Coronavirus Australia live news: Three Melbourne cases linked to NSW outbreak; NSW records 18 new cases
Three new coronavirus cases, believed to be linked to the NSW outbreaks, were detected in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon
- Limits on gatherings for Greater Sydney
- Variant may put us ‘back to square one’
- One in four ‘not confident’ on vaccine
Welcome to live coverage of Australia’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced 18 new cases of coronavirus in the state after some 17,000 tests. The Premier has announced households will be limited to five people amid new restrictions for Greater Sydney over the new year.
Six of today’s new cases are part of an emerging new hotspot now known as the Croydon cluster.
Richard Ferguson 10:45pm: Chief Medical officers asks for plain facts on testing
The Chief Medical Officer is calling on airlines to make clear if and how they are testing passengers before they fly to Australia from COVID-hammered nations.
As thousands of Australians try to leave Britain and other pandemic-ravaged countries, Paul Kelly has also said recently vaccinated entrants into Australia will still have to quarantine for 14 days for the foreseeable future.
Professor Kelly, who took the role permanently this month, is not ready to enforce pre-flight COVID tests for Australians trying to leave Britain, despite pressure from some health experts and the Victorian government.
“I would say that Qantas some time ago had already introduced their own testing regime in relation to pre-flight testing and so Qantas are mostly the ones associated with our assisted flights,” Professor Kelly said in Canberra.
Read the full story here.
Rhiannon Down 10.15pm: Worshippers and shoppers head the queues
A Greek Orthodox Church at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak says parishioners have been forced to line up for hours to be checked for infection as health authorities in Wollongong struggle to process hundreds of residents requiring tests.
Worshippers who attended St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church and The Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday and shoppers at Figtree Grove and Wollongong Central shopping centres on Sunday were put on high alert on Tuesday night, after the venues were added to NSW’s list of hotspot sites.
Hundreds of masked residents in the coastal hamlet just south of Sydney queued to get swabbed on Wednesday at testing sites across the regional centre, including at Wollongong Hospital, where the queue snaked around the block.
Continue reading here.
Joseph Lam 9.45pm: NSW hotspot list spreads west
NSW Health advises that anyone who visited the venue below must get tested immediately and isolate until further notice from NSW Health.
-Bardwell Park Earlwood Bardwell Park RSL, 18 Hartill-Law Avenue, Bardwell Park 2207: Monday December 28 from 6pm to 11.30pm
@NSWHealth has been notified of a number of new and updated venues attended by confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/OxF7mHA1pd
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 30, 2020
Visitors of the following venues are considered casual contacts and must get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received:
-Rhodes Waterside Priceline, Shop MM1, 1 Rider Boulevard Rhodes 2138, NSW: Thursday December 24 from 9am to 12pm
-Bass Hill Plaza BWS, 753 Hume Highway, Bass Hill NSW 2197: Thursday December 24 from 1.10pm to 1.30pm
Visitors of the following venues are urged to monitor for symptoms and to get tested immediately and isolate should they appear:
-Croydon park Martin Reserve, Seymour St, Croydon Park NSW 2133: Sunday December 27 from 12pm to 12.40pm
-Lidcombe Costco, 17-21 Parramatta Rd, Lidcombe NSW 2141: Thursday December 24 from 10am to 10.20am and 4.20pm to 4.45pm
-Lidcombe Bunnings, 23-29 Parramatta Rd, Lidcombe NSW 2141: Thursday December 24 from 4pm to 4.20pm
-Auburn BCF, Corner of Parramatta Rd and Rawson St, Auburn NSW 2144: Wednesday December 23 from 10.15am to 10.45am
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Richard Ferguson 9.15pm: Welfare worry as job aid sliced
Millions of Australians will have their JobKeeper wage subsidies and JobSeeker welfare benefits slashed on New Year’s Day as the government seeks to prioritise job creation in 2021 to help the nation recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Labor and welfare groups have called on the Morrison government not to reduce JobKeeper by $200 and the JobSeeker COVID supplement by $100 on Friday, but business is concerned that keeping the payments too high will prevent Australians from applying for new jobs.
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said the government would strike the right balance between welfare and job creation, as a number of support programs faced changes in the new year.
Joseph Lam 8.45pm: NSW woman arrested for ‘speeding through checkpoint’
A woman who drove from NSW has been arrested after allegedly speeding through a COVID-19 checkpoint in Victoria at 4am en route to South Australia.
A 57-year-old woman from NSW has been arrested after allegedly evading a COVID-19 checkpoint in East Gippsland this morning.
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) December 30, 2020
An off-duty police officer spotted her driving allegedly to South Australia. She will conveyed to a quarantine hotel by DHHS.
🔗 https://t.co/PEFoGFLts6 pic.twitter.com/64910ebq4P
In the early hours on Wednesday the woman, 57, from Bateau Bay on the NSW central coast, allegedly evaded a Chandlers Creek checkpoint, about 620km from her home, by driving her grey Volkswagen Passat station wagon “at a fast rate of speed”, according to Victoria Police.
“A pursuit was initiated but soon terminated owing to increasing risk to the community, caused by the alleged manner of the woman’s driving,” read a statement from police.
Police arrested the woman after stopping her with a tyre deflation device on the Western Highway about 6pm.
The woman will spend 14 days in Victorian Department of Health and Humans Services quarantine before facing detectives for “conduct endangering life, failing to stop on police direction and contravening chief health officer directions”.
Police allege she had failed an earlier attempt to enter Victoria, which may have sparked the spontaneous decision to try and outdrive border cops.
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Angelica Snowden 8pm: More than 40 close contacts found in Victoria
More than 40 people have been identified as primary close contacts of the new Melbourne cases, Victoria’s Commander of COVID-19 response Jeroen Weimar has confirmed.
“We have three cases that are self-isolating at home and are being supported and monitored by the Department of Health and Human Services,” he said on Wednesday night.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the latest infections were contracted by two women in their 40s and a woman in her 70s.
In a statement, Mr Weimar said Victoria has “been in this position before and we are deploying our full outbreak approach around these cases”.
“Extensive contact tracing is underway and as a result there are currently more than 40 primary close contacts that are being supported to isolate immediately,” he said.
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Joseph Lam 7.55pm: Melbourne cases identified
Melbourne’s three new COVID-19 cases have been identified as a 70-year-old woman and two women in their 40s.
COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weiman has declared that dozens of people connected to the women have been contacted following their positive test results.
“Extensive contact tracing is underway and as a result there are currently more than 40 primary close contacts that are being supported to isolate immediately,” he said.
“Now more than ever people should not let down their guard. Maintain physical distancing, practice good hand hygiene. Stay at home if you’re unwell and most of all get tested if you have any symptoms at all.”
Four venues across the Victorian capital have been declared “high-risk locations”:
● Mentone/Parkdale Beach: Sunday, December 27, from 10am to 4.30pm
● Century City Walk and Mocha Jo’s, Glen Waverley: Monday, December 28, from 1.30pm to 5pm.
● Katialo restaurant, Eaton Mall, Oakleigh: Monday, December 28, from 7pm to 8.15pm.
AFP 7.45pm: Germany’s daily death toll tops 1000 for first time
Germany’s daily coronavirus death toll has crossed 1000 for the first time, health authorities said on Wednesday.
A total of 1129 people died in the previous 24 hours, according to figures from the Robert Koch Institute, up from the previous record of 962 logged last Wednesday.
There were 22,459 new infections over the same period, it added. An apparent drop in new infections and deaths in recent days was a result of local authorities not sending in their data over the Christmas period, the institute said.
More than 32,000 people have now died from the virus in Germany, which appeared to fare relatively well in the first wave of coronavirus in the spring but has been hit hard by a second wave.
The country began its vaccination drive on Saturday. Around 65 per cent of Germans said they are prepared to be vaccinated, according to a poll carried out by YouGov for the German news agency
READ MORE: Inside wedding that saw bride fined
Paige Taylor 7.10pm: WA weighs blocking Victorians
The McGowan government has sought medical advice on whether to re-establish Western Australia’s hard border with Victoria following the discovery of three new cases there.
WA has maintained the toughest border regime of all states and territories during the pandemic. It currently has a hard border with NSW only. The requirement for people from South Australia to self isolate on arrival in WA ended on December 25.
“Like we’ve previously experienced with reports of community cases in South Australia and New South Wales, WA’s chief health officer will now liaise with his counterparts in Victoria and monitor the situation closely and will provide advice to the WA Government,” a McGowan government spokesperson said.
“Western Australia has always taken an extra cautious approach, to keep our State safe and strong, and we continue to be guided by our expert health advice.
“Currently travel into WA from Victoria under the current controlled interstate border regime remains the same, however if changes to our border controls are required based on the health advice, they will be made.”
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AFP 6.25pm: AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine approved for use in UK
A coronavirus vaccine developed by drug firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University has been approved for use in Britain, the government announced on Wednesday, paving the way for a mass rollout.
A government spokesman said it has accepted a recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency “to authorise Oxford University/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for use”, making Britain the first nation to approve the jab.
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Damon Johnston 6.15pm: Three Melbourne cases linked to NSW outbreak
Three new coronavirus cases, believed to be linked to the NSW outbreaks, were detected in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon.
The cases were confirmed in Mentone and Hallam in the southeast and Mitcham in the eastern suburbs, the Herald Sun has reported.
The suspected community transmissions bring an end to a 61-day run of zero local cases in the state.
Contact tracers have already isolated the three cases and their close contacts are also isolating.
In response to the growing outbreak in NSW, Victoria has hardened its border, declaring that anyone who has visited the Blue Mountains or Wollongong regions from 27 December will have until midnight December 31 to enter Victoria.
These visitors must apply for a new travel permit, get tested within a day of entering Victoria and must self-quarantine at home for 14 days from when they left the region.
After midnight Thursday, anybody who has visited these areas will be banned from Victoria.
Joseph Lam 6.10pm: Victoria to close border to some NSW areas
Victoria will close its border to anyone who visited Wollongong and the Blue Mountains in NSW from midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Anyone who has visited Wollongong or the Blue Mountains since December 27 has until 11.59pm on December 31 to enter or be locked out by authorities, a statement from Victoria’s Department of Health and Humans Services said.
“These new border measures have been introduced in response to 18 new cases of COVID-19 being reported in NSW, including six from a new cluster in the inner-west of Sydney,” the statement read.
“The situation is highly dynamic and the red zone may continue to change at short notice — therefore Victorians are strongly advised not to travel to New South Wales as you may not be able to re-enter without undertaking hotel quarantine for 14 days.”
Anyone travelling without an exemption permit faces penalties up to $9913, including a $1652 penalty for having a non-valid permit or a $1652 fine for providing false information on a permit application.
Those in Victoria who have visited the Blue Mountains or Wollongong since December 27 are urged to get tested and stay home.
The rest of regional NSW is designated as a “green zone.”
Victoria’s hard border restricts anyone who has visited Sydney’s Northern Beaches area, Greater Sydney, and the NSW Central Coast. From midnight on Thursday it will include anyone who travelled to the Blue Mountains and Wollongong in the past 14 days.
DHHS has also advised that green zone permits issued for the Central Coast are no longer valid, as the area is now a red zone.
Joseph Lam 5.30pm: Katoomba pharmacy added to hotspot list
A Katoomba pharmacy has been added to NSW Health’s hotspot list.
NSW Health advises that anyone who visited any of the venues below is a close contact and must get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result:
● Bankstown: Monkey Mania, 8 Greenfield Parade: Monday, December 28, from 10am to 12pm.
● Bankstown: La Piazza, Bankstown Sports Club, 8 Greenfield Parade: Monday, December 28, from 12pm to 2pm.
● Bass Hill: Plaza #Hair Management, Shop 50, 753 Hume Highway: Monday, December 28, from 11.15am to 12.30pm.
● Bass Hill Plaza Venus Nail Salon, Shop 51, 753 Hume Highway: Thursday, December 24, from 12.30pm to 1pm.
Visitors of the following venues are considered casual contacts and must get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received:
● Bankstown Priceline: Shop M1, 221 to 222 Moore Level, Centro Bankstown Square, Corner of North Terrace and Lady Cutler Avenue: Thursday, December 24, from 1pm to 5pm
● Katoomba Greenwell and Thomas Pharmacy, 145 Katoomba Street: Saturday, December 26; Sunday, December 27.
● Liverpool Westfield Priceline, Shop 1014, Macquarie Street: Wednesday December 23 from 10am to 5pm.
Visitors of the following venues are urged to monitor for symptoms and to get tested immediately and isolate should they appear:
● Bankstown Sports Club, 8 Greenfield Parade: Monday, December 28, from 10am to 2pm.
● Bass Hill Plaza, 753 Hume Highway Bass Hill: Thursday, December 24, 11am to 2pm.
@NSWHealth has been notified of a number of new and updated venues attended by confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/oBeH1MTOw7
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 30, 2020
AFP 5pm: First US congress member dies of COVID-19
A representative-elect from Louisiana has died of COVID-19, the first member of the US congress to succumb to the disease.
Republican Luke Letlow, 41, had been elected to Louisiana’s 5th district and was due to be sworn in on Sunday.
Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards announced the news on Twitter with a “heavy heart.”
“I am heartbroken that he will not be able to serve our people as a US Representative, but I am even more devastated for his loving family,” he wrote.
It is with heavy hearts that @FirstLadyOfLA and I offer our condolences to Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s family on his passing after a battle with COVID-19. #lagov
— John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) December 30, 2020
Mr Edwards said he had ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on the day of Mr Letlow’s funeral.
Mr Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Barnhill Letlow, and two young children.
“The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time,” his family said in a statement to US media.
Mr Letlow had announced on December 18 that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantining at home. He was admitted to hospital three days later.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement saying the lower chamber “sadly mourns” his passing.
“Congressman-elect Letlow was a ninth generation Louisianan who fought passionately for his point of view and dedicated his life to public service,” Ms Pelosi said.
“As the House grieves... our sorrow is compounded by the grief of so many other families who have also suffered lives cut short by this terrible virus.”
House of Representatives Republican whip Steve Scalise, who also represents Louisiana, tweeted he was “devastated” to hear of Mr Letlow’s death.
The US has seen a troubling surge in coronavirus cases in recent months. As of Monday evening, the country had recorded 19,526,228 cases with 337,918 deaths, both by far the worst tolls in the world.
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Joseph Lam 4.20pm: Nine more Sydney weddings guests fined
Nine more guests of a Sydney wedding have been fine $1000 for breaching a public health order.
A total 21 guests have been issued penalty infringements notices after police were called to the Pyrmont wedding on Pirrama Road about 5pm on Sunday.
Police found at least a dozen more guests are northern beaches residents following contact tracing.
The latest to receive fines include three men, 31, 41 and 75, and two women, 42 and 71, from Narraweena, a man, 32, and woman, 35, from Collaroy Plateau and a man, 36, and woman, 35, from Frenchs Forest.
On Monday, fines were issued to an Allambie Heights man and woman, both 43, a Narraween woman, 33, a Frenches Forest man, 27, and three women, 28, 22 and 19, and two men, 63 and 23, from Beacon Hill.
A further three fines were issued to a man, 34 and woman, 36, from Frenchs Forest and a man, 26, from Beach Hill.
Police are still investigating the public health order breach, which came from a tipoff to Crime Stoppers.
READ MORE: Inside wedding that saw bride fined
Joseph Lam 3.52pm: Rhodes pharmacy reports customer tested positive
A customer who visited a pharmacy in Sydney’s Rhodes Waterside shopping complex on Christmas Eve has tested positive for COVID-19.
The customer is said to have only visited a Priceline at about midday on December 24, according to a statement on social media.
“Based on current health advice, customers in our wider community who may have visited other retailers in the Centre, or visited during other times, should not be alarmed however we would like to reiterate NSW Health advice and urge anyone in our community with even the mildest symptoms to be tested and isolate until they receive a negative result,” the statement read.
“Rhodes Waterside has not yet appeared on the official list from NSW Health at this stage, however, we have chosen to share this information with our community as soon as the information was received.”
The shopping centre confirmed that Priceline is closed for a deep clean and to undertake necessary contact tracing. It said it expects to be added to NSW Health’s official list in a matter of hours.
The Australian can confirm Rhodes Waterside was not added to NSW Health’s 3pm venue list alert.
Joseph Lam 3.41pm: Get tested: List of Covid-hit venues spreads west, south
NSW Health has declared that anyone who visited the following venues is now considered a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
.@NSWHealth has been notified of a number of new and updated venues attended by confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/hYQWlYMhus
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 30, 2020
-Burwood Santa Claus Photo Booth, Westfield Burwood, 100 Burwood Road: Tuesday December 22 from 11.15am to 11.45am
-Punchbowl Officeworks, 1618 Canterbury Road: Monday December 21 from 8.30pm to 9pm
-Shellharbour Stockland Coffee Club, 211 Lake Entrance Road: Sunday December 27 from 11am to 12pm
NSW Health has also urged anyone who visited the following venues to monitor for symptoms and get tested and isolate should they appear.
-Figtree Grove Shopping Centre Coles, 19 Princess Highway: Monday December 28 from 4.45pm to 5.20pm
-Greenacre Bunnings, Corner of Roberts Road and Amarina Avenue: Saturday December 26 from 12.30pm to 1pm
-Shellharbour Stockland Myer, 211 Lake Entrance Road: Sunday December 27 from 12pm to 12.40pm
NSW Health has also updated previous advice for attendees of two Greek Orthodox Churches in Wollongong.
Attendees of the St Nektarious Greek Orthodox Church are now considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate immediately for 14 days regardless of the result.
● St Nektarious Greek Orthodox Church, 39 Atchison Street, Wollongong, on Saturday, December 27, from 9am to 10.15am.
Anyone who attended the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox church is still considered a casual contact.
● Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, 18 Stewart Street, Wollongong on Saturday from 10.30am to 11am.
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Joseph Lam 3.25pm: Blue Mountains pharmacy staff member tests positive
A Katoomba pharmacy had to temporarily close on Wednesday after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
The Greenwell and Thomas pharmacy, located in the Katoomba Arcade on 145 Katoomba Street, about 100km west of Sydney, first reported it would not open until at least 3pm due to unforeseen circumstances.
A later update confirmed a staff member from the pharmacy had tested positive for COVID-19 and health authorities spent the morning carrying out a deep clean of the venue.
The pharmacist who tested positive for COVID-19 has been in isolation since Tuesday.
Staff from the pharmacy told The Australian the member who tested positive was an “out-of-town pharmacist” who does not work full-time in the store.
They also confirmed all four regular staff members had completed a Covid test and two had returned a negative result.
Customers who visited the store on December 26 and 27 are considered casual contact by NSW Health and are urged to get tested and isolate immediately until a negative result is returned.
“Anybody that came into the pharmacy (on those days) is considered a casual contact and the department of health has requested they get tested for COVID-19,” read a statement on the pharmacy’s Facebook page.
The Australian has confirmed the store reopened on Wednesday afternoon.
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Paige Taylor 2.35pm: SA man jailed for not paying $13k non-isolation fine
A 25-year-old man from Adelaide is being held in a Perth jail until he pays a $13,000 fine for flouting self isolation rules.
The man was fined on Wednesday in the Perth Magistrate’s Court. He pleaded guilty to five counts of failing to comply with a direction under Western Australia’s emergency management act. He arrived in Perth on December 11 and nominated a city hotel as his place of self isolation for the next 14 days. In WA, people from South Australia are not subject to the strict hotel quarantine requirements placed on people returning from overseas but they must self isolate for 14 days in a house or other suitable premises.
He was arrested by WA Police officers on December 12, the day after he arrived in Perth, when police arrived at the hotel for a routine compliance check and found he was not there.
He arrived back at the hotel while police were still there and admitted to them that he had been shopping, to a nightclub and to a drive through fast food outlet with a friend. He went to the waterfront restaurant and bar development at Elizabeth Quay and took photos.
WA required travellers from SA to self isolate as a result of an outbreak in Adelaide in November. Those requirements were dropped and the border came down on December 25, the day the man’s self isolation would have ended.
WA Police have charged more than 140 people with breaches of quarantine laws since the pandemic began. Only one overseas arrival has been caught breaching hotel quarantine – 49-year-old Jenny D’Ubios, who is now in Bandyup Women’s Prison.
Richard Ferguson 2.06pm: CMO gives Sydney Test the thumbs up
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has given the Sydney Cricket Test between Australia and India the green light to go ahead, despite multiple COVID clusters in the NSW capital.
The decision to keep the Test in the NSW capital — after long negotiations involving Cricket Australia, India’s governing body for cricket, the BCCI, two state governments and television and radio broadcasters — was made at 9pm on Tuesday.
Professor Kelly said he had faith in the SCG and NSW Health’s COVID-safe plans for the Test, but warned the situation could change in coming days.
“We know that outdoor entertainment that is in a seated venue is much safer than indoor gatherings and that was stressed by NSW Health today and I agree with that,” he said.
“I know there are very good COVID-safe plans that have been reinforced with NSW Health and the SCG, as well, I’m sure as Cricket Australia, and that will be able to be looked at in coming days – there are crowd restrictions, for example, masks will be made available.
“I would say that the start date is 7 January and nine days is very long in COVID time. So let’s see what happens in Sydney in the next week.
Ellie Dudley 1.49pm: Another cattle ship crew member positive in NT
One new coronavirus case has been recorded in the Northern Territory over the past 24 hours.
The case was a 35-year-old man who was a crew member on the Diamantina livestock export ship from Indonesia, the NT government confirmed today.
It comes after a 25-year-old crew member tested positive yesterday, and was promptly taken to Royal Darwin hospital to isolate.
Another crew member, a 36-year-old man, also required further testing, which will occur today.
The two men are being taken to Royal Darwin hospital and will be in isolation until they both return negative tests.
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Richard Ferguson 1.46pm: Airlines ‘should pre-test passengers before flights’
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly is calling on airlines to make clear their pre-testing regimes before they let people board from COVID-hammered nations like Great Britain.
Professor Kelly is not yet ready to enforce COVID tests for Australians coming back from Britain, despite the mutant COVID strain ravaging London.
But he will write to all airlines to clarify what they are doing to clamp down on COVID transmission on UK-Australia flights.
“I would say that Qantas some time ago had already introduced their own testing regime in relation to free flight testing and so Qantas are mostly the ones associated with our assisted flights,” Professor Kelly said in Canberra.
“We understand that Singapore Airlines is also doing that and Minister Hunt has requested that I write to the other airlines that are coming into Australia to make sure that we know what they are doing in relation to pre-flight testing.”
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said earlier on Wednesday that the government is working as fast as they can to bring dispersed Australians home from the UK.
Ellie Dudley 1.41pm: Vaccine plans on target, CMO says
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said Australia’s vaccine plans are “on target” after New South Wales recorded 18 new cases today.
“We are going ahead with those preparatory phases which include the procurement of vaccines, making sure that those deliveries are coming when they need to be here, and that our regulators are continuing to work through this period,” Mr Kelly said.
“We are eagerly awaiting further information from both AstraZeneca and Pfizer in the coming days.”
Professor Kelly did however say that final approvals have not yet been made, saying health authorities will be monitoring vaccine distribution in other countries closely.
“We will be watching and are watching very closely what is happening in relation to firstly, the plans of the rollout and how that’s working and what we can learn from those things, but particularly any safety concerns that may emerge with this increased numbers of vaccines that have been given in other parts of the world,’’ he said.
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Ellie Dudley 12.54pm: Covid warning for Opera House venue, outdoor cinema
NSW Health has issued casual contact alerts for two new venues, as part of investigations into the source of the Wollongong COVID-19 case.
Anyone who attended the locations below at the listed times should get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result.
Buckley’s restaurant and bar, Opera House Promenade, Thursday 17 December, 7.30pm – 9pm (indoor diners and staff only)
Westpac outdoor cinema screening of The Prom, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, Thursday 17 December
Advice regarding the following venues has changed:
Anyone who attended the places below at the stipulated times are asked to monitor symptoms and get tested if they appear. This supersedes previous advice to get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received.
Figtree: Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, 19 Princes Hwy. Monday December 21, 12.30pm-1.30pm, Wednesday December 23, 8.45am-9am and Thursday December 24, 6.45am-9.30am.
Wollongong: Wollongong Central, 200 Crown St. Wednesday December 23, 3.30pm-4pm
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Ellie Dudley 12.00pm: SCG cricket Test safe, Berejiklian says
Gladys Berejiklian said the third Test match at the SCG will be safe to proceed next Thursday at 50 per cent capacity because it will be held outdoors
“The best health advice tells us outdoor, ticketed, seated events are safer than household gatherings, and that’s just a fact,” she said.
“The science and the data tells us the greatest chance of you getting the virus is from somebody you know in a household setting or indoor environment.”
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Tessa Akerman 11.56am: Melbourne stays Covid-safe as fireworks axed
The Victorian-New South Wales border will remain restricted for the foreseeable future, Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville has said.
Speaking on Wednesday about New Year’s Eve celebrations, Ms Neville refused to rule out extending the NSW red exclusion zone if the virus continued to spread outside of the northern beaches.
“I think all Victorians agree that we cannot take the risk of this getting back into our community,” she said.
As part of Covid-safe measures in Melbourne, the New Year’s Eve fireworks have been cancelled.
Ms Neville said the government had instead decided to keep supporting city businesses on the night with restaurant bookings.
Melbourne’s fireworks usually attract up to 450,000 people into the CBD, but this year revellers are urged to make a dinner reservation to celebrate the end of 2020 or dine out on the first day of 2021.
Thirty of the 50 participating restaurants in Melbourne’s street feasts are fully booked.
“We have no doubt people want to celebrate the end of 2020,” Ms Neville said.
However she said the health advice was clear about the risk of people breaking the rules in celebrating NYE in the city.
“We cannot undo the incredible, the hard work that Victorians have done this year,” she said.
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Ellie Dudley 11.30am: Premier defends strategy adopted for Christmas
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has defended her government’s strategy for reducing the spread of COVID-19 over Christmas, saying they have made decisions “based on health advice.”
“Whenever the health advice changes and, in fact, Dr Chant can attest, we respond very quickly,” she said.
“We can put all the restrictions we like in place, but if people choose not to do the right thing or exercise good common sense, that is a huge risk to all of us and that’s unfortunately sometimes what happens.”
Ms Berejiklian stressed NSW residents must exercise “common sense” over the New Year period.
“We can put all the restrictions we like in place, but if people choose not to do the right thing or exercise good common sense, that is a huge risk to all of us and that’s unfortunately sometimes what happens,” she said.
“No matter what great policies or health orders we have in place, you can’t cover every single exceptional circumstance and that’s why common sense is so important.”
Ellie Dudley 11.13am: Croydon cluster: Six in one family contract virus
Three adults and three children have contracted the coronavirus in Sydney’s inner west, in what NSW health authorities are now identifying as the “Croydon cluster”.
One of these cases was first reported yesterday morning as that case had come in very late the prior night.
Gladys Berejiklian said the most worrying part of the Croydon cluster, is that its source is yes to be found.
“At this stage the most concerning thing about the Croydon cluster is we haven’t yet established a link and once, if we do establish that, obviously our degree of comfort increases,” she said.
Dr Kerry Chant is expecting more cases to come from the cluster shortly.
“We are expecting that there will be additional cases linked to that cluster just because of the number of close contacts and the close household contact that a number of those contacts had over the period of Christmas and the preceding days,” Dr Chant said.
There are “around” 34 close contacts associated with the Croydon cluster, Dr Chant said.
“The problem is, as you know, we’re not going to be able to know the full number that is impacted by the cluster until we wait that 14 days, because we know infectious people were at a number of those household-like gatherings that have occurred in the preceding period,.” Dr Chant said.
Dr Chant confirmed the family members who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the cluster are spread across three households around Sydney.
“Some in southwestern Sydney, some in the inner west area, and some in other parts of the city,” she said.
“We can’t have this being seen as a northern beaches local government area issue.”
Ms Berejiklian said she expected case numbers to change as the new Croydon cluster develops.
“We are going to see the numbers bounce around because as time progresses and people with infection have gone home,” she said.
“They may have given it to their household contacts or close contacts, and as we have seen, some cases are emerging or symptoms are emerging very late in the isolation period.”
Wollongong cases grow
Dr Chant reported that there are now two cases in Wollongong — a woman in her 50s who was mentioned yesterday and a woman in her 20s who is her household contact.
The source of the original Wollongong case is unknown, but the woman in her 50s had travelled to Sydney on December 15 and 17, visiting locations in the CBD on the 17th.
“This case from Wollongong was in a number of venues and locations whilst infectious,’’ Dr Chant said. “Those details are on the New South Wales government website but we are concerned there have been inadvertent transmission in that setting.”
Transport workers now linked to Avalon cluster
Dr Chant has also reported that two cases among Sydney transport drivers, one whose source was unknown, have now both been linked to the Avalon cluster.
“I can confirm today that both those drivers acquired their infection through the transport of the infected patients which was our initial hypothesis,” she said.
“There had been a lab error — contamination cross-over event which had led to that erroneous result, but the lab picked up on that and we thank the individual for also representing for another test.
“We’re able to run that test totally clear.
“So that removes that as an unlinked case.”
Visitors excluded from aged care
Dr Chant has asked all aged care facilities to not accept visitors until January 6.
“As a precaution, until we further understand the community transmission across broader Sydney, we are taking a very precautionary approach to aged care visitors,” she said.
“So until at least 11.59pm on Wednesday, 6 January, we’re asking all residential aged care facilities exclude visitors except those performing essential caring functions, and obviously end of life.”
Virus traces in Liverpool sewage
Traces of the coronavirus have been found in a sewage treatment plant in Liverpool in Sydney’s west.
“We are aware of cases in that catchment but again it is a reminder to all of the community in the Liverpool area – with the most minimum of symptoms, please come forward,” Dr Kerry Chant said.
Ellie Dudley 11.02am: NSW records 18 new local cases
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced 18 new cases of coronavirus in the state after some 17,000 tests.
Nine cases from the 18 reported in the past 24 hours have already been linked to the Avalon cluster and were already in isolation.
Six of the 18 are related to the one case in the inner west that was mentioned yesterday, all from the same extended family in Croydon.
The Premier has reported three cases are “technically under investigation”
NSW health authorities have amended New Year’s Eve restrictions this year.
“All households in Greater Sydney, that includes Wollongong, the Central Coast, and the Nepean and Blue Mountains, as well as the southern part of the northern beaches, will now be limited to five people per household on New Year’s Eve.”
“Our preferred advice is that people just stay home for New Year’s Eve, but if you must have people over, don’t have more than five and please make sure you have adequate social distancing and good ventilation,” the Premier said.
Outdoor gatherings will now be limited to 30 people, rather than the 50 originally permitted.
“As we said previously, it is safer to be outdoors whether it’s a picnic, a barbecue, but please maintain your social distancing,” she said.
New restrictions for Greater Sydney (including Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains) the following will apply from midnight tonight until further notice;
Household gatherings will be limited to 5 visitors (including children).
The limit for outdoor gatherings will be reduced from 50 to 30.
Restrictions for the northern zone of the northern beaches remain the same but for the southern zone of the northern beaches the following will now apply;
Household gatherings will be limited to 5 visitors from within your zone (including children).
Ellie Dudley 10.23am: Queensland records two more quarantine cases
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has tweeted that the state has two new COVID-19 cases, both acquired overseas and both in hotel quarantine.
Both new cases were overseas acquired and detected in hotel quarantine.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) December 29, 2020
The state currently has 11 active cases.
READ MORE: Yachties at sea over restrictions
Erin Lyons 10.18am: Inside wedding that saw bride fined
A bride and her family have been fined for breaching strict stay at home orders to hold a wedding in Sydney’s CBD as images surfaced of the newlyweds celebrating their big day.
Bride Diana Falasca is among 19 people who have been fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions by leaving the northern beaches and venturing to Pyrmont venue, Doltone House.
The bride, from Beacon Hill, copped a $1000 fine following a tip-off to police.
Several members of Ms Falasca’s family and bridal party were also fined, but groom Mark Bonifacio did not violate any health rules and has not been fined.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian slammed the “brazen” breach of COVID-19 restrictions by the group from the northern beaches.
A total of 21 fines of $1000 have now been issued to northern beaches residents who attended the wedding in the central Sydney suburb.
Police said officers were called to Doltone House in Pyrmont on Sunday following a tip-off, and handed out 12 fines on Monday and another nine yesterday.
The new fines were issued to three men aged 31, 41 and 75, and two women aged 42 and 71 from Narraweena, a 32-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman from Collaroy Plateau, and a 36-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman from Frenchs Forest.
— NCA Newswire, with Ellie Dudley
READ the full story here
Ellie Dudley 10.11am: Wollongong residents queue for hours for Covid tests
Hundreds of people are queuing at coronavirus testing centres in the NSW coastal city of Wollongong, after a resident was diagnosed with the virus.
Line looks like it’s gonna take +5 hours at this rate here at wollongong hospital #covidnsw #nswhealth #nsw #wollongong pic.twitter.com/My2c82H6q4
— Matthew Buckley (@bucklepuf) December 29, 2020
On Tuesday Gladys Berejiklian revealed NSW health authorities were investigating how a resident of the city contracted the virus without having visited the northern beaches – the epicentre of Sydney’s latest outbreak.
Wollongong residents have raced to get tested, queuing for over five hours at testing clinics across the city.
The following churches have been identified as places for potential spread. Patrons who attended the following churches at the listed time are being asked to get tested immediately and self-isolate until further advice is given by NSW Health.
■ Wollongong: St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, Sunday December 27 between 9am and 10.15am.
■ Wollongong: The Holy Cross Green Orthodox Church, Sunday December 17, 10.30am-11am.
Anyone who visited the following venues at the stipulated times should get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received:
■ Figtree: Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, 19 Princes Hwy, Monday December 21, 12.20pm-1.30pm, Wednesday December 23, 8.45am-9am and Thursday December 24, 6.45am-9.30am.
■ Figtree: Proust Optical, Shop 49, Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, 19 Princes Hwy, Monday December 21, 9.30am-5pm and Wednesday December 23, 9.30am-2pm.
READ MORE: ASX to slip as global record run falters
Ellie Dudley 9.32am: Victorian-NSW border ‘depends on mystery cases’
Victoria’s COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar says it will be at least a few days before a decision can be made on when the state’s border restrictions can be eased.
“We’ll continue to see how this one plays out,” Mr Weimar says.
“It depends on not only the total number of cases, it depends particularly on those mystery cases and those exposure sites.
“If we start to see those coming under control and no other knock-on implications, then we can reopen the border, and that’s what we’d like to do.”
The movement of people between Victoria and NSW has been restricted since before Christmas because of the coronavirus outbreak in Sydney’s northern beaches.
Victoria recorded no new community transmitted cases for the 61st day in a row today.
READ MORE: Cattle-export ship brings virus to NT
Ellie Dudley 9.25am: All eyes on Berejiklian for latest NSW case numbers
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and chief health officer Kerry Chant will provide a COVID-19 update at 11am.
Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville will speak about Melbourne’s New Year’s Eve plans at 10.30am.
READ MORE: Band in virus cluster breaks silence
Ellie Dudley 9.19am: Open Queensland border for emergencies, doctors urge
New South Wales doctors are calling for the Queensland government to open the border for health emergencies purposes, arguing it’s compromising health care for both states.
NSW Australian Medical Association president Dr Danielle McMullen said the Queensland government should reopen the dedicated cross-border emergency route that was in operation earlier this year.
“We hold significant concerns that nearly a year into this pandemic, we’re still hearing concerns about delays to patient care... those communities rely on interstate transport for their medical care, including their urgent medical care.”
READ MORE: Sick days fall as public servants work at home
Agencies 9.14am: Colorado reports first US case of new virus strain
Colorado reported the first case in the U.S. of a fast-spreading variant of COVID-19 that was first detected in the United Kingdom and led to a widespread lockdown and travel restrictions there.
Health officials in the state said the case was confirmed in a man in his 20s in Elbert County who had no history of travel.
– Dow Jones Newswires
Ellie Dudley 8.45am: Biden sounds warning over slow vaccination roll-out
Joe Biden has slammed the United States’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it may take until March to get case numbers under control.
Despite the US administering over two million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine the president-elect said the country was not recovering yet.
“The effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should,” Mr Biden said in an address in his hometown of Delaware.
“A few weeks ago, the Trump administration suggested that 20 million Americans could be vaccinated by the end of December. With only a few days left in December, we have only vaccinated a few million so far.”
More than 330,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
READ MORE: Republicans reject Trump veto
Ellie Dudley 8.38am: Victoria records another day of zero local cases
No new community transmitted coronavirus cases were reported for Victoria on Wednesday, after 8731 tests were processed.
This marks the 61st day in a row for the state with no local infections.
One new case was found in hotel quarantine.
Yesterday there were 0 new local cases & 0 lives lost. 0 new cases were acquired interstate, 1 international. There are 8 active cases in quarantine or self-isolation. 8,731 test results were received. More information available later today: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/FfW7Tw63Wn
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) December 29, 2020
There are now eight active cases across the state. Seven people are in hotel quarantine and one, a teenager who entered the state from a NSW red zone, is in self-isolation.
READ MORE: Business travel collapse sparks serviced apartment implosion
Ellie Dudley 8.33am: Northern beaches residents ‘resentful’ over SCG Test
Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes said northern beaches residents are feeling “resentful” as the SCG was confirmed to host the third cricket Test on January 12.
“It’s a hugely bitter pill, and one of my jobs is to get across to all your viewers how upset people are up this way,” Mr Stokes told Sunrise this morning.
“It’s bittersweet having the cricket. We all love the cricket and love watching it, but you’ve got people just a few kilometres to the north who are in a strict lockdown while others are able to enjoy themselves.
“We don’t want to deprive people, but equally, people are feeling upset.”
Mr Stokes’ message to those attending the test is to wear a mask.
“If for no other reason, remember that the poor people in lockdown up on the northern beaches are doing the right thing,” he said.
“Cricket is happening in Paddington where there are 12 cases. The last thing people should be doing is ignoring the rules.”
READ MORE: Sydney keeps third Test after Cricket Australia declaration
Damon Kitney 8.28am: Magellan warns on virus mutation risks
Magellan Financial Group chairman Hamish Douglass says a major mutation of the coronavirus could put the world “back to square one” and warned investors to be “very selective” in the months ahead given global markets have already priced in a rebound from the Covid pandemic.
A new variant of the coronavirus, which is said to be much more transmittable, has been driving a rapid surge in infections in Britain over the past week.
While the head of drug maker AstraZeneca insisted at the weekend that his company’s Covid vaccine would work against the new strain, some experts believe it may not be as effective as the rival vaccine developed by Pfizer that is already being distributed in the UK, America and other countries.
There has been a major repricing of risk in global markets over the past month off the back of successful vaccine trials. But Mr Douglass said the UK mutation and the breakout in new cases on Sydney’s northern beaches showed the dangers of complacency.
“The one thing we would say is there is still scientific risk here,” Mr Douglass said in an interview with The Australian.
“This virus could mutate. Depending on how it mutates, it could change the efficacy of the current vaccines.’’
READ the full story here
Ellie Dudley 8.06am: Pressure to bring Aussies home ahead of new UK strain
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said the government is working as fast as they can to bring dispersed Australians home.
With the United Kingdom’s new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus spreading across the world forcing borders to close, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Australians to return to the country.
“The government has been working on this very hard on this,” Mr Hawke said. “It has been a difficult year with airlines closed and flights cancelled and nations shutting their borders on very short notice.”
“We have more Australians seeking to come home every week and month and we are working very closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs to get them back as fast as possible.”
Mr Hawke also said there “will be plenty of time” to conduct a royal commission into Australia’s handling of the pandemic.
“There will be lessons to be learnt following the pandemic, but for now we have to get through it and we are not through it yet,” he said.
READ MORE: South African variant prompts Queensland quarantine crackdown
Ellie Dudley 7.45am: NSW police to adopt ‘flexible approach’ on NYE
Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing says NSW Police would this year take a “flexible approach” to New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“We are prepared for anything that arises,” Mr Willing told the Today Show.
“We will have resources in and around the Sydney CBD area but also and importantly across police area commands within the Metropolitan area.
“We have been able to shift resources around to provide what we hope is a flexible approach to deal with anything that comes up.”
Mr Willing confirmed there will be 2000-3000 police officers patrolling metropolitan areas on the night.
The Assistant Commissioner’s comments came after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed on Monday people would not be permitted entry to Sydney CBD on New Year’s Eve unless they’d obtained a permit through Service NSW.
Viewing events organised by local councils could go ahead if they were controlled, ticketed and seated.
Residents in the northern region of the northern beaches would be allowed to have five people (including children) gather in one household from the same region for New Year’s Eve, before returning to strict stay-at-home orders the following day.
Those in the south of the northern beaches would be able to host 10 people from the area, including children.
READ MORE: ‘Intense’ fireworks display to see off 2020 with a bang
Ellie Dudley 7.20am: WA hotel security guards given power to arrest
Security guards monitoring hotel quarantine in Western Australia will be given powers to arrest and detain returned travellers.
The change is part of three amendments to the state’s hotel quarantine protocol, after a returned traveller from Spain allegedly breached quarantine last week.
WA Health Minister and Acting Premier Roger Cook said the incident forced a review of the state’s operation.
Both health and police officials will be able to move some travellers to a high-risk hotel to be guarded by the state’s police.
Secondly, security guards in other quarantine hotels would be given greater powers — including to arrest and detain individuals — under the Emergency Management Act.
The third change would see WA Health work with each hotel to assess physical barriers stopping a person from leaving the premises.
“A need was identified to strengthen the existing civil powers of the security guards. The new powers will give them better legal protection to prevent a person from breaching a quarantine direction,” Mr Cook said.
The changes are a response to traveller Jenny D’ubios, 49, who arrived in Western Australia on December 19 and was required to remain in isolation at the Pan Pacific Hotel for 14 days.
However, she allegedly chose to breach her isolation by leaving her hotel room.
Police arrived and Ms D’ubois was arrested within minutes of the alleged escaping.
READ MORE: Specialist ‘bouncer guards’ at WA hotels
Ellie Dudley 6.50am: Record 53,135 new COVID-19 infections in UK
The United Kingdom recorded 53,135 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday — its highest-ever daily case number and the first time it has had more than 40,000 new cases on a single day.
As the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus continued to spread, the UK also recorded 414 deaths on Tuesday.
Public Health England said while the steep increase in numbers may be due to lag from a busy holiday period, the numbers were “largely a reflection of a real increase”.
London hospitals continue to be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients, with NHS data showing 5371 people with the virus in hospitals on December 29.
5201 people were hospitalised at the peak of the country’s first wave in April, indicating the new strain, named B117, was increasing the spread.
UK reports highest daily number of confirmed Coronavirus cases, 53,135, the highest daily figure in the pandemichttps://t.co/aOE7o7pVbq
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 29, 2020
READ MORE: Caroline Overington — Dangers of delaying jab outweigh benefits
Ellie Dudley 6.35am: New record for coronavirus hospitalisations in US
The number of patients hospitalised for the coronavirus is the highest it has ever been in the United States, as the country braces for a potential new holiday wave.
More than 121,000 COVID-19 patients were in hospitals on Monday, the most ever reported on a given day since the virus entered the country.
In Los Angeles, at least five hospitals have been forced to turn patients away due to oxygen supply issues, state officials say.
“The surges and the impact on our ICUs across the country is absolutely devastating. … This is the nightmare scenario we worked so hard to prevent,” Dr Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN on Tuesday.
Air travel has also increased across the US, despite officials urging Americans to stay put due to a high number of new cases. This spike in air travel is causing concern a new wave of cases will emerge over the holiday period.
1.3 million people were screened by The Transportation Security Administration on Sunday, the most since March 15.
The country’s total number of cases surpassed 19 million on Saturday, meaning that at least 1 in 17 people have contracted the virus. 189,044 cases were reported on Monday alone, along with 1899 deaths.
READ MORE: German care workers given vaccine overdose
Ellie Dudley 6.15am: Wollongong venues among new areas of concern
A number of Wollongong venues have been added to the NSW Health list detailing places of concern for COVID-19 infection.
Venues in both the Wollongong CBD and in the outer suburb of Figtree have been listed as places to watch, after yesterday’s announcement that a positive case was discovered in the coastal city.
If you live in Greater Sydney, Wollongong or Central Coast, the following restrictions apply:
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 29, 2020
-10 visitors to your home (including children).
-Up to 50 people can gather outdoors (down from 100).
There is no change to current arrangements for regional NSW. pic.twitter.com/UT87I6h04d
The following churches have been identified as places for potential spread. Patrons who attended the following churches at the listed time are being asked to get tested immediately and self-isolate until further advice is given by NSW Health.
■ Wollongong: St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, Sunday December 27 between 9am and 10.15am.
■ Wollongong: The Holy Cross Green Orthodox Church, Sunday December 17, 10.30am-11am.
Anyone who visited the following venues at the stipulated times should get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received:
■ Figtree: Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, 19 Princes Hwy, Monday December 21, 12.20pm-1.30pm, Wednesday December 23, 8.45am-9am and Thursday December 24, 6.45am-9.30am.
■ Figtree: Proust Optical, Shop 49, Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, 19 Princes Hwy, Monday December 21, 9.30am-5pm and Wednesday December 23, 9.30am-2pm.
■ Mona Vale: Pittwater Place, 10 Park St. All day on all the following dates — Sunday December 13, Monday December 14, Tuesday December 15, Wednesday December 16, Thursday December 17, Friday December 18, Saturday December 19.
.@NSWHealth has been notified of a number of new and updated venues attended by confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/hWUkiZFngG
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 29, 2020
READ MORE: Yachties all at sea over restrictions
Max Maddison 5.10am: State of anxiety over spreading Sydney cases
Health authorities are alarmed by a number of unconnected coronavirus cases outside Sydney’s northern beaches — despite the city recording its lowest number of new infections in 13 days.
Three mystery cases not linked to the Avalon cluster have health officials scrambling to identify a connection between the infections, compounding fears the virus may have escaped the northern beaches containment line and is spreading across Greater Sydney in the busiest period of the year.
With positive cases dispersed across Greater Sydney — in Wollongong, Sydney’s inner west and in the city’s “northern area” — investigations were ongoing on Tuesday evening, as health officials raced to determine if there is a link between the infections.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant didn’t rule out a link between the cases, saying it appeared each had spent time in the CBD, but Gladys Berejiklian said authorities had moved into a “very critical phase of the response”.
Read the full story here.
Damon Kitney 5am: New variant could put world ‘back to square one’
Magellan Financial Group chairman Hamish Douglass says a major mutation of the coronavirus could put the world “back to square one” and warned investors to be “very selective” in the months ahead given global markets have already priced in a rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new variant of the coronavirus, which is said to be much more transmittable, has been driving a rapid surge in infections in Britain over the past week.
While the head of drug maker AstraZeneca insisted at the weekend that his company’s vaccine would work against the new strain, some experts believe it may not be as effective as the rival vaccine developed by Pfizer that is already being distributed in the UK, America and other countries.
There has been a major repricing of risk in global markets over the past month off the back of successful vaccine trials. But Mr Douglass said the UK mutation and the breakout in new cases on Sydney’s northern beaches showed the dangers of complacency.
Read the full story here.
Joe Kelly 4.45am: One in four ‘not confident’ about vaccine
Government-commissioned research shows that just over one-quarter of Australians at 27 per cent are “very confident” an effective vaccine will be developed despite a likely take-up of 80 per cent of the population.
The market research, obtained by The Australian, shows 52 per cent of Australians are “somewhat confident” in the development of an effective vaccine, while just over a fifth of the population (21 per cent) is either “not very” or “not at all” confident.
The research suggests that men, those aged over 60 year and full-time workers are more likely to have confidence in the development of a vaccine.
The results also showed, as first revealed by The Australian last week, that 80 per cent of Australians are likely to take up COVID-19 vaccinations, despite a quarter of the population holding concerns about safety, long-term side effects and the swift speed of the rollout.
Read the full story here.
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