven-day average for France, Italy and the United Kingdom all fell. However, cases in the Emmanuel Macron-led country were still hovering over 40,000.
In Germany, the seven-day average of confirmed new cases was up, with 23,700 daily infections recorded on Thursday. Confirmed cases in Russia also continued to balloon, with the country recording over 22,000 cases in the preceding three days.
READ MORE: Lessons in leadership from COVID-19
Max Maddison 5.30am: Arthritis drug effective for COVID-19 patients
A new international study has found an everyday arthritis drug is effective in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients, with the “extremely encouraging” results meaning the drug will be available to clinicians immediately.
The early findings of the global REMAP-CAP clinical trial revealed tocilizumab, an immune modulator drug generally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, was effective in terms of survival and length of time patients required support in an intensive care unit.
With the drug already on the market and “reasonably available”, Monash University professor Steve Webb said the positive results meant tocilizumab could be used immediately by clinicians.
Until now the data from randomized trials for an IL-6 monoclonal antibody, tocilizumab, was mixed (summarized below). Today a positive trial is announced in over 300 patients w/ severe #COVID https://t.co/zpvotXb2mE via @nataliexdean pic.twitter.com/ToaNVHJ8He
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 19, 2020
The discovery puts tocilizumab in rare company, with only a handful of available, on-market drugs having been shown to definitively improve outcome in patients afflicted by coronavirus.
One of two examples of drugs that dampen immune response proving effective in treating COVID-19 patients, Dr Webb said the findings added to evidence that an exaggerated immune response was responsible for poor outcomes in patients who were impacted most adversely by the virus.
The results of the trial showed that with 99.75 per cent probability, tocilizumab was superior to not having the drug for critically ill patients, however, Dr Webb cautioned the study hadn’t revealed how much the drug respectively contributed to the two individual components: survival and length of time in an ICU.
âš ï¸Very common association
— Salvatore Piano (@salvatore_piano) November 16, 2020
In our experience 52% of patients with COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab had â¬†ï¸ of liver function tests â¬†ï¸ 3 ULN https://t.co/ytoyoq0HGjhttps://t.co/jywyu4dhWe pic.twitter.com/ovkfsT0WsA
With active cases in Australia few and far between, and patients in intensive care even rarer, Steve Burnell — the CEO for the Collaborate Against Cancer arm of the Minderoo Foundation, Andrew Forrest’s philanthropic arm — said he was thrilled the trial had moved into lower and middle income countries who were struggling with the virus.
Minderoo Foundation provided $2 million funding to expand the COVID-19 arms of the ongoing REMAP-CAP study, enabling the expansion of the study into low socio-economic areas including Pakistan, Nepal and India.
The ongoing adaptive clinical trial which is being co-ordinated by Monash University, included more than 2000 COVID-19 patients at more than 260 clinical sites around the world.
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David Penberthy 5.05am: South Australia left isolated from rest of world
South Australia is now isolated from the rest of the world and almost all of Australia, with international flights cancelled until December and Victoria shutting its border as the state entered the first day of a six-day lockdown.
Despite the state recording no new cases overnight, with the Parafield cluster standing at 23, Premier Steven Marshall said the hard lockdown would continue into next week — but promised it would not extend beyond the scheduled six-day period.
His vow came as Adelaide came to resemble a ghost town, with all shops and restaurants closed, most businesses shut or operating remotely, almost zero traffic and just a smattering of essential workers on the streets.
But while South Australians overwhelmingly back the lockdown, the government has been forced to address questions about why it was that a medi-hotel security guard was also working a second job at the Woodville Pizza Bar at the centre of the cluster.
Read the full story here.
Natasha Robinson 5am: Doctors had ‘little interest in infection control’
The chair of the commonwealth’s chief advisory committee on infection control has blamed poor infection control practices within public hospitals and doctors’ apathy for the high rate of COVID-19 cases in healthcare workers, rejecting airborne spread of the virus as the predominant mode of transmission.
Lyn Gilbert, chair of the Infection Control Expert Group, has rejected accusations that inadequate guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment contributed to the spread of coronavirus among thousands of healthcare workers in Victoria who tested positive to the disease.
Professor Gilbert, a clinical professor in immunology and infectious diseases, said many doctors had until recently had “little interest” in infection control, and hospitals had failed to instil robust practices.
More than 3500 healthcare workers in Victoria have tested positive to COVID-19, with 2602 of those infections acquired in the workplace, health department figures show.
Read the full story here.
Helen Trinca 4.45am: ‘We need one country on borders’, travel leaders urge
Australian travel’s elder statesman, Graham Turner, says it’s time for Australia to be run as “one country” with the same rules on COVID-19 and borders applying in each state.
The CEO of Flight Centre said some border closures in the past had been “pure politics — and if not pure politics, bad science”.
Mr Turner said the virus was now under “sufficient control” and opening domestic markets would make a huge difference to the sector. “Being open and staying open and accepting we have to live with this virus for at least six months or significantly longer is something the state governments talk about,” he said. “But they don’t necessarily live like that.”
His calls echoed those made by other travel industry leaders at The Australian’s Strategic Forum this week.
Read the full story here.
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