Coronavirus Australia live news: Premier faces backlash over extended lockdown
Anger is growing over Gladys Berejiklian’s decision to extend the Sydney lockdown, with even her key allies challenging her call publicly.
- ‘Transmission of Covid’ at Club Marconi
- Plea to southwest Sydney, tougher rules flagged
- Victoria eases restrictions
- Elite college jumped jab queue
- Vaccine efficacy less against Delta
Welcome to rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Live coverage has ended for the day, read on to see how the day’s events played out.
As Gladys Berejiklian hints at tougher restrictions for southwestern Sydney, NSW Health confirms ‘transmission of Covid’ at Club Marconi, issues more venue alerts.
Health authorities are pleading with residents of southwestern Sydney to stay indoors amid a surge in cases.
It comes as NSW Premier announced the state recorded 27 cases, with just 13 cases already in isolation when their infections were detected. A person in their 30s is among seven people in ICU.
A NSW crisis cabinet meeting agreed to extend citywide restrictions until July 16, locking down five million Sydneysiders.
Rhiannon Down10pm:NSW issues new list of exposure sites
Retail outlets, supermarkets and a bank branch are among the latest locations to be added to NSW’s growing list of exposure sites.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 7, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of venues of concern visited by confirmed cases of COVID 19 and transmission occurred. pic.twitter.com/mAVwXSMRp6
Myhealth in Burwood, Canterbury Aldi, Burwood Commonwealth Bank ATMs, Billy’s Cars in Revesby and MeatFish Burwood have been added to the list of exposure sites as close contact venues.
Casula Costco, Charing Cross Pizza in Waverley, Little General Espresso Bar in Riverwood and Bonnyrigg Woolworths as well as Aldi, Coles and Freshworld Fruit Market all in Maroubra, have also been added as casual contact locations.
NSW Health also identified Evergreen Fresh World in Burwood, Pagewood Shell Coles Express, Woolworths , Cha Point and Bakers Delight in Revesby and Condell Park Metro Petroleum as venues of concern.
It comes as Gladys Berejiklian warned earlier today that case numbers were likely to rise tomorrow, amid a surge in case transmission in Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool.
Agencies8.30pm:Indonesia imposes national lockdown
The move came a day after Indonesia said it was importing emergency oxygen from neighbouring Singapore. Read more here
Rhiannon Down7.30pm:Hazzard under fire for Covid comments
UNSW Adjunct Professor and Strategic Health Consultant Bill Bowtell has criticised NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard for threatening to reach a stage where authorities “accept” some virus running free in the community.
Professor Bowtell said it would be a mistake to let Covid-19 run riot in the population, citing the current situation in NSW which recorded 27 cases today.
“What on earth would possess the Minister for Health to say such a thing, or give him the right to determine that, for the people of NSW,” he told Channel 10’s The Project.
“There are 30 or 40 people in hospital and some of those are in ICU and on ventilators. “That’s what living with COVID does. That’s what taking your time to lock down does.
“Is that the future, really, that we’re being threatened with?”
Professor Bowtell said both the state and federal governments needed to take responsibility for the Covid situation across the country.
“(The NSW government is) very good at pointing the finger at everybody but themselves,” he said.
“Now, the responsibilities are clear. NSW ran a very lax quarantine system at Sydney Airport.
“And, of course, the other responsibility has to be (directed) to the Australian government, who declined a year ago to order the vaccines that, if we had them at the beginning of this year, we would be 70 per cent or 80 per cent fully vaccinated by now, and then we’d be dealing with a very different situation in Sydney.”
Rhiannon Down6.07pm:MPs criticise Premier’s lockdown extension
Two NSW MPs have criticised Gladys Berejiklian for extending the Sydney lockdown by another week and asked for their electorates to be exempt.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward, who moved to the crossbench earlier this year after decades in the Liberal party, said there was “no such evidence” to support continuing the lockdown in Shellharbour and Wollongong where there has been no local transmission.
My statement opposing the extension of lockdowns in Shellharbour and Wollongong. pic.twitter.com/DXoNjOgnsM
— Gareth Ward (@garethjward) July 7, 2021
“When you are making a serious and impactful decision to deprive people of their liberty, which hurts businesses and throws families into confusion, you’ve got to have a justification and evidence to back it up,” he said.
“I’m asking to have that NSW Health opinion (behind the government’s decision) clarified.”
Manly MP James Griffin has written to the NSW Premier arguing that residents on the northern beaches were still recovering from the lockdown over Christmas.
“Given our geography, easing the ‘stay at home’ orders in Manly and the northern beaches to allow free travel throughout, the resumption of business, and other activities (where appropriate) would be feasible and highly desirable,” he wrote.
The Australian revealed NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet had opposed the extended lockdown in a crisis cabinet meeting today on economic grounds.
READ MORE: NSW Treasurer rejected longer lockdown
Angie Raphael 5.45pm: Covid-19 breach during virus patient transfer
West Australian health authorities have discovered a breach in Covid-19 protocols during the transfer of an infected crew member from a ship, forcing one person into quarantine and exposing more than 50 others as casual contacts.
A staff member was potentially exposed to the virus after entering a lift that the infected crew member, from MV Emerald Indah, had been in at Geraldton Health Campus.
WA Country Health Service principal health officer Helen Van Gessel told reporters on Wednesday that the error was identified immediately.
“The breach occurred when a staff member, who wasn’t involved in the transfer of the patient, entered the lift that the patient had been in before it could be appropriately cleaned, and that staff member was not wearing PPE,” she said.
“This error was immediately identified. The staff member was sent home to isolate immediately and didn’t have any contact with the community.”
The staff member is fully vaccinated but will be required to quarantine for two weeks and be tested because they have been deemed a close contact.
READ the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 5.30pm: Victorian business relief as restrictions ease
VECCI CEO Paul Guerra has welcomed the Victorian government’s decision to further ease coronavirus restrictions from 11:59pm on Thursday, saying it meant that for the first time in six weeks, all businesses in the state could trade viably.
Density limits will be relaxed to one person per two square metres in indoor venues, and office workers and others with non public-facing roles will no longer be required to wear masks indoors.
“It’s brilliant in so many ways,” Mr Guerra said.
“We’re happy because for the first time in six weeks every business in this state can now trade viably.
“Everybody now can come back to work. So those that have been stood down because there wasn’t work can start coming back in.
“That’s the first thing, and as that comes back in, we can then start to see the CBD recover and get back to that level that we need to see it.”
Asked whether he supported the current designation of Sydney as a red zone, Mr Guerra said he could “only go on the health advice”.
“Sydney and Melbourne, as much as we compete, we need each other to survive,” he said.
“The events sector doesn’t come back until both Sydney and Melbourne are in a position where they can both trade viably.
“The reason that the Sydney, Melbourne route is either the busiest or second-busiest airline around the world, is because the two cities work so well together.
“We need to see Sydney, we need to see New South Wales up and running again, and we hope that happens soon. We need to stay out of lockdowns if the country is going to recover from where it is at the moment.”
Lydia Lynch 5.20pm: Hero staff who broke infection protocol to save life praised
Ten health staff who broke infection protocol and risked Covid-19 infection to save a patient’s life have been praised by Queensland’s top doctor.
A Covid-positive patient at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital went into anaphylactic shock from contrast dye injected for an MRI scan on Tuesday.
Ten staff rushed to save the patient suffering from life-threatening allergic reaction without slowing down to put on personal protective equipment.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said they “absolutely followed the right process”.
“These staff put themselves in harm’s way to help a patient in need. They put the patient’s welfare before their own,” she said.
“From the information I have, staff were required to act quickly and may not have been able to maintain full infection control while attending to the emergency.”
The staff are now in 14 days quarantine and the patient is stable.
READ MORE:Sydney warned to brace for more cases tomorrow
Rachel Baxendale 5.10pm: Pandemic has changed Melbourne CBD indefinitely
The working patterns of Melbourne’s CBD workers have changed indefinitely as a result of coronavirus and city businesses will have to adapt, Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Paul Guerra says.
“We worked out that we can work remotely, and we can work in the office, and we can have a hybrid of both,” Mr Guerra told the Melbourne Press Club.
“We need to get the rhythm of the city understood, so that then we can start working out how to recover the rest of the parts of the city.
“The night time economy is still going pretty well, events will bring people back into the city as well, the daytime economy will change.”
Asked whether that meant accepting that CBD cafes would no longer be packed with office workers during the week, Mr Guerra said: “Yeah, but I think the days will be blended. So I think you’ll see less overall people in each of the days, but I think they’ll shift across the five working days.
“So for some hospitality venues, it means that they’ll change the way that they operate, those that have been lucky enough to get through, the beauty services the same.
“Retail will adapt too, but it’s hard for businesses to adapt while there’s still the uncertainty there. We need to get that baseline level back, and we were going pretty well before this lockdown.
“We’d started getting 60 to 70 per cent of office workers back in the office on most days, and that’s enough for most of those businesses that rely on the office workers to get through.”
READ MORE:Travel fears over $220 departure test
Rachel Baxendale 5.05pm: Grim warning: ‘One outbreak away from next lockdown’
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Paul Guerra says business has been in crisis since the Covid-19 pandemic first impacted Australia in March 2020, and will continue to be until a substantial proportion of the population is vaccinated.
Asked at a Melbourne Press Club lunch on Wednesday when he could be confident that the worst is over for Victorian businesses, Mr Guerra said: “When we’re vaccinated to a point that there’s no more lockdowns.”
“That’s when business owners and leaders will actually be able to take a mental break,” Mr Guerra said.
“We’re one outbreak away from the next lockdown, and that’s not lost on any business leader, it’s not lost on any worker in the state.”
Mr Guerra said casual workers and those who had permanently lost work during the pandemic were worst-affected.
“It’s been horrible in so many ways. That stress plays out, and it gets worse the longer it goes on,” he said.
“You can’t keep being in crisis, and we have been now for 15, 16 months.”
Mr Guerra hopes Australia reaches vaccination rates comparable with countries such as the US and Israel “somewhere around the end of this year, which means that we’ve got another five months or so to get through.”
“Today is the anniversary of the 112-day lockdown,” he said.
“It brings back horrible memories. None of us knew what we were going to experience. We got through it. I think we’re all a bit damaged, but we got through it.
“The next two months (of winter) I think are going to be our greatest risk.”
READ MORE:NSW Treasurer rejected longer lockdown
Rhiannon Down 5.00pm: ’Transmission of Covid’ at southwestern Sydney club
NSW Health has confirmed there has been “transmission of Covid-19” at Club Marconi in Bossley Park, adding new exposure windows for the venue across two days.
Exposure windows spanning three days have also been added for the Riverwood Commonwealth Bank, after it was confirmed on Tuesday that there had been active transmission at the branch.
This comes as Gladys Berejiklian hinted today that further restrictions could be enforced in southwestern Sydney if case numbers are not brought under control, amid a spike in transmission.
A string of retail outlets have also been added as close contact sites, including: Marrickville Hop and Grain Brew Store, Supercheap Auto and Bunnings in Ashfield and Strathfield South Dan Murphy’s.
Granville Chemist Warehouse, Jim’s Cellars in Woollahra, Fairfield Coles, Wetherill Park Beds R Us, Speedway South Granville Petrol Station and Riverwood Woolworths have also been added as casual contact venues.
Shoppers at Granville Woolworths Metro on Wednesday June 30 between 11.10am and 11.20am have been asked to monitor for symptoms.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 7, 2021
NSW Health is reminding the public of its advice for a key venue of concern. pic.twitter.com/2Zseuk4fDC
Rhiannon Down 3.55pm: Nation’s vaccine rollout tops 8.5 million doses
The nation’s vaccine rollout has surpassed 8.5 million doses after 165,475 jabs were administered in the last 24 hours, as Australia’s largest city is plunged into a third week of Covid lockdown.
Some 4,865,936 jabs have been administered by the federal system, including 4,414,679 through primary care, and 3,701,730 through the states and territories, according to the latest Department of Health figures.
NSW, which recorded 27 cases today prompting an extension of the Sydney lockdown, has edged closer to a million jabs with the current tally at 962,785, after 20,564 jabs were administered in 24 hours.
Victoria continues to lead the states and territories with 26,540 jabs in the past 24 hours, bringing its total to 1,216,248.
In the past 24 hours 3723 doses have been delivered in age and primary care, bringing the total to 451,257, amid a rise in case numbers linked to the SummitCare Baulkham Hills facility to ten cases after a fourth worker tested positive today.
This daily infographic provides the total number of vaccine doses administered in Australia as of 6 July 2021. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccine information here: https://t.co/vqZuOLzB2Ppic.twitter.com/oW2t7ItKxw
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) July 7, 2021
Robyn Ironside 3.25pm: Canberra airport seeks flight ban over border ‘insanity’
Canberra Airport’s CEO has called for flights from Adelaide and Perth to be banned from the ACT until new rules are implemented outlawing border closures to areas that have no local transmission of Covid-19.
Stephen Byron is furious South Australia and Western Australia remain closed to the ACT despite the territory not having a locally transmitted case of the virus since July 2020.
The states slammed borders shut last month, in response to the Covid breakout in Greater Sydney which is about to enter a third week of lockdown.
Mr Byron said it made no sense that Canberra residents could travel to Queensland and New Zealand but not Adelaide or Perth, and it was time for some tough action to be taken.
READ the full story here.
Max Maddison\ 2.55pm: Business roundtable should have happened a year ago: Marles
A roundtable with the nation’s business leaders should’ve happened over a year ago, according to Labor deputy leader Richard Marles, as he accuses Scott Morrison of failing to lead the nation
After a meeting between 30 of the nation’s leading chief executives and business leaders, Josh Frydenberg and Covid-19 Taskforce Commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen, Mr Marles said it again showed the federal government was too slow in its thinking.
“We’ve seen this session today with business leaders, that’s all well and good, but it begs the question, why wasn’t this happening last year,” Mr Marles told Sky News on Wednesday afternoon.
“For more than a year, we’ve known that to get to the other side of COVID-19 was going to be an exercise in vaccinating the population, and yet it’s only now that this kind of conversation is happening.”
With state premiers taking an increasingly prominent role throughout the pandemic, Mr Marles said Mr Morrison was the first prime minister who had “taken the federal role backwards.”
“The point really is the government going out there early on and saying ‘we’ve got all the time in the world, this is not a race’, demonstrating that they had their thinking and their posture completely wrong,” he said.
“Scott Morrison needs to lead, but Scott Morrison goes missing when things get hard – as the last two weeks have proven.”
READ MORE:Another phase for freedom plan: Phase out anti-vaxxers
Yoni Basgan 2.30pm: EXCLUSIVE: NSW Treasurer rejected lockdown extension
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet vehemently opposed the lockdown extension signed off at the state’s crisis cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying it was time the state adjusted its thinking to Covid-19 and learned to live with infections in the community.
The Australian has learned that Mr Perrottet rejected the proposal, arguing that it would cause immense harm to businesses across Greater Sydney due to the lack of financial assistance they would receive, namely JobKeeper.
The crisis cabinet is chaired by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and attended by senior cabinet ministers, including Deputy Premier John Barilaro, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello.
Mr Barilaro is understood to have submitted a three-stage proposal to extricate NSW from further lockdowns, which was approved by the majority of ministers present. Stage one of the proposal was to extend the current lockdown, with an easing of restrictions for some sectors and industries to follow. He declined to comment when contacted.
Mr Perrottet is understood to have been the only minister to dissent from the proposal to extend the lockdown by seven days.
READ the full story here.
Jess Malcolm 1.32pm: Shorter lockdown if authorities acted sooner: expert
Infectious diseases expert Mary-Louise McLaws says the duration of the three week NSW lockdown could have been shortened if authorities had acted sooner.
Professor McLaws told Sky News that a short, sharp, snap lockdown would have prevented the seeding of the virus in the community.
“One thing I’ve learnt is lockdowns aren’t nice but they’re very effective,” she said.
“Had there been a lockdown as soon as the limo driver tested positive then inadvertently spread the virus, and he was a highly infectious agent, it would have stopped people moving around.”
“We may have seen a totally different picture.”
Professor McLaws also forecast the lockdown could be extended past the scheduled end date next Friday.
“The situation is fairly extensive, although the numbers appear low it has the ability to accelerate very quickly.”
“It may need to be extended but what might have helped is if we had clear rules.”
Jess Malcolm 12.57pm: If spread continues, learn to live with virus: Hazzard
Health authorities are foreshadowing the potential of a major shift in the NSW government public health response to Covid-19 if the next nine days do not see a suppression of the virus.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said authorities could move towards a new strategy of “learning to live with the virus” if it continues to spread into the community.
“I think at some stage, if the individuals that we need don’t hear Dr Chant’s message and don’t respond, then at some point we’re going to move to a stage where we’re
going to have to accept that the virus has a life which will continue in the community,” he said.
“But we’re trying damned hard at the moment to make sure that we can use every effort to suppress that virus, and right now is a critical time.”
Gladys Berejiklian also encouraged people to prepare for the state’s exit from lockdown, insisting it would be the last lockdown experienced by NSW residents.
“Clearly we need to think about life beyond lockdown and provide certainty, which is why the New South Wales Government, after taking advice from health experts will present our plan, our exit strategy from the lockdown, to give everybody certainty about the future and I just want to stress in the strongest possible terms the next nine or 10 days are absolutely critical,” she said.
READ MORE: Dodgy Android apps steal passwords
Max Maddison 12.38pm:Treasurer, business discuss vaccine incentives for workers
Josh Frydenberg says there was “extensive discussion” about incentives that will be provided to employees who receive vaccinations at their workplace at a meeting with the nation’s business leaders.
The Treasurer was speaking after a roundtable discussion with Covid-19 Taskforce Commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen and 30 of Australia’s leading chief executives aimed at ramping up the nation’s vaccination rollout.
With a range of ideas proposed by business leaders, Mr Frydenberg suggested free frequent flyers could be eventually offered, with any benefit likely to be more than a “snag at Bunnings”.
“There was extensive discussion about it but it also goes to how quickly we get the additional supply online as to when those incentives are best put forward,” Mr Frydenberg told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“But yes, a number of businesses raised very interesting and exciting ideas about how they can put their resources to work. I think it is more than a snag at Bunnings that we are talking about as our potential opportunity for incentives but the timing mark of those incentives are very important.”
Lieutenant-General Frewen, however, warned the key message at the moment was ensuring people came forward to receive vaccinations, and the need for incentives would be revisited at a “time later in the year”.
READ MORE:White House‘s China warning for Australia
Rachel Baxendale 12.34pm: ‘Not a bit rich’: Foley defends F1 arrivals link
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has denied that it’s a bit rich for the state to blame international arrival caps for having to cancel the Formula 1 Grand Prix, having led the charge for arrivals to be cut by 50 per cent at national cabinet last week.
“No, no, not at all. I don’t think it’s rich, that the Victorian government places keeping the economy open, keeping our events happening so far as we possibly can, keeping our community safe,” Mr Foley said on Wednesday.
“I don’t think that’s rich at all. What national cabinet decided was that the risks associated with hotel quarantine, particularly with the Delta variant of concern, during a very low vaccination period, was such that, as we’ve seen right now, right across New South Wales and Sydney and parts of Queensland in the last week or two when 12 million of our fellow Australians were in severe lockdown.
“That’s the risk that national cabinet rightly identified, and I think it would be rich if the Victorian government, or any other government ignored that reality.
“The measures that national cabinet have, taken with Victoria’s support, are sensible.
“Yes, they have implications and the implications are pretty tough. But the real tough choices is: what do you want to do? Do you want to lock everyone down, or do you want to lock a few people out? And the way in which you solve both of those problems is to have everyone vaccinated.”
As it marks seven days without any new community acquired cases of coronavirus, Victoria currently has 24 active cases.
Of those 24, five were locally-acquired.
There were no new cases in hotel quarantine in the 24 hours to Tuesday night.
Two of the locally-acquired cases are in workers at a drycleaning business in bayside Sandringham in Melbourne’s southeast, one of whom contracted the virus at a party in Sydney’s Hoxton Park.
Deputy chief health officer Deb Friedman said 174, or more than 80 per cent, of the close contacts associated with the Sandringham cases had been cleared from their fortnight’s quarantine, with further clearances expected in coming days.
The clearance of close contacts associated with a Virgin flight staffed by a positive case is similarly imminent.
Associate Professor Friedman said six Victorian contacts of a cluster associated with the Tanami mine site in the NT remained in quarantine.
Jess Malcolm12.05pm:Vaccinations ‘a great tool’ in fighting case numbers
While NSW battles its recent outbreak and a surge in cases, health authorities have been pleased to see the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines against the virus.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said officials are still closely monitoring its effectiveness but have been taking “extra comfort” when they have a case who has been vaccinated or if a case has a vaccinated household contact.
“Vaccination has been a great tool,” she said.
“It gives us that little extra comfort that they’re not likely to be infected and certainly we know that both doses of the vaccine run credibly helpful in preventing hospitalisation and death.”
Health authorities have also reiterated their apology for the error that saw 163 Year 12 students at an elite private school receive the Pfizer vaccine before they were eligible.
Dr Chant said it was a “misunderstanding” and that she sympathised with the anger in the community.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard was less sympathetic, taking aim at a reporter when asked about it.
“There was a mistake and so what?” he said. “It’s happened. Out of a million vaccinations. Move on.”
He also revealed NSW is on track to hit one million doses of vaccine by tomorrow.
READ MORE: Change to lockdown rules explained
Jess Malcolm11.53am:SW Sydney faces more restrictions if numbers stall
Gladys Berejiklian has hinted further restrictions could be enforced in southwestern Sydney if case numbers do not get under control, amid a spike in transmission between family households.
The NSW Premier said she will consult with relevant experts during the day today but “there (was) an option” for the government to consider.
She also rebuffed claims that cases were spreading in retail settings, and revealed that some of the recent spread was from a number of essential workers going to work whilst infectious.
“It doesn’t matter what rules you put in place, we do rely on people doing the right thing and we’ve seen again it’s a fine line because we don’t want to prevent people from coming forward and telling us the truth,” she said.
“We need people to tell us where they’ve been and what they’ve been doing.”
Health authorities have been racing to contact local politicians and religious leaders in Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool local government areas to ensure residents limit their mobility and stay home.
Dr Chant confirmed the emerging southwest outbreak was not necessarily linked to the superspreading West Hoxton birthday party.
“We’re still doing the mapping of all of those linked cases but it doesn’t link to the West Hoxton Park birthday party,” she said. “There are other links to other clusters.”
Jess Malcolm11.37am: ‘Final week of lockdown city's one chance to suppress virus’
Gladys Berejiklian has moved to reassure Sydney residents that it is her “absolute intention” to release the city from lockdown next Friday.
The NSW Premier said the final week of lockdown will be critical, saying it is the city’s “one chance” to suppress the virus.
NSW residents will also have more certainty around what life will look like after next Friday, with Ms Berejiklian set to outline a road map over the next few days.
“That is why we provided that certainty and that’s why we have said this is our one chance, our one chance to get as much of the disease out of New South Wales as we can and that’s why it is so important for all of us to do the right thing in the next nine days,” she said.
The NSW government is also considering further cash payments to support people struggling under lockdown amid concern the extension will deal a crippling blow to businesses.
Ms Berejiklian said she will be asking the commonwealth for more funding.
“The message to businesses is we know the business community would prefer to live in a certain environment without having to go into lockdown every few weeks and we are giving our community the best chance of not having another lockdown until the community is vaccinated.”
Jess Malcolm11.27am: Plea to Western Sydney: stay at home
Health authorities are pleading with residents of Western Sydney to stay indoors amid a surge in cases.
The overnight cases have alarmed health authorities about high rates of transmission between family groups and across multiple households in Western and southwestern Sydney.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant reiterated the Premier’s message for these residents to stay home.
“Please stay at home,” she said. “Do not visit loved ones. Try and engage through digital means. Try and avoid any unnecessary contact with other additional households and please limit your movements into any indoor environments.”
Dr Chant has also issued an warning to young people amid a surge in younger age groups suffering from the disease.
There are now 37 positive cases being treated in hospitals. Fourteen of those people are under the age of 55, and eight are under the age of 35. There are also seven people being treated in intensive care.
Dr Chant said the rates of hospitalisation should be a “wakeup call” to young people about the severity of the virus.
“This should dispel the myth that this is something that only impacts the elderly,” she said.
Dr Chant said one of seven people in ICU was a person in their 30s.
Jess Malcolm11.02am:NSW records 27 new virus cases
NSW has recorded 27 new locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours.
Of these locally acquired cases, 18 are linked to a known case or cluster, seven are household contacts and 11 are close contacts of previously recorded cases.
NSW recorded 27 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/pUprrXHpRE
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 7, 2021
Just 13 of the new cases recorded were in isolation for their infectious period.
The source of infection for nine cases remains under investigation.
There were 45,000 tests conducted yesterday.
Gladys Berejiklian said extending the lockdown will give the state the best chance to stop the spread of the virus and prevent future lockdowns.
She also warned case numbers are likely to rise tomorrow, amid a surge in case transmission in Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool.
Residents in these three local government areas are being asked to not leave the house to prevent an explosion of cases in these areas.
“We don’t want to be in a situation where we are constantly having to move between lockdown, no lockdown, lockdown, no lockdown,” she said.
“What we want to do is give us our best chance of making sure this is the only lockdown we have until the vast majority of our citizens are vaccinated.”
She confirmed regional schools will resume face-to-face learning from Monday, but metropolitan schools will remain closed to limit the interactions of parents and teachers in school communities.
Students who cannot learn from home will be permitted to attend, as well as Year 12 students who need to attend practical examinations will be able to do so.
“We need to stop literally hundreds of thousands of adults moving around and interacting with each other inadvertently as they drop kids off, pick kids up at those usual times,” she said.
“Whilst the virus is more contagious in children, or this strain is, than we have seen previous strains, our main concern is too many people being mobile at the same time and having those interactions.”
Ms Berejiklian said the overnight figures were ‘alarming’ as family members spread the infection to each other. She appealed to communities especially in southwestern Sydney to stay in their homes and not visit each other.
READ MORE:Snooze York – fears city has begun to sleep
Rachel Baxendale 10.59am: Victorians meet yet another deputy chief health officer
For the second time this week, Victorians have been introduced to a new deputy chief health officer.
Infectious diseases physician Deb Friedman has joined the public health team from Barwon Health in Geelong, where she has been director of physician education since 2013.
Associate Professor Friedman joins her Barwon Health colleague and fellow ID physician Dan O’Brien, who is acting chief health officer while Brett Sutton takes annual leave.
The changing roles follow the departure of Professor Allen Cheng, who has returned to his role as director of infection prevention and healthcare epidemiology at Alfred Health after the conclusion of his secondment to the health department.
Max Maddison10.52am: Colbeck to travel to Tokyo Olympics
Sport Minister Richard Colbeck will travel to Tokyo as a representative for the Morrison government ahead of the IOC decision regarding the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
Amid considerable scrutiny of Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision to travel overseas while tens of thousands of Australians remain unable to return home, Senator Colbeck said the trip offered an “an important opportunity across both his portfolios”.
“This is an exciting time for Australian sport – securing the 2032 Games for Brisbane and Queensland will ensure Australia’s momentum as a host of international sporting events is maintained for years to come,” Senator Colbeck said.
“We know what this means for sport fans and our aspiring athletes but economically it represents a boost to the tune of billions of dollars and will provide a framework to help the Sunshine State – and the rest of Australia – as we navigate our way out of the pandemic.”
Senator Colbeck will also meet his Japanese counterparts in aged care.
READ MORE: Palaszczuk backed over Olympics trip
Rachel Baxendale 10.43am: Victorians win reprieve on masks
From Thursday night, Victorians will no longer be required to wear masks in offices, schools, and other workplaces where there is no interaction with the public such as factories.
Outlining an easing of restrictions from 11.59pm on Thursday, Health Minister Martin Foley said the current outbreaks interstate and slower-than-forecast rollout of the commonwealth vaccination program meant that easing would continue to be “careful and cautious”.
“The good news is that from 11.59pm tomorrow, Thursday, 8 July, restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne will be brought into line with those of regional Victoria,” Mr Foley said.
“Masks will continue to be required indoors and in public-facing settings unless an exemption applies, but they will no longer be required at schools for students and staff and they will no longer be required at workplaces, particularly if you don’t interact with the public.
“For example, in offices, factory settings and in other arrangements where the huge uptake in QR code systems that so many Victorians have picked up give us a substantial alternative.
“I am sure that we will see more people as a result come back to our offices, which will in turn assist your retail, our hospitality and our business districts to continue their recovery.
“Masks will still be required if your role sees you interacting with the general public, for example, if you serve customers in a retail setting.”
From 11.59pm on Thursday, the current one person per four square metres rule will ease to allow one person per two square metres in venues across Melbourne including workplaces, entertainment, retail, hospitality, gyms, physical recreation, community facilities, creative spaces, galleries and places of worship.
This is the same density limit currently in place across regional Victoria, and depends upon venues having a designated Covid check-in marshall to ensure patrons are using QR codes.
Currently banned dance floors will also be allowed from 11:59pm on Thursday, with a Covid check-in marshal but with no more than 50 people on the dance floor at any one time.
Health Minister Martin Foley said authorities would maintain current limits on private gatherings of 15 people per home per day.
“I think Victorians need look no further than the outbreaks across our borders to know and appreciate the risks that continue to attend coronavirus spreading through indoor domestic settings,” Mr Foley said.
Crowd numbers at public events will also be able to increase to a maximum of 75 per cent capacity or up to 40,000 people in outdoor stadiums, and 75 per cent capacity or up to 7,500 people in indoor stadiums.
For theatres the cap is 75 per cent capacity or up to 2,000 people.
“All of these settings will apply for 14 days but of course they are always subject to the changing epidemiological risk as advised by our public health team,” Mr Foley said.
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Dean Ritchie10.31am:Venue for State of Origin III locked in
Newcastle will today be confirmed as the venue for State of Origin III.
The Daily Telegraph has been told McDonald Jones Stadium will host the big game next Wednesday in what will be a historic night for the Hunter.
The NRL has been working with State Government authorities to ensure the dead rubber remains in NSW.
It is understood the ground capacity for Origin III will be 75 per cent, ensuring a crowd of around 23,000 to 24,000.
There had been interest in the match from Victoria and Queensland.
READ the full story here
Jess Malcolm 10.13am:Berejiklian to outline strategy for NSW to reopen
Gladys Berejiklian will address the media today alongside Health Minister Brad Hazzard, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys.
Officials will announce an extension to Sydney’s lockdown until at least July 16 following a decision from a crisis meeting of senior ministers on Tuesday afternoon.
The lockdown will now run for at least three weeks, delivering a crippling blow to small businesses and the tourism industry in both metropolitan and regional areas.
The NSW Premier is also expected to outline a longer-term strategy for the state to remain open in the coming days.
WATCH Gladys Berejiklian’s 11 o’clock update in the livestream above
Rachel Baxendale 10.08am:Victoria expecting easing of restrictions
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley and Acting chief health officer Dan O’Brien are due to address the media at 10.30am.
The pair are expected to outline an easing of coronavirus restrictions including the requirement to wear masks in offices.
The easing comes as Victoria marks seven days without a new community acquired case of coronavirus.
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Lydia Lynch10.05am:Queensland detects one new case in home quarantine
One new local case was detected in Queensland on Wednesday.
Annastacia Palaszczuk said the woman was a close contact of another case and tested positive in home quarantine.
She has no symptoms.
Wednesday 7 July – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 7, 2021
One new case recorded overnight, locally acquired and detected in home quarantine.
The case is linked to the Alpha cluster.#covid19pic.twitter.com/keWqqHtLhp
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the state was in “a really good place”.
“But It is too early to relax just yet,” she said
Mandatory masks, density restrictions and a ban on dancing was expected to lift on July 16.
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Jess Malcolm9.53am:Fourth aged care worker tests positive
A fourth aged care worker in a Sydney facility has tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases in the cluster to 10.
SummitCare in Baulkham Hills is at the centre of the outbreak which was sparked when two nurses worked at the facility whilst infectious. One of the nurses was unvaccinated.
There have now been six residents and four staff members test positive for Covid-19.
Late on Tuesday night, the wife of a previously known case also tested positive for the virus.
All of the residents have now been transferred to Westmead Hospital for monitoring and all remain asymptomatic, the operator has confirmed.
Over 96 per cent of the residents have received the Covid-19 vaccine, but just two thirds of its staff were immunised against the virus.
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David Ross9.42am:Debelle, Harper win RBA appointment extensions
Guy Debelle has been reappointed full time deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia for a further five year term starting September 18 this year.
Professor Ian Harper AO has also been reappointed as part-time member of the RBA’s board for a further five year term commencing July 31 this year.
Mr Debell has been deputy governor of the RBA since 2016 and served as deputy chair of the bank’s board.
He also chairs the bank’s Risk Management and Investment committees and Global Foreign Exchange committee.
Professor Harper has been a member of the RBA’’s board since 2016 and serves as dean and director of the Melbourne Business School and C-dean of the faculty of Business and Economics.
FOLLOWlive ASX updates at Trading Day
Jess Malcolm 9.35am: Schools ‘are safer than workplaces, retail’
Infectious diseases expert Peter Collignon says schools should be able to function normally, and only closed as a last resort considering children don’t easily transmit the virus.
The comments come as Gladys Berejiklian is expected to announce Sydney schools to remain shut for the first week of term which was scheduled to begin on Monday.
Professor Collignon told Sunrise schools are much safer than workplaces and retail.
“We have to remember that primary school children in particular aren’t a big factor in spread,” he said.
“They can get it and spread it, but if you look at Sydney, the children who have got it are a much smaller percentage of what they represent in the population,” he said.
“It doesn’t seem to be widespread within the schools.”
Professor Collignon also said the health authorities would be looking to see no more than 10 or 15 cases per day, with the vast majority of them already in isolation for their infectious period.
“I think the heartbeat is knowing when to stop (the lockdown),” he said.
READ MORE: Exclusive school jumped vaccination queue
Erin Lyons 8.55am:Opera House on alert over Covid case
The Sydney Opera House is on high alert after a subcontractor worked at the iconic building for six days while potentially infectious with Covid-19.
The site was being deep cleaned on Wednesday morning and has been closed since June 26, in line with the citywide lockdown.
A spokeswoman for the Sydney Opera House said it was informed by the health department that the subcontractor who worked between July 1 and 6 had returned a positive swab.
“NSW Health is currently undertaking its investigations, and the Opera House is taking all necessary steps in line with its Covid Safety Plan,” the spokeswoman said.
“In line with the current stay-at-home orders, the building has been closed to the public since Saturday June 26.”
It is unclear whether they were infectious for the entire six-day period.
NSW Police said there were no Covid-related breaches associated with the Opera House.
It is believed workers were classed as essential and were allowed on site to set up for a new and upcoming performance.
NSW Health has been contacted for comment and will provide an update on Covid cases at 11am. – NCA Newswire
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Jess Malcolm8.45am: Victoria marks a week with zero local virus cases
Victoria has marked a week free from community transmission, recording no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
Reported yesterday: 0 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 6, 2021
- 15,784 vaccine doses were administered
- 27,498 test results were received.
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/KGNQ9hl90n
There were also no cases recorded in hotel quarantine.
There were 27,498 test results received yesterday, and 15,784 vaccines administered.
The state has just 24 active cases in the state.
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Jess Malcolm8.38am:‘No other option’ with number of infectious in community
Infectious diseases expert Catherine Bennett says the NSW government has no other option than to extend the city’s lockdown given the number of cases still spending time in the community whilst infectious.
There were 18 new cases recorded yesterday, 11 were already in isolation, five for part of their infectious period and two spent time in the community.
But Professor Bennett said the infectious community case numbers in recent days have been too high, and that the number needs to come down to zero to be able to open up again.
“Its about suppressing the chance that people are out mixing and infectious and don’t know it,” she told Sunrise.
“This moves so quickly from one person to the next that the health department is not only asking close contacts to quarantine immediately when they see an exposure site for example but also their families to do the same.”
Professor Bennett also disputed claims that the Delta variant was not as potent, but said it is not any more dangerous than any other variant.
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Max Maddison8.20am: ‘Stringent approval process behind slow rollout’
Deputy Nationals leader David Littleproud says the country’s slow vaccination rollout is the result of our vaccines being tested more thoroughly than the rest of the world, which he believes has inserted public confidence into the program.
With the vaccination rollout languishing, the Morrison government will turn to business leaders in a bid to take vaccines to workplaces, to augment GPs, pharmacies and mass vaccination hubs already delivering jabs.
But Mr Littleproud said the reason for the delayed rollout was stringent regulatory approval, which he said would eventually ensure more people received the jab.
“Many countries around the world are a couple of months ahead of us, because they’ve asked us to take a little bit more risks than what we’ve asked our citizens without having tested these vaccines as thoroughly as what we have,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News on Wednesday morning.
“And I think we can be proud of the fact that we’ve done this in a way that gives the Australian public the conference they can put their arm out for a jab.”
With tens of thousands of Australians still stuck overseas, a petition calling on the Queensland Premier to remain in Australia instead of travelling to Tokyo for the Olympics has amassed 30,000 signatories, but Mr Littleproud said the decision was a “judgment call” and he wouldn’t stoop to the “pettiness” of Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“I think we can be petty about this, but I’m not gonna act like the Queensland premier. I think Queenslanders have seen her actions and her pettiness and childishness towards the Prime Minister and national cabinet,” he said.
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Jess Malcolm8.15am:Pop in to Woolies, Bunnings for your vaccination
Woolworths and Bunnings could soon join the vaccination rollout by offering pop-up vaccination clinics in its stores.
The offer comes as business groups roll up their sleeves to pitch into the federal government’s vaccination rollout when larger amounts of supply arrives later in the year.
The supermarket giant said distribution facilities and regional shopping centres would be suitable places to distribute the jab in outer-metropolitan areas and 35 shopping centres in regional areas.
Woolworth’s Covid Response head Ross Spencer said that the company was open to the idea of offering facilities to governments for public vaccine pop ups.
“We’re also open to offering up our facilities to governments for public vaccine pop-ups if it’s helpful,” he said.
Bunnings have also said they would be willing, as the business has previously supported the government by hosting Covid-19 testing in some of the store’s car parks.
READ MORE: Kick off the doona and head out of iso
Jess Malcolm 8.05am:Plibersek: PM allergic to taking responsibility
Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek has taken aim at the Morrison government over the pace of the vaccination rollout, claiming that it should have leaned on business groups sooner.
Ms Plibersek seized on the low vaccination rates in Australia as NSW battles a surge of cases in the highly infectious Delta variant.
“I can’t believe this is the first time the government is having conversations with business leaders about workplace vaccinations,” she told the ABC.
“We saw yesterday local government workers have been given leave to get vaccinated if they are in frontline positions.
“We have heard calls for pharmacists and others to be included in the vaccination rollout. All of this has to be on the table.”
Ms Plibersek also said the Prime Minister was “allergic to taking responsibility” amid recent allegations about the workplace culture of Parliament House by former Liberal MP Julia Banks.
“As Prime Minister, you can lead with courage. What we see from Scott Morrison is the opposite. You see him gaslighting Julia Banks and before Julia Banks, Brittany Higgins, you see him running from responsibility.”
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Max Maddison8.00am: NSW, Victoria lockdowns ‘chalk and cheese’
Josh Frydenberg says the lockdown experience of NSW and Victoria is like “chalk and cheese”, as he turns to business leaders to be “willing and able” partners in a ramped up vaccination rollout.
Gladys Berejiklian will extend the Greater Sydney lockdown for a third week on Wednesday with daily cases remaining persistently high, but the Treasurer rejected attempts to compare the experience of Victorians and NSW.
“Well the experiences of Victoria and NSW are like chalk and cheese,” Mr Frydenberg told ABC’s Radio National.
“If you want to talk about the length of lockdown in Victoria, it’s been more than 150 days, and it’s been less than 50 days across parts of NSW. Kids have been kept out of school in Victoria for more than 21 weeks, whereas just 29 days in New South Wales.”
With the Treasurer and Covid-19 Taskforce Commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen to meet with business leaders on Tuesday, in a bid to bring vaccinations to employees in their place of work, Mr Frydenberg backed some of Australia’s largest companies to deliver at the time of need.
“These businesses have real resources at their disposal, whether its premises logistics, community engagement strategies or broader communication strategy, and they will be really willing and able partners for the federal government as they have been from day one of this pandemic,” he said.
“They’re all prepared to roll their sleeves up in this very much team Australia moment.”
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Jess Malcolm7.45am: Victoria risks becoming rust bucket of Oz: Kennett
Former Premier Jeff Kennett says Victoria runs the risk of becoming “the rust bucket of Australia” calling for more flexibility in its public health response to Covid-19.
The comments come after both the Australian Formula One Grand Prix and MotoGP were cancelled by the Victorian government, sparking fears the decision could damage the city’s reputation as a sports capital.
Mr Kennett says the government must stop cancelling major sporting events and find a way to keep the economy open.
“The trouble is we are so locked in, we show no flexibility whatsoever and that rule of being vaccinated and then tested and being negative should apply to Australians coming home,” he told the ABC.
“We are depressing the community and of course we are destroying our reputation as the sporting capital, not only of Australia, but of the world in terms of what we have been able to offer in the past.”
Mr Kennett also said the Australian Open could also be in jeopardy unless a more flexible protocol was established.
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Jess Malcolm 7.12am:Corporates can ‘supercharge vaccine rollout’
Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott says corporate Australia can help “supercharge” the vaccination rollout and help take pressure off the public health system when the vaccine supply arrives.
Josh Frydenberg and Lieutenant-General John Frewen will host a virtual meeting with CEOs and business leaders today to work out how to get more vaccinations across a broader spectrum of the population.
Leaders are set to discuss workplace vaccination schemes and plan how businesses help distribute the large numbers of Pfizer and Moderna expected to arrive later this year.
Ms Westacott said business should play an important role in the vaccination rollout by leaning on resources that are already in place.
“We believe this will play a huge role in supercharging the rollout,” she told RN Breakfast. “We can set up mass vaccination in convenient centres, we can give it through our teams through accredited providers like we do every year for the flu vaccines.”
“Our role is to take pressure off the health system. If we have 20,000 people vaccinated in our system that’s 20,000 people a week that’s not going to their GP or in the public system.”
Ms Westacott said the rollout was essential to help the country stop going into lockdown and keep the country open.
“Lockdowns cost businesses a lot,” she said. “This is about reminding people, the Australians who work in a business, to make sure people are working, it’s in the national interest.”
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Jess Malcolm6.55am:Vaccine, not herd immunity can open borders: expert
Infectious diseases expert Emma McBride says Australia could reopen its border before reaching herd immunity by not necessarily eliminating the virus but by using vaccination to reduce the serious risk of hospitalisation or death.
The federal government is expected in the coming weeks to announce a vaccination threshold to enter its “post vaccination phase” in its four-step plan to emerge from Covid-19 lockdowns and border closures.
But Professor McBride has told the ABC the borders could be opened once the majority of vulnerable people are vaccinated against Covid-19.
“My personal view is herd immunity is not an all or nothing thing,” she said.
“Herd immunity is ensuring there is essentially no risk to people, vaccinated or unvaccinated, of getting Covid.
“The risk may be a manageable risk and it will certainly take the burden off the health system if we can ensure that the majority of people, particularly the most vulnerable and the over-60s, if the majority are vaccinated, we may be able to open up our borders!”
She said the vaccination rollout must prioritise and ramp up to vaccinate the elderly, as vaccination will protect vulnerable people from getting very sick from Covid-19.
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Anne Barrowclough6.45am:UK daily cases set to rocket after restrictions axed
The number of new daily cases in the UK is set to treble to 100,000 after all restrictions are dropped on July 19, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has admitted.
But Mr Javid insisted opening “was not a gamble” because high rates of vaccination meant the link between becoming infectious with the coronavirus and hospitalisation was broken
Mr Javid also announced that from August 16, adults in England who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will no longer need to self-isolate if they are in close contact with a positive case.
Instead they will need to take a test and isolate only if they are found to be positive, he told parliament.
The same rules will apply to under-18s, who are not yet receiving vaccinations in Britain, Mr Javid added. The rules will come in ahead of the return to school for the September term, after months in which entire classes have been sent home to the fury of parents.
With AFP
READ MORE: Hope that vaccines immunise the economy
Jess Malcolm6.30am: NSW Health warns of multiple exposure sites
NSW Health has issued a lengthy list of exposure sites overnight, sparking concern a high number of cases have spent time whilst infectious in the community could be announced today.
The venues come as the state recorded 18 new cases yesterday, including a sixth resident at SummitCare’s Baulkham Hills aged care facility. The fully vaccinated woman was the wife of an already announced case, and had been transferred to Westmead Hospital as a “precautionary measure”.
NSW Health was also forced to issue an apology yesterday after allowing students from a prestigious school in Sydney’s north to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Year 12 students at St Joseph’s College received it despite not yet being eligible for the vaccine which is only open to people over 40.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERN AND TRANSPORT ROUTESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 6, 2021
NSW Health is reminding the public of its advice for a number of key venues of concern across Sydney. These venues were visited by confirmed cases of COVID 19 and transmission occurred. pic.twitter.com/yyj33twPFV
Multiple shopping outlets, a church and a Toongabbie construction site are among the latest locations to be added to the growing list of exposure sites.
Roselands Commonwealth Bank has been added to the list with anyone who visited the branch between 8am to 5pm on Monday June 28 and Tuesday June 29 and from 8am to 3pm on Wednesday June 30 identified as a close contact.
AJ & PM Sales, Kirrawee Trade in Kirrawee, Coles and TG Farm Chickens in Hurstville, JD Sports in Wetherill Park, Bonnyrigg McDonald’s, the Woolworths in Bonnyrigg and Hillsdale, St. George Bank in Riverwood, Big W in Menai and Bondi Beach Harris Farm have also been added to the list.
Shoppers at Westfield Hurstville other than TG Farm Chickens have been put on high alert, with anyone who attended on Saturday July 3 between 1.30pm to 2.20pm asked to monitor for symptoms.
The alert comes as the NSW government has decided to extend the Sydney-wide lockdown for another week until at least July 16, with a raft of restrictions set to remain in place even in regional areas.
Tuesday 6 July – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 6, 2021
1 new locally acquired case, linked to Alpha cluster and in home quarantine
5 new overseas acquired cases.#covid19pic.twitter.com/DkRDRoaVG2
Queensland recorded just one new locally acquired case yesterday which was already linked to the emerging alpha cluster. The new case was a student nurse doing a placement in a hospital but health authorities said the new case was “low risk” as she had no symptoms but had been in isolation.
Health authorities in multiple states and territories have contained outbreaks across the country, as South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, the ACT, Victoria and West Australia all recorded no new locally acquired cases yesterday
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Yoni Bashan6.15am:Exclusive school jumped Covid jab queue
More than 160 students at an elite private boys’ school in Sydney were given the sought-after Pfizer vaccine after the school asked health officials to inoculate a cohort of vulnerable students.
NSW Health admitted on Tuesday it had made an mistake, following revelations that 163 students at St Joseph’s College in Hunter’s Hill received their first dose of the vaccine in May, angering the NSW Teachers Federation, which said teachers should be given priority access.
The school said it had sought the vaccines because a large number of student boarders were from rural, remote and Indigenous communities and may have been considered vulnerable to the virus. They are due to receive their second dose of the vaccine once the school term resumes.
The Pfizer vaccine is available only to Australians aged between 40 and 60 years old, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are eligible to receive it, provided they are aged over 16.
NSW reported 18 fresh cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, with 11 cases having contracted the virus while already in isolation. A further five cases had been in isolation for part of their infectious period, while two others had been active in the community throughout.
READ the full story
Natasha Robinson5.55am: Vaccine not as effective against Delta
Vaccinologists are downplaying the significance of an Israeli study that showed the Pfizer vaccine has reduced efficacy against symptomatic infection caused by the Delta variant.
But they say the evidence indicates vaccines are still highly protective against severe disease from most Covid variants.
Israel’s Health Ministry released data showing the Pfizer vaccine appears to largely prevent hospitalisation and serious illness from Delta, but has only 64 per cent efficacy in preventing symptomatic infection from it. Three months ago, when the Delta variant was less prevalent, Pfizer’s efficacy against symptomatic infection was 94.3 per cent.
The Israeli government has ordered studies into the need for booster shots in the wake of the data.
Nikolai Petrovsky, a Flinders University coronavirus vaccine developer and chairman of biotech company Vaccine, said the Israeli findings were not a surprise.
“What we consistently see across the board is that all of the current vaccines are not providing the same level of protection against the variants collectively as they did against the original strain,” Professor Petrovsky said.
“We don’t want to imply that vaccines are not working because they are still protecting against severe disease. But if we are talking about protection against asymptomatic infection or prevention of transmission, then it is increasingly clear the existing vaccines are not effective in these situations, particularly when they are dealing with the variants.
“Of course, just like flu vaccines, we know these vaccines protect mostly against hospitalisation and death. So it should come as no surprise that with Covid-19 we see the same thing”.
READ the full story
Charlie Peel 5.45am:Palaszczuk backed over Tokyo Olympics trip
Former International Olympic Committee vice-president Kevan Gosper says it is imperative that Annastacia Palaszczuk goes to Tokyo to make a final pitch for Brisbane to host the 2032 Olympics despite a growing petition calling for her not to go.
The Queensland Premier has been criticised over her plans to quarantine in a hotel after returning from Tokyo later this month after repeatedly calling for a reduction in hotel quarantine caps.
An online petition titled “Deny Annastacia Palaszczuk an exemption to leave Australia to attend the Tokyo Olympics” has attracted nearly 40,000 signatures since it was created last week.
Mr Gosper, a former Olympian 400m runner who is still an honorary member of the IOC and president of the Organisation of Sports Federations of Oceania, told The Australian that views about the government’s handling of the pandemic should not be conflated with the Games bid.
“I think people have allowed their feelings on other matters to get in the way,” Mr Gosper said.
“I think she should go, it would be most appropriate and it would be misunderstood if she didn’t go.
READ the full story
Yoni Bashan5.30am:Sydney told: Stay home for another week
More than five million Sydneysiders will remain in lockdown for an additional week after a NSW crisis cabinet meeting agreed to extend citywide Covid-19 restrictions until at least July 16.
The extension of the lockdown – originally due to expire on Friday – will also leave students in Sydney learning from home when schools return on Tuesday.
The decision, to be announced on Wednesday, followed a meeting of senior Berejiklian government ministers and health officials on Tuesday afternoon.
There will be no easing of restrictions, even in regions with no Covid-19 cases, despite some Coalition MPs urging Premier Gladys Berejiklian to ease the lockdown in their electorates.
Ms Berejiklian is also expected to outline plans in coming days for a longer-term strategy for NSW to remain open as vaccination rates increase, avoiding the need for further lockdowns or restrictions.
That plan is being developed by Deputy Premier John Barilaro and other senior ministers, although one official told The Australian on Tuesday that it was “a long way from being settled”.
READ the full story
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