Coronavirus Australia live news: Brisbane hotel worker infected with UK strain; Alarm over UK virus strain in WA;
A cleaner who contracted COVID-19 at a Brisbane quarantine hotel and has been moving about the community for days is carrying the highly infectious UK strain.
- Vaccinations to begin in February
- Queensland hotel worker infected
- Six cases in NSW hotel quarantine
- No new cases in Victoria overnight
- Race to defend against UK variant
Welcome to live coverage of Australia’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison has announced that Covid vaccinations will begin, pending approval, in February. A cleaner has become the first person to be infected with COVID-19 in one of Queensland’s quarantine hotels. The news comes as NSW recorded six new cases of coronavirus in hotel quarantine in the past 24 hours, with zero acquired locally. And fears cases could spike in Victoria after infected man attended cricket have not been realised, with no new cases in the state overnight.
Agencies 11pm: WA woman behind bars after quarantine breach
A 22-year-old woman, who was charged with failing to comply with a COVID-19 self-quarantine direction, has been refused bail.
The woman arrived at Perth Airport on New Year’s Day from Melbourne through the G2G Pass system, police say.
She was to have self-quarantined for two weeks at an approved location in Perth.
However, she was not at the residence when police conducted a compliance check on Wednesday.
NCA NewsWire
Read the full story here.
Stephen Rice 10.15pm: Flight crews to face compulsory testing
All flight crews entering Australia will be subject to mandatory COVID-19 tests and quarantine from next week, after Scott Morrison forced the hand of the NSW government by convening a special session of the national cabinet to bolster defences against the highly infectious UK virus strain.
International travellers will also have to undergo pre-flight tests in new measures, proposed by Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, to be brought in before the emergency meeting on Friday.
The national cabinet is also expected to make masks compulsory on all domestic flights.
Read the full story here.
Joseph Lam 9.30pm: More venues added to NSW list
Visitors of the following venues are advised to get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received.
-Wentworthville ChemSave Day & Night Pharmacy: Sunday January 3 from 10.40am to 10.50am; 9.30pm to 9.40pm
-Avalon Woolworths, 74 Old Barrenjoey Road:
Saturday January 2 from 3.45pm to 4pm
Sunday January 3 12.45pm to 1pm
Monday January 4 from 6.30pm to 6.50pm
Tuesday January 5 from 4.45pm to 5pm
Wednesday January 6 from 12.45pm to 5pm
-Avalon Chemist Warehouse, 4/74 Old Barrenjoey Road: Saturday January 3 from 1pm to 1.15pm
NSW Health has been advised of new venues in #Wentworthville and #Avalon which have been visited by confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/3PguCAM7rL
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 7, 2021
Mackenzie Scott 8.40pm: Qld aged-care homes, hospitals, jails locked down
Visitors to aged-care homes, hospitals, disability services and corrections facilities in Greater Brisbane will be restricted immediately after a case of the UK variant of COVID-19 was found in the community.
Queensland chief health officer Jeanette Young said the state was taking the case seriously and was locking down vulnerable facilities as a precaution while contact tracing efforts continue.
“We’re taking a very cautious approach with this case, now that we know for sure this person has the UK variant of the virus,” Dr Young said.
“Evidence shows that this variant is 70 per cent more infectious than other strains.
“This is why I’m taking this firm action swiftly, to protect our most vulnerable facilities.”
The restrictions will apply to the Metro North, Metro South and West Moreton Hospital and Health Service regions.
The fever clinic at Eight Mile Plains Community Health Centre will remain open right through the night, with Dr Young urging possible close contacts to get tested tonight.
AFP 8pm: Japan declares state of emergency in Tokyo region
Japan’s government declared a month-long coronavirus state of emergency in the greater Tokyo area on Thursday as the capital reported a record surge in daily infections.
“The nationwide, rapid spread of the new coronavirus is feared to have a great impact on people’s lives and the economy,” said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as he announced the new restrictions, which begin on Friday.
The measure is far less strict than the harsh lockdowns seen in other parts of the world, and softer than the country’s first state of emergency last northern spring.
It primarily targets restaurants and bars, which will be asked to stop serving alcohol by 7pm and close an hour later, with residents requested to avoid non-essential outings from 8pm.
In Tokyo and three surrounding areas that petitioned the government to make the move, businesses will also be urged to maximise teleworking with the goal of reducing commuter traffic by 70 per cent.
The minister in charge of Japan’s pandemic response earlier warned that Tokyo’s medical system was now “stretched thin”.
“Every day we are seeing record numbers of infections. We have a very serious sense of crisis,” Yasutoshi Nishimura said.
Tokyo recorded 2447 new cases on Thursday — shattering the previous record of 1,591 logged a day earlier.
Mackenzie Scott 7pm: Brisbane exposure locations named
Brisbane residents have been urged to get tested immediately after the first case of the highly infectious UK strain of COVID-19 was confirmed in the community on Thursday.
Queensland Health issued a notice for five locations — two legs of a train journey and three shopping locations — visited by the quarantine hotel cleaner since she became infectious on January 2.
The locations include:
● A train from Altandi station to Roma street on Saturday, January 2, at 7am.
● A train from Central Station to Altandi station on Saturday at 4pm.
● Woolworths Calamvale North on Sunday, January 3, between 11am and noon.
● Coles Sunnybank Hills on Tuesday, January 5, between 7.30am and 8am.
● Nextra Newsagent, Sunnybank Hills Shopping Town on Tuesday, January 5, between 8am and 8.15am.
Queensland Health said: “Those who have been to the below locations during the relevant time periods, regardless of whether they have symptoms, are asked to come forward for testing and isolate until they receive their results.
“Critically, even if a negative test result is received, people are asked to continue to monitor for symptoms and get retested if necessary.”
Michael McKenna 6.45pm: Brisbane hotel cleaner catches UK strain
A cleaner who contracted COVID-19 at a Brisbane quarantine hotel and has been moving about the community for days is carrying the highly infectious UK strain of the coronavirus.
Queensland Health has confirmed that the woman — in her twenties — had the virulent strain and is suspected of catching it during a single shift on Saturday at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, in Spring Hill, in Brisbane’s inner city.
It is the first case in Australia where a person has been outside of quarantine and exposing the wider community to the UK strain.
There have been four positive cases detected in quarantine at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, including one with the UK strain.
Queensland Health is now rushing to trace contacts for the woman, who caught a train before and after her shift from Brisbane’s southern suburbs and later went on three shopping trips while infectious in surrounding suburbs.
The worker, lives in Algester, tested positive to the virus overnight prompting a warning for anyone living in Sunnybank Hills, Algester and Calamvale to get tested if they develop symptoms.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the cleaner was negative to the virus in a weekly test of hotel workers on December 29.
But after developing symptons, she was tested on Wednesday and the virus was detected.
Dr Young said the cleaner had not done anything wrong.
“We know this a very infectious virus and we know it can escape as it has done in other states,” said Dr Young.
In Perth, health authorities have confirmed that an elderly traveller who arrived on January 2 and who may have passed the coronavirus to three workers does have the new, highly infectious British COVID-19 strain.
Agencies 6.20pm: Service NSW app goes down
Technical glitches have prevented NSW residents from operating a government smartphone app used for contact tracing to stop the spread of coronavirus.
People who use the Service NSW app to “check in” at hospitality venues and other public places found the service was temporarily out of use on Thursday afternoon.
Users were met with an error notice at the top of the screen reading: “Sorry, some account services, like logging in and resetting PIN, are currently unavailable. We’re working on restoring these as soon as possible.”
This afternoon, the Service NSW App experienced an unexpected outage preventing some customers from checking in with the COVID Safe Check-in tool. The outage is now resolved. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience #servicensw pic.twitter.com/OICp0GwPx0
— Service NSW (@ServiceNSW) January 7, 2021
Some Twitter users reported they were unable to use the app to scan bar codes known as QR codes, which are used to register attendance at a venue.
Since New Year’s Day, the app has been made mandatory for certain businesses. Failure to make sure visitors use QR codes associated with the app can lead to fines.
It has been downloaded more than a million times, according to the Google Play store.
NCA NewsWire
READ MORE: 3700 ‘border exiles’ mired in Covid limbo
Kylar Loussikian 5.40pm: Elderly Perth woman infected with UK strain
The elderly traveller who landed in Perth on Saturday and may have passed the coronavirus to three workers has the new, highly infectious British COVID-19 strain.
Three people — an airport worker, a nurse and an ambulance paramedic — went into mandatory quarantine on Wednesday after interacting with the woman, in her 80s, after she arrived in Western Australia from London earlier in the week.
They were not properly wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.
The West Australian government is reviewing the incident but has denied the coronavirus could spread into the community.
The airport worker has tested negative for the coronavirus, but remains in quarantine.
READ MORE: Our society needs vaccine urgently
Joseph Lam 5.30pm: Call to repay test fees
NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay has called for an urgent reimbursement of fees related to COVID-19 testing in NSW.
In a tweet on Thursday, Ms McKay called on the NSW government to introduce a fee-reimbursement system through its mobile application Service NSW.
“The Government must immediately introduce a simple reimbursement system through @ServiceNSW for anyone who has been charged a fee related to COVID testing,” she wrote.
The Government must immediately introduce a simple reimbursement system through @ServiceNSW for anyone who has been charged a fee related to COVID testing. #nswpol pic.twitter.com/01stD0IUeN
— Jodi McKay (@JodiMcKayMP) January 7, 2021
The call from Ms McKay arrived after several reports claimed people had been charged for a COVID-19 test, which prompted NSW Health to make a statement on Wednesday.
The government has also come under heat over low testing rates in western Sydney which The Guardian reported as a “failure to get message to migrant communities”.
All ages are welcome. No booking or GP referral required.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 7, 2021
There are a number of testing clinics open in Western Sydney, many of which are open 7 days. To find your nearest clinic visit: https://t.co/LmeATIQK4Z or contact your GP.
READ MORE: Race to bolster defence against UK virus strain
Lisa Allen 5.25pm: Tourism leaders urge states to open borders
Tourism leaders have stepped up their attacks on state premiers urging them to stop deliberately hijacking the livelihoods of many Australian businesses and to reopen state borders given the lack of locally acquired COVID cases in NSW.
With the travel plans of millions of residents of Greater Sydney and Melbourne having been disrupted during the peak summer holiday season, and the economic hit that has dealt to many businesses, tourism bosses say the “ad hoc border closures” are a blow to confidence.
One of Queensland’s most prominent entrepreneurs, Jamie Pherous, the founder of the global business travel company, the ASX-listed Corporate Travel Management, on Thursday called on state premiers to “stop the fear mongering and interstate squabbling”.
His comments came as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stepped up her border closures. She had previously said she would review the state border closure on Friday, January 8, but on Thursday she announced that travellers from Greater Sydney won’t be able to enter Queensland until at least the end of January.
AFP 5.05pm: Japan to declare state of emergency
Japan’s government will declare a coronavirus state of emergency in the greater Tokyo area on Thursday, as media said the capital would again report a record daily number of infections.
The new month-long restrictions will be far less strict than the harsh lockdowns seen in other parts of the world, and softer than even Japan’s first state of emergency last northern spring.
They will primarily target restaurants and bars, which are being asked to stop serving alcohol by 7pm and close an hour later, with residents also requested to avoid non-essential outings after 8pm.
Businesses in Tokyo and three surrounding areas that petitioned the government to make the move will be urged to maximise teleworking, with the goal of reducing commuter traffic by 70 per cent.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to officially announce the measures late on Thursday, local time, but the minister in charge of Japan’s pandemic response outlined the expected shape of the declaration, warning that Tokyo’s medical system was “stretched thin”.
“Every day we are seeing record numbers of infections. We have a very serious sense of crisis,” Yasutoshi Nishimura said.
Local media said Tokyo would record more than 2400 new cases on Thursday, shattering the previous record of 1591 logged a day earlier.
READ MORE: Young to be protected before the elderly
Michael McKenna 4.40pm: Palaszczuk’s plea amid quarantine case
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is calling for more federal assistance to deal with international arrivals after a cleaner at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane tested positive to COVID-19.
In the first locally-contracted case in Queensland in 113 days, a cleaner – a woman in her 20s – caught COVID working a single shift on January 2 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, in Spring Hill, in Brisbane’s inner city.
Ms Palaszczuk said she will be raising the need for “more co-operation” from the federal government on quarantine measures for international arrivals at National Cabinet on Friday. Queensland Health is now rushing to trace contacts for the woman, who caught a train before and after her shift from Brisbane’s southern suburbs and later went on three shopping trips while infectious.
Rachel Baxendale 4.10pm: Vic-NSW border could open next week: Andrews
Victoria’s NSW border closure could ease as early as next week, Premier Daniel Andrews says.
Mr Andrews said 250 extra staff had been brought on board at the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday to process more than 4000 applications for compassionate and medical exemptions from Victorians stranded in NSW.
“We’re working through all of those diligently,” Mr Andrews said.
Just over 400 exemptions have been granted.
“I just want to say to every single Victorian who’s in New South Wales and can’t get home: the border is closed for the best of reasons, and that’s to protect every single Victorian from a third wave (of coronavirus),” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s based on public health advice, and the border will be closed not one moment longer than it needs to be, but the public health advice remains that a permit system and an exemption system should be in place, not just for greater Sydney but for New South Wales.
“We will work through all of those things, but I do hope that those settings can change and can change, fairly soon, maybe next week, maybe early the following week.
“As soon as they can change, then we will have people able to get a permit much more easily than applying for an exemption, because the circumstances have changed, and people will then be able to travel home.”
Mr Andrews said he appreciated it was a “very challenging time” for border communities and those stuck interstate.
“But I just want the broader Victorian community just to think about this for one moment, and it doesn’t take much because even though it’s 2021, we all remember 2020 very well,” he said.
“Standing in a queue, yes, that’s not pleasant. Being stuck interstate, and having your plans unsettled, that’s unpleasant as well ... But that discomfort, that inconvenience, is nothing compared to this virus getting away from us, and us having to go back into a situation where there are widespread restrictions across Melbourne, or across our state. That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
READ MORE: Andrews regime hasn’t learnt a thing since second wave
Rachel Baxendale 3.40pm: Exemption bids from stranded Victorians top 4000
More than 4000 Victorians stranded in NSW have applied to the Department of Health and Human Services for exemptions to be allowed to travel home.
The real number of people stranded across the border is believed to be much higher, given exemptions are only being granted to those deemed to have legitimate compassionate or medical reasons.
Only about 10 per cent of those who have applied have been granted exemptions.
“More than 400 exemptions have been granted so far and staff are processing the most urgent cases first with priority given to Victorian residents,” DHHS said in a statement.
“Every exemption is assessed on a case-by-case basis and is being processed as quickly as possible.”
READ MORE: 3700 ‘border exiles’ mired in Covid limbo
Joseph Lam 3.20pm: Couple charged after compliance check
Two western Sydney residents who allegedly assaulted police during a COVID-19 compliance check have been arrested and charged.
A man, 39, at Amy Street, in Regents Park, allegedly assaulted and verbally abused officers from Auburn Police station at midnight on Wednesday.
A woman, 20, interfered with the compliance check before assaulting a male senior constable, police said.
After additional police were called, the man allegedly resisted arrest from five officers.
He was later charged with intimidating a police officer without bodily harm and hindering police duty, while the woman was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer in execution of duty without actual bodily harm.
Both have been refused bail and were due to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday.
READ MORE: Palaszczuk’s plea amid quarantine case
Rachel Baxendale 3.10pm: Andrews’ wife urged him to cut short holiday
Daniel Andrews says his wife Cath told him he may as well cut his leave short and return to work because he was spending “20 hours a day” on the phone during what was supposed to be an extended summer break.
Despite unsubstantiated rumours the Victorian Premier or his family had travelled to Queensland, Mr Andrews said he and his family had been at home in Mulgrave, southeast Melbourne, and had cancelled plans to holiday on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Asked whether he was disappointed to have returned to work amid a local coronavirus cluster and border closures, which have left thousands of Victorians stranded in NSW, Mr Andrews said: “I’ve come back to whatever I’ve come back to. That’s the nature of this job.
“I just want to stress, to be honest, Cath says to me last night, ‘You’re on the phone 20 hours a day, you should just go back.’ So I’m back, right, and I’ve got national cabinet tomorrow.
“That’s the absolute honesty of it. We’ve not been anywhere. I’ve been at home, about 25 minutes from here.”
Mr Andrews said he had not been due to return from leave until “about the 20th” of January.
He took responsibility for closing Victoria’s border with NSW last week, despite then acting premier Jacinta Allan having signed off on it.
“The acting premier signed off on it, but I was well briefed on it and I fully supported it, because it was based on public health advice,” Mr Andrews said.
“And just to be clear, we’ve not been away. You know, all this wonderful reporting about I don’t know where we’re supposed to have been: I’ve been at home. Cath’s been at home. The kids have been at home. That’s where we’ve been.
“We were to go to the coast. We cancelled that, because it’s appropriate that I’m back, and I’m now back because tomorrow, at national cabinet, a Victorian plan to deal with some of these risks, hopefully, will be endorsed.”
READ MORE: Why Dan’s wife told him to return to work
Rachel Baxendale 2.50pm: Airlines must agree to safeguards for crews: Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says airlines wanting to fly in and out of Australia have to acknowledge the country’s “unique” status as almost COVID-free and agree to safeguards to ensure staff do not transmit the virus to the community.
Air crews have not been required by most states to submit to coronavirus tests or subject themselves to the same level of quarantine as international arrivals, despite links to community transmissions in NSW.
Victoria’s revamped hotel quarantine arrangements require air crews to be tested, with eight positive tests returned from 1000 coronavirus tests of air crew since Victoria resumed taking international arrivals last month.
“I’ve made my views on pre-flight testing known for quite some time now, and also the way international flight crew are managed, and I’ve just got a message to any airlines who don’t like these settings, well, you know, seriously, everyone flying into this country, every airline, and they’re not doing it, for charity purposes, they’re running a business. Everyone flying into this country needs to acknowledge the unique thing that Australians have built,” Mr Andrews said.
He added: “Coming here means you run the risk of introducing the virus into a community where there is either no virus or a very low level of virus.
“These steps are not too much to ask, and I’m confident that national cabinet will agree to them and we’ve been pushing this for a while, and it’s really good that national cabinet and AHPPC are working through those issues diligently,” Mr Andrews said ahead of Friday’s national cabinet meeting, brought forward by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday.
“I fully support the meeting. It is an urgent meeting, it wasn’t a scheduled meeting tomorrow morning. I think that’s exactly the right call.”
READ MORE: Andrews regime hasn’t learnt a thing since second wave
Rachel Baxendale 2.35pm: Andrews returns after ‘leading the charge’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he has interrupted his summer leave to champion coronavirus protocols on which Victoria “has led the charge”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has agreed to calls from state premiers to hold an emergency meeting of national cabinet on Friday to discuss issues including quarantining of international arrivals and flight crews, following recent COVID-19 clusters in NSW and SA.
“I’m back to make sure that those things that we have led on, become part of our national coronavirus response,” Mr Andrews said on Thursday.
“Whether it’s pre-flight testing, treating flight crew no different to treating returning travellers and assuming that they’ve all got this virus.”
Victoria overhauled its hotel quarantine program after quarantine breaches led to the state’s second wave of coronavirus, causing the deaths of 800 people.
Mr Andrews said the introduction of safeguards such as regular testing of quarantine staff and their family members, and flight crews, were particularly integral in light of new, more contagious strains of coronavirus in Britain and South Africa.
Victoria has conducted almost 35,000 tests of hotel quarantine staff since the state resumed taking international arrivals last month.
“If (those strains get) in here and get away from us, there’ll be no pulling that up. That’s why some of these additional measures that Victoria has pushed and led the way on are so important, that it’s critical that they’re agreed to at that national cabinet tomorrow, and it’ll be my expectation that they will be,” Mr Andrews said.
“The fact that we test everybody who’s associated with hotel quarantine every day means that not if, but when, someone finishes up contracting the virus, because their work in hotel quarantine, the virus will have a one day jump on us, not a week, not 10 days, we’re not talking about someone working in a bottle shop and serving thousands and thousands of customers over a 10-day period,” Mr Andrews added, referring to Sydney’s Berala cluster, which has been linked to a BWS bottle shop in the city’s west.
“A problem in Sydney is a problem here, a problem for the nation. A problem in Melbourne is a problem for the whole nation. We’ve all got to work together and we are, but that’s the point that I’ll make tomorrow. We need to be testing our staff much more frequently.”
READ MORE: Why Dan’s wife told him to return to work
Rhiannon Down 2.20pm: Police fine 11 for failing to wear masks
NSW Police fined 11 people in 24 hours on Wednesday for failing to wear a face mask, including one man who claimed he couldn’t because he had a beard.
The 54-year-old man was spotted not wearing a mask by officers at Glenfield Train Station at 3.35pm. He was fined $200 after telling officers wearing a mask “won’t work” because of his facial hair.
A 60-year-old man was fined after verbally abusing security at a Merrylands shopping centre about 9.30am. He allegedly became involved in a tussle with the guard and fell to the ground.
The majority of the offences occurred at train stations and shopping centres with many residents claiming to have forgotten their mask.
Police also issued more than 50 warnings across Greater Sydney to individuals not wearing masks.
“Police continue to appeal to the community to report suspected breaches of any ministerial direction or behaviour which may impact on the health and safety of the community,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
READ MORE: 3700 ‘border exiles’ mired in Covid limbo
Rhiannon Down 2.20pm: Priority list for vaccination released
The Morrison government has announced the order of priority for people to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
Stage 1a: Quarantine and border force workers, frontline healthcare workers, age and disability care workers and residents.
Stage 1b: Adults aged over 80 and 70 to 79 years, healthcare workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people over 50, younger adults with medical conditions, workers in critical high-risk industries, including police, defence, fire and emergency workers.
Stage 2a: Adults aged between 60 to 69 and 50 to 59 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people aged 18 to 54, other critical and high-risk workers.
Stage 2b: The rest of the adult population.
Stage 3: People younger than 18.
READ MORE: Why Dan’s wife told him to return to work
AFP 2.10pm: China reports highest infection numbers since July
China reported 63 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday — the highest single-day tally since July — as authorities try to stamp out an outbreak of the virus in a city of 11 million near Beijing.
The virus first emerged in central China in late 2019, but since then authorities have largely brought the situation under control through travel restrictions, strict lockdowns and mass testing.
But a recent outbreak in northern Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, has seen cases spike and prompted mass testing, school closures and travel links being cut into the province.
On Thursday, there were 51 more cases reported in the province, the National Health Commission reported — plus another 69 asymptomatic cases.
State broadcaster CCTV showed a small crowd gathered outside a railway station in Shijiazhuang being directed by medical staff in full hazmat suits and protective wear.
“I did the nucleic acid test last night, but don’t have the results yet. Without it I can’t leave the city,” one young woman told CCTV.
Major highways leading into the city of Shijiazhuang, about 300km south of Beijing, have been closed and inter-city bus travel halted in an attempt to prevent the virus spreading beyond the city.
The state-run Global Times reported that railway tickets from Hebei to the capital Beijing were no longer being sold in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.
One district in Shijiazhuang — which has a population of 11 million — has been declared high risk and sealed off, and authorities said tens of thousands have already been tested for the virus.
There were also 11 imported cases and one other domestic case in northeastern China confirmed Thursday.
READ MORE: Covering hard yards to keep people safe
Rhiannon Down 1.35pm: PM will to be vaccinated on TV
Scott Morrison says he is willing to get the jab on television to increase public confidence in the vaccine.
Senior cabinet ministers may be in line to receive the vaccine before their age group had been reached in the stages outlined, the Prime Minister added.
“It’s important for public confidence for leaders around the country and I’ll make myself available to do that. I’ve had no discussion with the premiers but I’m sure they would as well,” he said.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was about striking the right balance of inspiring public confidence while not appearing to be “queue jumpers”.
READ MORE: Our society needs vaccine urgently
Rhiannon Down 1.25pm: More than 1000 vaccine centres to be set up
More than 1000 distribution centres for the coronavirus vaccines will be set up to distribute the vaccines to tens of thousands of Australians.
The location of the centres will be finalised by the states and territories who will also manage the cold chain storage of the Pfizer vaccine.
Department of Health secretary Brendan Murphy said hospital workers, quarantine and border staff and aged and residential care workers and residents would be in the first wave, as well as indigenous Australians and people with chronic conditions.
He said other groups would be progressively allowed access to the vaccine by the end of the year.
“We will then be expanding progressingly those populations we saw on the first stage, and by the second quarter of this year we will achieve a huge proportion of the population,” he said.
READ MORE: Beijing’s last threat to Canberra
Rhiannon Down 1.10pm: Vaccine will be he issued in stages
Health department secretary Brendan Murphy said the coronavirus vaccine would be distributed to different groups in a series of stages.
Frontline workers and aged and disability care workers and residents will be among the priority groups who will get the jab first.
He said registration for the Pfizer vaccine would be open by the end of this month and the Astrazeneca vaccine by February, if approval processes went to plan.
Rhiannon Down 1pm: Vaccinations ‘no silver bullet’
Scott Morrison has cautioned the coronavirus vaccines are not a “silver bullet” but instead it was just a part of Australia’s “defences”
“Vaccination is not a silver bullet once vaccination starts COVID safe practices do not end they continue, they will be a 2021 lived experience, they continue,” he said.
Rhiannon Down 12.50pm: Covid vaccinations to begin in February
Scott Morrison has announced “high priority groups” will be vaccinated for COVID-19 by as soon as mid to late February.
Mr Morrison said the process for the Pfizer vaccine should be complete by the end of January. He said the government hoped to vaccinate 80,000 Australians a week.
He said it was conditional on TGA approval and delivery of the vaccine from suppliers. Pfizer will be distributed first, AstraZeneca after that.
“There have been no delays in the introduction of the vaccine in Australia there has been the necessary swiftness that has been asked of the TGA and health officials driving this process,” he said.
Rhiannon Down 12.45pm: NSW Health Minister calls out fee-charging testers
Brad Hazzard has again blasted private clinics charging for COVID-19 tests.
Mr Hazzard said he was “disappointed” to see further proof of operators charging and urged them to “send the bill to us”.
“We have seen some footage yesterday of a general practitioner charging what he referred to as a ‘consult fee’ for a driveway covid testing station that had been set up in consultation of a private laboratory,” he said.
He said NSW residents from overseas wouldn’t have to pay even if they didn’t have a Medicare card.
“We have a lot of people in Australia at the present time who essentially became locked into Australia they couldn’t leave because of the COVID situation, NSW made it very clear very early on that you will get free health care more broadly through our hospital system.”
READ MORE: Regional pub market booming
Staff Reporters 12.40pm: PM delivering vaccine update
Scott Morrison is speaking from Canberra about the latest news regarding a rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Michael McKenna 12.15pm: Queensland quarantine hotel worker infected with virus
A worker in one of Queensland’s quarantine hotels has contracted COVID-19.
The worker, believed to be a cleaner, tested positive to the virus overnight in the first case of someone being infected with COVID-19 while employed at one of Queensland’s quarantine hotels.
The Department of Health has confirmed that a worker has tested positive.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath will soon hold a press conference over the case.
Great work everyone. Over the last 24 hours, we have received 18,384 test samples for COVID-19.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) January 6, 2021
Testing capacity has been increased to help manage demand at fever clinics across the state, particularly in the South East corner.
Thank you for your patience and getting tested.
READ MORE: Editorial — Reason abandoned in senseless COVID-19 panic
Rhiannon Down 11.40am: Regional citizens thanked for high testing rate
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant has thanked citizens of regional communities who’ve come forward for testing after a Berala teenager tested positive after visiting Broken Hill, Orange and Nyngan.
“It’s also been very pleasing to see the testing response in regional NSW, in and around Broken Hill, Orange and Nyngan,” she said.
“But it’s important that the community recognises that because we’re looking at that exposure period, being that 14 days that you might then go on to develop symptoms, please ensure, even though you’ve had that negative test today, please continue to get tested.”
READ MORE: NSW health authorities investigate northern beaches case
Rhiannon Down 11.15am: NSW locally-acquired case to be reported tomorrow
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the source of a new locally-acquired coronavirus case, which will be included in tomorrow’s numbers as it was recorded after 8pm, was under investigation.
“We have been notified this morning of a new case in a person associated with the Avalon cluster who resides in the northern zone of the Northern Beaches,” she said.
“Investigations as to the source of this gentleman’s infection are urgently under way, and can I again thank the northern section of the Northern Beaches for coming out in such high volumes for testing.”
She said the man had finished a period in quarantine before he developed symptoms and presented for testing, returning a positive result.
“So obviously the critical issue for us at the moment is determining how this person acquired their infection but it does highlight that with that level of community transmission in that northern zone this is the risk we want to make sure we tackle very promptly.
“And so again, my plea to those Northern Beaches local government residents, to please come out and continue to get testing, and testing numbers are stellar but I think this case highlights the value of the high rates of the testing.”
Most testing clinics in NSW will be open during the festive season, so if you feel unwell, don’t delay a #COVID19 test.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 6, 2021
We recommend you check the Government website on the day you need to get tested to ensure you have the most up-to-date clinic info. https://t.co/PD8aEpUy95 pic.twitter.com/1Rib49wBOZ
Authorities have opened a new coronavirus testing site at 69 Veron Street, Wentworthville after a dozen venues in the western Sydney suburb were identified as possible exposure sites.
The testing site makes 29 in Western Sydney as authorities urged more Sydneysiders to get tested, as numbers slid on Wednesday.
“So testing was 27,879 tests were reported to 7pm last night that was a little down on the 32,000 from the day before,” Dr Chant said.
Residents can also get a free COVID-19 test at the Berala Public School and Sydney University’s Cumberland campus at Lidcombe.
READ MORE: Steven Schwartz — Our society needs vaccine urgently
Rhiannon Down 11.05am: Six new NSW cases, but all acquired overseas
NSW has recorded six new cases of coronavirus in hotel quarantine in the past 24 hours, although one new case of local transmission was recorded after the cut off.
NSW Acting Premier John Barilaro said the case was linked to the Avalon cluster on the Northern Beaches.
“All six cases were acquired overseas, with zero cases locally in NSW, which is a tremendous result,” he said.
“But like in previous days, when we do have some level of concern, this morning, we’ve already have had one case come forward, which does concern us.”
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 7, 2021
Six cases were recorded in returned travellers, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,795. pic.twitter.com/jfgLIgnQ6P
READ MORE: Virus alert 200km from Sydney
Rachell Baxendale 10.55am: Daniel Andrews thanks those in Victorian isolation
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has cut short his summer leave to return to work ahead of Friday’s emergency national cabinet meeting.
He told media this morning that genomic testing had confirmed a link between Wednesday’s mystery case in a Vermont South man in his 30s who visited Chadstone and the MCG, and the Northern Beaches outbreak in Sydney.
He said it was not yet clear how the man had contracted the virus.
There were 0Â cases notified to the department in the past 24 hours. This includes 0Â locally acquired and 0Â in hotel quarantine. 32,767Â test results were received. Thanks - #EveryTestHelps. More later: https://t.co/2vKbgKHFvv #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/nB69ayAC4Z
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) January 6, 2021
Welcoming his state’s first day with no locally transmitted infections since the Black Rock cluster was discovered a week ago, Mr Andrews said almost 142,000 tests had been processed over the past five days.
“Today’s message really is thank you very much to all those Victorians who have come forward and got tested,” Mr Andrews said. “That’s how we’ll get more zero days.”
Mr Andrews also thanked between 2000 and 2500 close contacts of Victoria’s 28 locally acquired active cases who were isolating.
There are 27 people who caught the virus as part of the Black Rock cluster, as well as the mystery case that continues to be investigated.
READ MORE: No new infections in Victoria, despite mystery case
Rhiannon Down 10.40am: Health minister tells anti-mask crusaders to ‘get real’
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has blasted the “idiots” behind the state’s anti-mask wearing movement.
“Words escape me,” he said on Sydney radio station 2GB this morning.
“If they don’t want to wear a mask, stay home, don’t go shopping, don’t go near anybody else.
“People can have their views, but in the middle of a pandemic, get real, folks.”
He also lashed out at groups who believed mandatory mask laws were contrary to human rights.
“Some of the idiocy that goes along with those views as well as the idiocy of those who don’t want to be vaccinated … the idiocy we see among some very high profile people promoting who go around promoting these issues is just insane,” he said.
READ MORE: ATO has ‘super fakers’ in its sights
Rhiannon Down 10.30am: Doctor confident Victorian case numbers will stay low
A Melbourne GP said although the Black Rock outbreak’s source remained unknown, he was confident Victorian case numbers would remain low.
Dr Vyom Sharma said he was anxiously awaiting the release of genomic testing on the source of the outbreak scheduled to be released later today.
“I’m not concerned that these are huge, enormous amounts of transmission going on,” he told Channel 9’s Today Show this morning.
“Mainly because we’ve been testing quite healthily and we have a background of 60 days with zero cases.
“There is definitely evidence that there is probably a cluster going on and there is some low amount of community transmission happening. We just need to capture it.”
He has urged Victorians to heed health advice and get tested for COVID-19.
READ MORE: Jack the Insider — Tales from the crypt: How we got pandemic dead right
Rhiannon Down 10am: NSW virus case numbers ‘heading in right direction’
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said today’s COVID-case numbers were “heading in the right direction”.
Ahead of an 11am press conference, Mr Hazzard refused to comment if today’s figures were single digits. However, he urged every NSW resident to do their part to defeat the virus.
“That is the weapon to defeat this enemy, we need to get these testing numbers up,” he told Sydney radio station 2GB.
He also defended the government’s move to keep the Northern Beaches — the state’s original epicentre of the virus in lockdown — saying he, like many other Sydneysiders, was looking forward to visiting his family in the Northern Beaches.
“The advice from (Dr Kerry Chant) is that the numbers that were there — over 150 cases — there are a lot of people in the hundreds still in lockdown and January 9 is the date she has highlighted,” he said.
READ MORE: Tech left out of COVID-19 attack plan
Rhiannon Down 9.40am: Epidemiologist backs pre-flight COVID-19 tests
Melbourne University epidemiologist Professor Nancy Baxter has thrown her support behind the government’s move to implement pre-flight COVID-19 testing.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” she told Channel 7’s Sunrise this morning.
“I think it would screen out some individuals who are infectious from getting on the plane and that is a good thing.
“But even then, people can still have COVID-19, the tests aren’t 100%. Beyond the plane, they could infect people on the plane.”
She said no measures were full proof when it came to coronavirus, and hotel quarantine would remain the primary defence.
It is one more protection, but nothing is completely protective. We always have to be very cautious and it won’t, you will still have to have quarantine.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said measures, including mandatory pre-flight COVID-19 tests for overseas travellers before boarding a plane to Australia, would be discussed at the National Cabinet Meeting on Friday.
“This is being done particularly in the context of the UK strain,” he said, earlier this week.
READ MORE: CBD delays a big worry for small business
Rhiannon Down 9.10am: NSW government to give virus update at 11am
NSW Acting Premier John Barilaro, health minister Brad Hazzard and NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant will front the media to provide a COVID-19 update at 11am today.
The press conference comes as cases linked to the Berala cluster rose to 16 yesterday.
Most testing clinics in NSW will be open during the festive season, so if you feel unwell, don’t delay a #COVID19 test.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 6, 2021
We recommend you check the Government website on the day you need to get tested to ensure you have the most up-to-date clinic info. https://t.co/PD8aEpUy95 pic.twitter.com/1Rib49wBOZ
READ MORE: Queensland concerns over NSW town visits
Rhiannon Down 9am: Police to do ‘spot checks’ on SCG Test attendees
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said police would be doing “spot checks” on spectators and asking for IDs at the Test today at the SCG.
He said police would be “moving around” and enforcing mask-wearing, as well as fining any residents from hot spot suburbs who defied orders to stay away.
“They’ll be asking to see identification and so on,” he said on Sunrise.
“It will be treated very seriously.”
He said NSW had overall seen high rates of compliance with health orders with a few exceptions.
“We’ve had silly cases in the last few days, we’ve had a young lady up on the north coast that was caught twice … (we’ve seen) a large number of people at a wedding, which shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
"It's as safe as it can be"
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) January 6, 2021
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard defends decision to allow fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
More on this story: https://t.co/SRDzBXLNNU pic.twitter.com/Srs7uEhjA8
READ MORE: Third Test Day 1 live coverage with Peter Lalor
Rhiannon Down 8.50am: Cricket fans urged to take additional masks
A leading epidemiologist has warned cricket fans to take back-up masks to today’s Third Test at the SCG, which starts just over a week since New Year’s Eve.
UNSW epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws said masks and hand hygiene would be pivotal in preventing the match from becoming a superspreading event.
“We’ve only really seen eight days since New Year’s Eve,” she said on the Today show.
“You usually go for twice an incubation period at least of zeros before you start feeling safe. “So we might still see cases around Greater Sydney from New Year’s Eve. So we’re still not in the clear zero zone yet for mass gatherings.”
She also has urged cricket fans to bring a back up mask the Test to be COVID-safe all day.
“Remember, they have to stay on the whole time and they’re not easy to wear,” she said.
“Particularly if they start getting wet and moist. They stop working. So I would ask everybody to get at least a second or third mask in their pocket in case they need a new change.”
READ MORE:
Rachel Baxendale 8.25am: Victoria records zero new cases, despite MCG scare
Victoria has recorded no new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to Wednesday, despite the revelation that a man in his 30s had tested positive for coronavirus after attending the Boxing Day sales at the Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne’s southeast and the second day of the cricket test at the MCG.
The latest figures come after 32,767 tests were processed on Wednesday.
There are currently 38 active cases of coronavirus in Victoria, including 27 which have been linked to the Black Rock cluster, the case of the man in his 30s which is yet to be linked to any other cases, and 10 cases among returned international travellers in hotel quarantine.
The donuts are back. #springst @theheraldsun https://t.co/WpaaCpUhKr
— Shannon Deery (@s_deery) January 6, 2021
READ MORE: Race to bolster defence against UK virus strain
Rhiannon Down 8.10am: MCG coronavirus case prompted SCG mask rules
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has confirmed the decision to implement mandatory mask wearing at today’s third Test between Australia and India at the SCG was sparked by the MCG case in Melbourne.
Mr Hazzard said Victorian health minister Martin Foley rang him shortly before Wednesday’s press conference informing him the sporting ground had been added to the state’s hot spot list.
“Victorian health minister rang and informed me of what happened at the MCG and that had fed into our public health decision making,” he said on Sky News.
Health authorities announced a mandatory mask rule for the SCG on Wednesday, requiring punters to wear face coverings when seated in the grounds.
Restrictions for the New Year’s Cricket Test between Australia and India, taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 6, 2021
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 restrictions are in place under a Public Health Order. pic.twitter.com/2eOoQ5HdjB
He also confirmed health workers would be required to get a daily saliva test for COVID-19 from January 21, in a bid to bolster the state’s defences against further outbreaks.
READ MORE: Indians refuse to confirm Gabba
Rhiannon Down 7.20am: ‘This is ridiculous’: SCG Test attendee rules slammed
NSW opposition leader Jodi McKay has criticised the government’s ban on cricket fans who work in hotspot suburbs attending the Test.
Ms McKay said the new rules — expanded to include anyone who stayed overnight in a hotspot suburb or worked there — were “ridiculous” and difficult to enforce.
“First the Government bans cricket spectators because of where they live. Now the same rules apply if you work in these suburbs,” she said, in a social media post.
“How can this possibly be enforced? How many police will be needed? And how much will it cost?”
The government has put in place a blanket ban on anyone from Auburn, Birrong, Berala, Lidcombe, Potts Hill, Regents Park, Rookwood and Wentworthville and Belmore attending the Test, as the Berala cluster grew to 16 cases on Wednesday.
This is ridiculous. First the Government bans cricket spectators because of where they live. Now the same rules apply if you work in these suburbs. How can this possibly be enforced? How many police will be needed? And how much will it cost? #nswpol pic.twitter.com/HBbp90c8Lt
— Jodi McKay (@JodiMcKayMP) January 6, 2021
READ MORE: Jitters over debut and virus as SCG gates open
Rhiannon Down 7am: New exposure sites to spur thousands of tests
Thousands of Victorians are expected to line up for testing today after the MCG and Chadstone Shopping Centre were added to the state’s list of exposure sites.
Spectators who attended the MCG on December 27 in The Great Southern Stand, Zone 5, between 12.30pm and 3.30pm were yesterday asked to get tested and self-quarantine until they received a negative result.
A number of outlets at Chadstone Shopping Centre, in Melbourne’s southeast, were also placed on high alert yesterday including Culture Kings, Huffer, JD Sports, Jay Jays, H&M, Uniqlo, Myer, Superdry, Footlocker and Dumplings Plus.
Anyone who visited these stores on Boxing Day between 6am and 1.30pm has also been asked to get tested and quarantine until they get a negative result.
A pop up test site has been established at the MCG itself, with Victorians from the exposure sites urged by health authorities to go to their closest testing sites.
Need to get tested for coronavirus (#COVID19)?
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) January 6, 2021
Find your nearest site here: https://t.co/ogHDjdmEZd
There‘s a walk-in pop-up site at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in East Melbourne, open today Wednesday 6 January until 7pm.
Get directions: https://t.co/7eK2OiG1qw pic.twitter.com/hhFoLz9Wkw
READ MORE: No travel but mum in quarantine
Rhiannon Down 6.30am: Wentworthville venues added to Sydney hot spot list
NSW Health has added to its case locations list a string of new venues — including supermarkets, pizza chains and an Indian restaurant — in Wentworthville in Sydney’s western suburbs.
Anyone who attended the following venues is advised to get tested immediately, isolate until a negative result is received and monitor for symptoms:
■ Wentworthville BWS, 326-336 Great Western Highway, Wentworthville — Sunday December 27 from 8.30pm to 8.35pm; and
■ Wentworthville Domino’s Pizza, Shop 2/71 Dunmore Street, Wentworthville — Sunday December 27 from 8:50pm to 9pm.
NSW Health wishes to advise of new venues on the NSW south coast visited by a confirmed case of COVID-19.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 6, 2021
The website will be updated with these case locations shortly. pic.twitter.com/oFNMbtMwft
Anyone who attended the following venues at the listed times is considered a casual contact who should monitor for symptoms and if they appear, isolate and get tested until a negative result is received:
■ Woolworths, 336 Great Western Highway, Wentworthville — Wednesday December 30 from 12pm to 12.10pm;
■ Green Farm Meat NSW Halal, Shop 13, 336/326 Great Western Highway, Wentworthville — Wednesday December 30 from 12.10pm to 12.15pm;
■ Udaya Supermarket, 78 Station Street, Wentworthville — Wednesday December 30 from 6.30pm to 6.35pm;
■ Ambeys Big Apple, 39A Station Street, Wentworthville — Friday January 1 from 5.30pm to 5.40pm;
■ Sri Lakshmi Supermarket, 86-96 Station Street, Wentworthville — Friday January 1 from 5.40pm to 5.45pm;
■ Pizza Hut, 41 Station Street, Wentworthville — Saturday January 2 from 8.30pm to 8.40pm;
■ Ambeys Big Apple, 39A Station Street, Wentworthville — Saturday January 2 from 8.45pm to 8.50pm;
■ Udaya Supermarket, 78 Station Street, Wentworthville — Sunday January 3 from 6.30pm to 6.40pm; Monday January 4 from 6.30pm to 6.35pm; and
■ Swagath Biryani House, 46 Station Street, Wentworthville — Monday January 4 from 6.40pm to 6.50pm.
Health authorities have also updated the exposure windows for a number of Sydney venues listed yesterday as possible hotspot sites.
NSW Health wishes to advise of new venues on the NSW south coast visited by a confirmed case of COVID-19.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 6, 2021
The website will be updated with these case locations shortly. pic.twitter.com/oFNMbtMwft
Anyone who attended the Sydney Murugan Temple in Mays Hill or the nearby Merrylands RSL in Sydney’s west in the following time periods have been asked to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result:
■ Merrylands RSL, 8/12 Miller Street, Merrylands — Monday December 28 from 4pm to 6pm; and
■ Sydney Murugan Temple, 217 Great Western Highway, Mays Hill — Friday January 1 from 12.30pm to 12.46pm and 1.06pm to 1.30pm.
Anyone who visited the Sydney Murugan Templeon Friday January 1 from 12:46pm to 1:06pm is now considered a close contact and has been advised to get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Agencies 6.10am: UK records highest daily COVID-19 death toll
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the coronavirus marathon had turned into a hopeful sprint to vaccinate millions in the weeks ahead as he justified another lockdown to relieve crisis-hit hospitals.
Hastily recalled lawmakers were to vote retroactively on the lockdown measures, which came into effect in England overnight, as the worsening situation became clearer.
The government announced 1,041 new deaths from the virus — the first time fatalities have exceeded 1,000 in a single day since the peak of the pandemic last April.
We are in a race to vaccinate the vulnerable faster than the virus can reach them.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 6, 2021
And we need to give our army of vaccinators the biggest head start we possibly can.
That is why we must once again stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. pic.twitter.com/lR6tAvNZgR
The new figure means 77,346 people have now died in the UK within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test. A record 62,322 new cases were also registered in 24 hours.
To curb the spread of the virus, across England schools were shut this week as part of a stay-at-home order. The UK’s other nations have imposed similar curbs.
Mr Johnson said a variant strain of the virus which emerged in southeast England last month was spreading with “frightening ease and speed”, worsening one of the world’s worst death tolls.
THREAD 2/2 Coronavirus press conference slides (5 January 2021)
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) January 5, 2021
🔵 Number of people in hospital each day, up to 4 Jan
🔵 Number of deaths each day, by date of death, up to 30 Dechttps://t.co/4Jhg7X1Hv4 pic.twitter.com/gUPfja7T4M
Official data show that one in 50 people in England were infected last week, rising to one in 30 in London, and many hospitals say they are swamped with COVID-19 patients.
“It is inescapable that the facts are changing, and we must change our response,” Mr Johnson told the House of Commons, noting the lockdown would stay in legal force until March 31 but would be reviewed in mid-February.
By then, the government plans to have given a first vaccine dose to about 14 million people including everyone over 80, care home residents and all frontline medics in the National Health Service (NHS). — AFP
From today, you must stay at home except for a limited set of exemptions.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) January 5, 2021
[Click the poster below for more information]
âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/6oXW28nKGq pic.twitter.com/u7ryVo6G7V
READ MORE: Patrick Commins — Spending holds up despite outbreaks
Stephen Rice 5.15am: Race to bolster defence against UK virus strain
Scott Morrison will urgently reconvene national cabinet on Friday, a month earlier than it was scheduled, as health authorities move to stop the spread of Britain’s new highly infectious coronavirus strain to Australia.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday said he had sought advice from Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly and the nation’s expert medical panel on how to strengthen international border arrangements in a bid to stop a local outbreak of the strain.
The proposal, to be discussed today by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, is expected to include a requirement that travellers from London be tested before boarding a flight to Australia.
The new COVID-19 strain, which some studies suggest is between 50 per cent and 74 per cent more infectious, has been detected in at least 10 travellers from Britain in the past month.
More than one million people in Britain now have COVID-19, with over 60,000 new cases recorded in a single day on Tuesday, as the country enters a total lockdown in a bid to stem the outbreak.
Read the full story, by Rachel Baxendale and Remy Varga, here.
Rachel Baxendale 5am: All major events in Victoria now ‘under review’
Victorian health authorities are reviewing all major events after the state’s first mystery case in more than two months attended the second day of the Test at the MCG, forcing thousands of cricket fans to self-quarantine.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allan Cheng said on Wednesday authorities were watching to see whether there was a resurgence in cases before the Australian Open on February 8.
“We’ll be going through all of the major events planned in the next couple of weeks and just start looking at some of those again, just to make sure,” he said.
It comes after a man in his 30s went to the Boxing Day sales at Melbourne’s biggest retail centre, Chadstone, before attending the second day of the Test at the MCG on December 27.
Professor Cheng said the man did not develop symptoms until December 30 and was not believed to be infectious when he attended the MCG or Chadstone.
Read the full story here.
Jamie Walker 4.45am: Flu jabs a sticking point in vaccine rollout
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout faces being paused only weeks after it starts in March as an impending clash with seasonal flu prevention heaps pressure on a tight timetable to cover the population before winter sets it.
The first stocks of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, earmarked by the government as the prime protector, won’t land in the country until next month, further limiting options to speed delivery of the COVID jab.
Immunisation Coalition chief executive Kim Sampson warned that the logistic and potential medical challenges of vaccinating people against both the coronavirus and 2021 influenza strains could force the COVID program to be suspended or slowed during April and May.
“I doubt whether we would be wanting to have both vaccines pushed out at the same,” he told The Australian. “There would be a convenience aspect to it — you go to your GP to get two jabs — but we don’t know whether that is doable, whether you can roll up your sleeve and have the flu vaccine in your left arm and the COVID vaccine in your right arm.
Read the full story, by Jamie Walker and Jared Lynch, here.
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