Coronavirus live news Australia: Infected woman flew to Rockhampton; Young ‘driving’ Sydney outbreak after 239 new cases
A positive case who flew from Brisbane to Rockhampon while infectious with Covid-19 on July 28 has sparked frantic contact-tracing.
- Jab plea amid 239 NSW cases
- Queensland’s worst virus day in a year
- Victoria records four new cases
- More Qld schools on alert: teacher, student infected
- AFL, NRL pull off the impossible
- Eight arrested as NSW stamp out protest
Welcome to The Weekend Australian’s live coverage of the coronavirus crisis and national response.
Authorities reveal young Sydneysiders are the group driving the city’s worsening Covid-19 outbreak amid 239 new cases.
As NSW records 239 new cases, authorities have revealed young Sydneysiders are the group driving the city’s worsening Covid-19 outbreak. Queensland’s nine new local cases of Covid-19 are linked to the Indooroopilly cluster, as the state enters its first full day of lockdown. Meanwhile, both the NRL and AFL have pulled off the seemingly impossible to keep both codes going.
Yoni Bashan11.15pm:Lockdown state in ‘five-week race to freedom’
Federal health officials believe NSW is on a trajectory to hit 70 per cent vaccination cover in as little as five weeks, with Gladys Berejiklian tying the relaxation of Sydney’s lockdown to hitting significant inoculation targets.
“Once you get to 50 per cent vaccination, 60 per cent, 70 per cent, that triggers more freedoms. We can turn this around in four weeks,” the NSW Premier said after the state reported a record 239 Covid-19 cases on Sunday.
With more than 82,000 doses distributed in 24 hours, commonwealth officials are more optimistic that weekly vaccinations in NSW could rise to 650,000, paving the way for the 70 per cent cover level to be hit in September.
At the current trajectory of about 450,000 doses weekly, however, NSW would reach the 80 per cent cover figure used by Ms Berejiklian as the threshold for a return to pre-pandemic settings only in mid-November.
The push to accelerate inoculations in Sydney – and in particular the city’s southwestern and western suburbs hard hit by the current outbreak – comes as the scientist in charge of the nation’s Covid-19 road map said she was optimistic Australians would embrace the vaccine program.
“I am still optimistic that once we have really good supply, we won’t be facing the challenges we have and that we are seeing in some countries overseas,” said Sharon Lewin, the director of Melbourne’s Doherty Institute.
Jamie Walker 10.30pm:‘Carrot beats stick’ on vaccine hesitancy
The scientist in charge of benchmarking Covid vaccine take-up for the federal government believes hesitancy over the jab is fading, averting the need for coercive measures to drive the rollout.
Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin said the “carrot” of incentives for people to get inoculated should take precedence over mandating it.
But echoing calls by business leaders for the option to be examined, she said compulsory vaccination could be required if the rate in Australia continued to lag other developed nations.
“My view is the carrot is the best way to do it,” Professor Lewin told The Australian. “You offer incentives for vaccinated people – greater freedom, travel opportunities – which is medically justified rather than make it mandatory.
“But, you know, we may end up in a position where mandatory vaccination may be needed. So I agree it should be discussed.
“I am still optimistic that once we have really good supply we won’t be facing the challenges we have and that we are seeing in some countries overseas.”
The Melbourne-based Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity developed the vaccination targets underpinning Scott Morrison’s phased plan to move past lockdowns.
John Ferguson 9.45pm: PM faces hostility over state ‘bias’
Scott Morrison’s attempts to stitch together an election win are being compromised by hostility towards his leadership in Victoria.
Focus groups conducted in Melbourne’s outer suburbs are reporting parochial anger over his perceived bias towards NSW, amplified by Labor’s claim he is the “Prime Minister for NSW”.
Political strategy company Redbridge has reported significant angst over his handling of the pandemic, with the deteriorating NSW situation and the incoherent vaccination rollout exacerbating voter concerns.
The focus groups also are highlighting a rejuvenation of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’s standing; respondents said he had largely acknowledged the mistakes but believed he was doing his best in difficult circumstances.
One member of a focus group panel accused Mr Morrison of “playing chess with our lives” while others lamented the perception that Mr Morrison was strongly allied to NSW Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
The groups were conducted last week and the week before, mirroring views held by senior strategists on both sides of politics about the state of play in Victoria.
Senior Morrison government figures believe the Prime Minister’s fortunes will improve dramatically once larger numbers of Australians are double vaccinated.
Greg Brown9pm:Bowen to skip parliament
Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen will miss parliament for the first time in 16 years as he spends the week in his locked-down electorate in Sydney’s southwest, declaring he wanted to be in his community, which is the “epicentre” of the Covid outbreak.
Mr Bowen is among dozens of MPs who will be missing from parliament this week, with the House of Representatives likely to have between 70 to 80 members, down from the usual 151.
The Senate is expected to have about 50 people in the chamber, down from a full capacity of 76.
Mr Bowen — whose electorate of McMahon is among the worst impacted from Sydney’s Covid outbreak — said he planned to make speeches to parliament via zoom. He is not able to vote on legislation or motions.
“It is in some way a hard decision not to go and in some ways an easy decision. It is the first sitting I have missed in 16 years, apart from paternity leave,” Mr Bowen told The Australian.
“I’ve got a community at the epicentre here. Everyone uses their own judgment but my judgment was I couldn’t leave them at this point.
“I certainly hope to make a speech about my electorate. And if there are other opportunities, I will certainly be participating that way.
John Ferguson8.15pm:Pandemic fat cats dine out on taxpayer
Millions of dollars were splurged on pot plants, morning and afternoon teas, psychologists, work-from-home allowances and overtime in the pandemic response across Victoria’s Department of Premier and Cabinet.
The government also provided some bureaucrats with “staff recognition” Visa cards, UberEats vouchers and gift cards as part of publicly funded incentive programs.
New figures show nearly $3.4m was pumped into the department for such expenses as a brass quartet and jazz trio and to hire pot plants and keep them alive during 2020.
Geoff Chambers7.30pm:Election ‘will be a logistical nightmare’
The Australian Electoral Commission is facing a logistical nightmare ahead of the country’s first pandemic federal election, with new Covid-19 protocols set to delay counting of votes and dramatically increase costs.
The AEC is preparing for multiple scenarios in the event parts of the country are locked down, fresh outbreaks of the Delta strain emerge and vulnerable Australians are impacted by restrictions.
With voting sites, count centres and 100,000 temporary election workers being finalised before polling day, the AEC is expected to follow a similar model to last year’s federal by-elections in Eden-Monaro and Groom.
Work is under way to source vote screen inserts, which will be placed inside booths and regularly cleaned to stop virus spread.
The AEC is also expected to use measures including asking voters to bring their own pen or pencils to vote, and have sneeze shields, sanitisers and social distancing rules in place.
In the event of lockdowns, the AEC is bracing for a spike in postal and pre-poll voting, which combined with Covid-19 logistic pressures will delay vote counting.
Jess Malcolm 6.45pm:Infected woman flew to Rockhampton
Queensland health authorities are urgently tracing all contacts of a positive case who flew from Brisbane to Rockhampon whilst infectious with Covid-19.
The woman flew on QF2362 at 8.30am on July 28 and returned to Brisbane on QF2365 at 6.40pm on July 30.
She was an external contractor working on the Rookwood Weir project, and was travelling for work.
All workers on the project have been asked to isolate and Queensland Health are racing to trace all other contacts on the flight.
“Work on site has stopped and workers have been isolated in their rooms for 14 days of quarantine,” Queensland Health said in a statement.
“Other workers from the Rookwood project who have left the site have also been contacted and told to isolate for 14 days.”
READ MORE:WA Premier’s threat to ‘go it alone’ slapped down
AFP6.35pm: Cambodia begins jabs for teens
Cambodia began a roll out of Covid-19 vaccinations for teenagers in its capital, Phnom Penh, and three provinces on Sunday, with Premier Hun Sen’s grandchildren among the first to get the jab.
Several countries in Southeast Asia are experiencing a deadly Covid-19 resurgence largely driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, which has set back the region’s successes last year in curbing pandemic tolls.
While Cambodia appeared to have escaped the brunt of the virus last year, an outbreak first detected in February has steadily driven up the caseload to nearly 78,000.
On Sunday, the kingdom began vaccinating children between the ages of 12 to 17, starting the campaign in its capital Phnom Penh, as well as in the three hardest-hit provinces of Kandal, Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk.
“The vaccination for children today is a key step to herd immunity in communities,” said the Cambodian leader.
“Children are like bamboo shoots. If the health of children is damaged now, we won’t have good bamboos.”
Earlier in the day, he watched as doctors administered the Chinese-made Sinovac to his grandchildren.
They will be among the two million teenagers expected to be vaccinated, Hun Sen said, adding the kingdom is mulling inoculating children aged 10 and 11.
Several countries in Europe — such as Denmark, France and Lithuania — have begun vaccinating children in a bid to faster reach herd immunity.
Cambodia’s mass inoculation campaign has seen more than seven million people out of the 10 million eligible recieve the UK-produced AstraZeneca, the US-donated Johnson & Johnson, or the Chinese-made Sinovac and Sinopharm jabs.
READ MORE: Victoria hits major vaccine milestone
Jess Malcolm6.20pm:New Queensland exposure sites
Queensland Health has added several new exposure sites as authorities race to clamp down on a growing Delta outbreak.
These new venues are in Sunnybank, South Brisbane, Spring Hill, Chapel Hill, Wilston, Milton, Taringa, Indooroopilly, Pullenvale, Moggill, Bellbowrie and St Lucia.
The update comes after the state recorded nine new cases, all locally acquired and under investigation.
âš ï¸ Public Health Alert âš ï¸
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) August 1, 2021
New contact tracing locations:📠Pullenvale 📠Moggill 📠Bellbowrie 📠Wilston 📠St Lucia📠public transport sites
Full details can be found at: https://t.co/rujm8F3qL4pic.twitter.com/pjrGgMtFUG
READ MORE:Police assaulted during Covid arrest
Jess Malcolm5.50pm:New exposure list revealed
NSW Health has revealed a string of new exposure sites, including medical centres, supermarkets and restaurants.
Katsuya Japanese restaurant in Campsie has been added to the list, after a positive case presumably worked at the venue from 6am to 10pm for 10 consecutive days.
Anyone who visited the restaurant from Monday, July 19, to Wednesday, July 28, must get tested and isolate for 14 days.
A Chemist Warehouse in Burwood, Ali Group Supermarket in Campsie and Myhealth Medical Centre in Rhodes have become close-contact venues.
NSW Health has also added GRAM Engineering in Smithfield, Quantum Radiology in Bankstown, Woolworths Brookvale, Astley Mobility Pharmacy in Pennant Hills and the Bondi Junction post office as casual contact venues.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 1, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new and updated venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/LeQwLb9NcB
READ MORE:Health pass fuels French protests
AFP 5.35pm: Chinese cities test millions as virus cases surge
Chinese cities rolled out mass testing of millions of people and imposed fresh travel restrictions as health authorities battle to contain the country’s most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months.
China reported 75 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, with 53 local transmissions. A cluster linked to an eastern airport reportedly spread to more than 20 cities and more than a dozen provinces.
The outbreak is geographically the largest to hit China in several months after the country’s successes in largely snuffing out the pandemic within its borders last year.
That record has been thrown into jeopardy after the fast-spreading Delta variant broke out at Nanjing airport in eastern Jiangsu province last month.
Authorities have now conducted three rounds of testing on the city’s 9.2 million residents and placed hundreds of thousands under lockdown, in an effort to curb an outbreak Beijing has blamed on the highly-contagious Delta variant and the peak tourist season.
Officials are now scrambling to track people nationwide who recently travelled from Nanjing or Zhangjiajie, a tourist city in Hunan province, which has locked down all 1.5 million residents and shut all tourist attractions.
Fresh cases were reported Sunday in Hainan island — another popular tourist destination — as well as Ningxia and Shandong provinces, authorities said.
The country is also battling a separate rise in cases in the flood-ravaged city of Zhengzhou in Henan province after two cleaners at a hospital treating coronavirus patients coming from abroad tested positive.
A total of 27 locally transmitted cases have been detected, with authorities ordering mass testing of all 10 million residents. The head of the city’s health commission has also been sacked.
And after reports that some people sickened in the latest cluster were vaccinated, health officials have said this was “normal” and stressed the importance of vaccination alongside strict measures.
“The Covid vaccine’s protection against the Delta variant may have somewhat declined, but the current vaccine still has a good preventative and protective effect against the Delta variant,” said Feng Zijian, virologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 1.6 billion vaccine doses have so far been administered nationwide as of Friday, Beijing’s National Health Commission aid. It does not provide figures on how many people have been fully vaccinated.
READ MORE: Delta variant’s threat to the unvaccinated
Jess Malcolm4.52pm:Police stop illegal convoy protest in Sydney
NSW Police have issued infringement notices to the occupants of five vehicles who allegedly attempted to participate in an illegal convoy protest in the Sydney CBD on Sunday.
The vehicles were caught as part of a high-visibility policing operation to enforce strict compliance to the stay-at-home public health orders.
Police were out in force on Sunday with more than 200 officers from the Central Metropolitan Region supported by police from the Public Order & Riot Squad, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command and Police Transport Command.
NSW Police said over 50 infringement notices and charges were issued for people failing to comply with the rules.
Police issue infringements following unauthorised vehicle protest – Sydney CBDhttps://t.co/FAICEYbQuT
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) August 1, 2021
Jack Paynter4.40pm: Only 10 positive Victorians vaccinated
Just 10 Victorians who tested positive for Covid-19 during the state’s latest outbreak were vaccinated against the virus, Brett Sutton has revealed.
A snapshot of the 204 coronavirus cases in Victoria between July 12 and 28 showed only 10 were fully vaccinated against the virus, the chief health officer said.
“Of those 10 positive cases who were fully vaccinated, none of them were hospitalised, all were either completely without symptoms or had mild symptoms,” Professor Sutton said.
Jess Malcolm3.44pm:Over 111,000 vaccine doses administered in last day
A total of 12,317,727 vaccines have been administered as part of the federal government vaccination rollout, with 111,043 doses given in the past 24 hours.
The commonwealth has administered 6,967,842 with 53,692 given in the past 24 hours up to Saturday night.
The states and territories have given 5,349,885 with 57,351 completed in the past 24 hours.
Victoria has administered the most with 1,646,952, followed by NSW with 1,495,209, Queensland with 918,359, West Australia with 505,634, South Australia with 392,942, Tasmania with 161,592, ACT with 138,511 and the Northern Territory with 90,686.
A total of 6,444,859 have been administered in primary care clinics by the commonwealth, and 522,983 given in aged and disability facilities.
Evin Priest3.36pm:Sydney aged care facility with outbreak named
Hardi Aged Care at Summer Hill has been revealed as the aged care facility in Sydney’s inner west that is experiencing a Covid-19 outbreak.
The facility, on Grosvenor Crescent, Summer Hill, has reported nine cases of coronavirus after NSW registered 239 local infections overnight.
Earlier on Sunday, NSW Ministry of Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty confirmed there was an outbreak at a Summer Hill centre.
“There is an outbreak in a Summer Hill aged care facility with, I understand, nine residents affected,” he said.
“Fortunately, many of those have been vaccinated. As I understand it, the ones with vaccination are doing relatively well.”
Terry McCrann3.20pm:‘Nation’s lockdown roadmap will come at a cost’
Queensland has confirmed what I wrote earlier in the week: all states will copy Victoria’s “Covid safe” template and move to a hard lockdown at the first sign of new infections in the community.
Indeed this was explicitly adopted as policy by the National Cabinet Friday. All states, territories and the federal government ‘locked it’ into policy, with the 70/80 vaccination triggers.
It is critical to understand how this frames the economic outlook at least into and probably all through 2021 – especially against what is likely to be greater volatility out of the two countries that matter most to us, and indeed the world: the US and China.
Courtney Walsh1.50pm:AFL anxiously eyeing Queensland exposure sites
The AFL is anxiously eyeing the growing exposure sites linked to the Covid-19 outbreak in south-east Queensland with a super Sunday of football underway.
The league was able to evacuate clubs out of Brisbane and off the Gold Coast on Saturday prior to the 4pm lockdown in Queensland to ensure the round continued.
As a result, five matches will be held on Sunday, with Melbourne currently in a dominant position over the Gold Coast in the first leg of a double-header at Marvel Stadium.
The Demons flew to Brisbane on Saturday, only to be turned around and sent home, with the Suns sent to Victoria for a match they were to host.
The Suns will spend the next week in Melbourne ahead of their round 21 match against Carlton.
Sydney and Essendon are due to play at the MCG later on Sunday, but both clubs were in Brisbane until midway through Saturday.
Players and officials from both clubs have recorded negative Covid-19 tests, but the growing exposure sites in the Queensland capital remain a concern.
The Swans and Giants lost players ahead of a clash on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago just minutes before the first bounce after Victoria elevated to the highest tier exposure sites they had been at when in Melbourne.
As a result, stars including Toby Greene and Callum Mills were forced into isolation for a fortnight.
Brisbane is due to play against Hawthorn after receiving permission to fly into Launceston.
They have been subjected to strict biosecurity protocols since their arrival.
Fremantle will play reigning premiers Richmond, which have been in quarantine for the past week in Perth, later on Sunday.
The Giants and Port Adelaide play the second leg of the Marvel Stadium double-header in a match beginning at 6.10pm.
The AFL is also working on next weekend’s schedule, with the events on Saturday certain to cause further disruption.
Evin Priest1.28pm:Young people ‘driving’ Sydney virus spread
NSW Health officials have put young residents on notice as the group who is driving the state’s Covid-19 outbreak after NSW recorded 239 new local cases on Sunday.
Concerningly, at least 35 were active in the community while infectious, Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed.
NSW Ministry of Health’s Jeremy McAnulty said residents younger than 30 were contributing heavily to the growing numbers, citing the fact there are seven people aged in their 20s in intensive care with Covid-19.
“Of the 55 in ICU, seven are in their 20s, five are in their 30s, two in their 40s, six in their 50s, 14 in that 60s and 10 in their 70s,” he said.
“It shows that the disease can be very serious in younger people as well is older people.
“We are concerned about young people, particularly 18 to 39-year-olds are driving a lot of the epidemic.
Tessa Akerman12.34pm:Victorian outbreak ‘shows power of vaccinations’
An analysis of Covid cases in Victoria’s recent outbreak has shown “the real power” of vaccinations, chief health officer Brett Sutton said.
Just 10 of the 204 local cases between July 12 and July 28 were fully vaccinated and 25 of the 204 had received at least one dose.
“Of those 10 positive cases, who were fully vaccinated, none of them were hospitalised or were either completely without symptoms or had mild symptoms,” Dr Sutton said.
Ten cases were hospitalised including a person in their 90s who had one dose and two people in their 50s who had also received one dose.
The unvaccinated hospital cases included a person in their 80s, a person in their 60s, a person in their 50s, one in their 40s, one in their 30s and two in their 20s.
Of the 204 cases analysed, 29 were eligible to be vaccinated but hadn’t received a single dose.
“We know this vaccine works,” Dr Sutton said.
“We know it reduces your risk of getting Covid, but especially of getting very sick from Covid and [there’s] increasingly compelling evidence from around the world where hundreds of millions, indeed billions of vaccines, have now been given globally.”
Dr Sutton said the United States had recorded 1263 ‘breakthrough deaths’ of people who were fully vaccinated but that was about one per 130,000 people.
“So if you’re a fully vaccinated individual, your risk of dying from Covid becomes exceedingly rare, so please, if you’re eligible, step up and get that protection,” he said.
“And if it’s time for your second dose, come back and get that full protection.”
Dr Sutton said he wouldn’t be able to change the minds of fervent anti-vaxxers but urged people who were hesitant to look at unvaccinated countries, speak to their GP and also reflect that, while Victoria currently looks great, the risk can change from one day to the next like in Queensland.
Victoria recorded four local cases yesterday, all linked to known cases and already in isolation.
Rhiannon Down 12.20pm: Melbourne apartment building plunged into lockdown
Victorian health authorities have confirmed that all four infections recorded in the state today have been linked to existing cases.
Two of the new cases were household contacts of Ms Frankies cafe patrons, one has been linked to the Young and Jackson pub outbreak and one is a household contact of an audience member at the Wallabies game at AAMI Park.
Reported yesterday: 4 new local cases and 0 new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 31, 2021
- 15,841 vaccine doses were administered
- 25,779 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/eg0SEKjuAj
Acting Covid-19 commander Naomi Bromley said residents of a Richmond apartment complex had been put on high alert after a case was linked to the building.
“We are now going to be supporting the residents of this building as they commence their quarantine period,” she said.
Ms Bromley said authorities were also chasing up potential close contacts linked to the Doncaster Woolworths with 147 messages being sent to shoppers.
In addition 362 out of 490 day six tests from LaCrosse apartment building residents have returned a negative result, as authorities continue to monitor the infection risk in the Docklands building.
“We are continuing to work closely with the residents of the LaCrosse apartments in the Docklands,” she said.
“Well over 1000 tests have been conducted at LaCrosse since the commencement of that work and we have completed day six testing.”
Rhiannon Down11.44am:Outbreak at aged care facility in Sydney’s inner west
Nine residents at a Summer Hill aged care facility in Sydney’s inner west have tested positive for Covid-19.
“There are a number of aged care facilities across the city that have been affected, with staff and residents infected,” NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty said.
“On a regular basis we are seeing cases in hospital settings or aged care settings and we have even had some disability settings as well.
“So there is an outbreak in a Summer Hill aged care facility with, I understand, nine residents affected.
“Fortunately, many of those have been vaccinated. As I understand it, the ones with vaccination are doing relatively well.”
Rhiannon Down11.41am:NSW Police issue 516 infringement notices in 24 hours
NSW Police have issued 516 infringement notices for Covid-19 noncompliance in the past 24 hours and made 38 arrests, as authorities urge Sydneysiders to comply with health orders.
Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing said police had responded to 1800 Covid-19 related jobs with almost 1100 online reports made to Crime Stoppers in the same period.
“Disappointingly, overnight a number of people involved in gatherings in breach of public health orders, 12 infringement notices were issued to people who gathered in a hotel in the city,” he said.
A further eight infringement notices were issued to a group of people who gathered at a private residence at Chipping North.
“That is simply not on,” Deputy Commissioner Willing said. “I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to remain within your LGA.”
“What you need to know is that if you are intending to attend a gathering like that, your neighbours are picking up the phone and they are telling the police and we are taking action.”
It follows a major police operation on Saturday to repress any anti-lockdown activity, after 3500 protesters swarmed the CBD last weekend.
Rhiannon Down11.19am:Some 222 people in NSW in hospital with Covid-19
NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty says 222 people were currently in hospital with Covid-19 across NSW including 54 in intensive care and 25 on ventilation.
“Of the 55 in ICU, seven are in their 20s, five are in their 30s, two in their 40s, six in their 50s, 14 in their 60s and 10 in their 70s,” Dr McAnulty said.
“It shows that the disease can be very serious in younger people as well as older people.
“Of the 54 in ICU, 49 were not vaccinated.
“One person had the first dose of Pfizer and four people had the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Breaking down by local health district, of the 239 cases, 110 were in the southwest area, 51 in Western Sydney, 69 in Sydney, three in southeast Sydney, four in northern Sydney and two in the Blue Mountains.
“The concern that everyone should come forward for testing but particularly in the suburbs where we have seen cases and transmission.”
Rhiannon Down 11.14am:NSW Premier calls on Sydneysiders to get vaccinated
Gladys Berejiklian says just 35 of today’s 239 cases were infectious and in the community, with the majority of infections taking place in workplaces and households.
“The one positive take out is that the virus has not been in the main, outside those eight Local Government Areas of concern,” the NSW Premier said.
“Having said that, we don’t want to see the virus spread further and we certainly don’t want to see households, whole households become infected because one person has brought the virus into the home.”
Ms Berejiklian called on Sydneysiders to get vaccinated as soon as possible as the nation pushes towards an 80 per cent vaccination rate.
“Today is August 1 and I am calling upon the people of Greater Sydney and greater NSW to come forward and get vaccinated,” she said.
“To get to the 70 per cent target we need 9.2 million jabs, to get the 80 per cent target we need 10 million jabs.”
Rhiannon Down11.06am:NSW records 239 new Covid-19 cases
NSW has recorded 239 local cases in the past 24 hours, with the source of 124 of those cases under investigation.
“Of these locally acquired cases, 115 are linked to a known case or cluster – 92 are household contacts and 23 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 124 cases is under investigation,” NSW Health said.
NSW recorded 239 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/q19fmK7JQf
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 1, 2021
It comes as 87,712 Covid-19 tests were received in the last 24 hours to 8pm last night, down from the previous day’s total of 105,963.
Greg Brown10.19am: Hazzard criticises WA Premier’s lockdown comments
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has criticised WA Premier Mark McGowan for suggesting the state could go its own way on the path back to normality.
Mr Hazzard said the states and territories needed to work together, after Mr McGowan said the state would reserve its rights to enact lockdowns even after 80 per cent of the population is vaccinated.
“I did hear one premier basically saying, ‘Well, we’ll run our own race’. It can’t be that way,” Mr Hazzard told the ABC’s Insiders program.
“Every state and every territory must get to those targets in order for that to be an effective outcome from the national cabinet, and to keep us all safe.”
Mr Hazzard said there was a “flood of AstraZeneca” but the vaccine had been undermined by mixed messaging from the Morrison government and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.
“We want more, a lot more Pfizer. And we aren’t getting that. But we understand there’s AstraZeneca. Everybody understands there’s a flood of AstraZeneca,” Mr Hazzard said.
“But the mixed messaging that’s come out of ATAGI and the federal government has not been helpful. It has definitely not been helpful. But having said that, I think the community are waking up that the one thing we can all do ...is have the vaccinations.”
Rhiannon Down10.09am:Nine new Covid-19 cases in Queensland
Queensland has recorded nine local cases of Covid-19 linked to the Indooroopilly cluster, as the state enters its first full day of lockdown.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles confirmed genomic testing had confirmed the new cases were due to the Delta strain, with the cluster now at 18 cases.
“This is the most number of new community cases, new committee infections we have reported in Queensland in almost 12 months,” Mr Miles has told a press conference.
COVID-19 update: 9 new community cases.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) August 1, 2021
If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, please get tested and isolate until you have the test result. You can find your nearest testing location at https://t.co/nwx1SHKhVhpic.twitter.com/miV4pOjUa5
“The last time we were at this level was August 2020. Of the new cases, for a link to a karate school attended by one of the cases we reported yesterday. That karate school is held at Ironside State School but is attended by children, other schools and their parents.
One of the new cases from the karate school is a student from Brisbane Boys Grammar.
“There is one case which is a household contact, a father of the boy at Brisbane Boys Grammar,” he said.
There are two cases linked to Indooroopilly State high School and two cases linked to Ironside State School.
chief health officer Jeannette Young said five schools were now affected by the outbreak, and the situation was ‘escalating rapidly’.
Mr Miles called for more Queenslanders to come forward for testing after just 11,468 tests were received in the last 24 hours.
“We need more Queenslanders, particularly in the southeast, to get tested,” Mr Miles said.
“While that is a high bar, a high turnout for a Saturday, in previous outbreaks that were not this serious, we were consistently testing more than twice that number. More than 20,000 in each day.
“We have lots of testing locations available right throughout the southeast.
“It is particularly important on the Sunshine Coast, whether the chief health officer is concerned there may be missing links between the cases that we are aware of.”
Rhiannon Down10.03am:Sydney man charged over firearms, Covid-19 breach
A western Sydney man has been charged with firearms offences and breaching Covid-19 health orders, NSW Police say.
Two men from the Blacktown LGA were seen riding quad bikes in Londonderry in the Hawkesbury region on Saturday at 4.20pm.
“Following further inquiries, police searched a white Toyota Hilux and located a black Glock-17 gel blaster air pistol allegedly inside a bag on the front seat,” NSW Police said.
“One of the men, aged 25, was arrested and taken to Windsor Police Station where he was charged with possess unauthorised pistol, possess unregistered firearm-pistol, and not comply with noticed direction re s 7/8/9 - COVID-19.”
The second man, 22, of South Granville, was issued with a $1000 fine for breaching health orders.
Rhiannon Down9.35am:Covid-19 party throwers face court
A group of five men have been charged with a string of offences including assaulting police, resisting arrest and breaching Covid-19 health orders at a western Sydney home following reports of an illegal party on Saturday.
NSW Police allege officers attended a Oakhurst home for a Covid-19 compliance check at about 4pm where they saw a “group of males drinking inside a garage”, who allegedly refused to provide identification.
“After informing the men of the possible COVID breach, the occupant – a man aged 44 – allegedly pushed an officer in the chest,” NSW Police said.
“While trying to arrest him, four male visitors allegedly became violent and attempted to hinder police, with officers deploying OC spray.
“All five men were eventually arrested and taken to Mt Druitt Police Station.”
The 44-year-old man was charged with two counts of “intimidate police officers in execution of duty”, assaulting a police officer, resisting an officer, and not complying with Noticed Direction Covid-19.
A 32-year-old Mt Druitt man was charged with assaulting a police officer, “resist/ hinder officer”, and not complying with Noticed Direction Covid-19.
A 33-year-old Leonay man and a 38-year-old Rooty Hill man were charged with “resist officer”, “resist/ hinder officer”, and not complying with Noticed Direction COVID-19.
A 30-year-old Hassell Grove man was charged with “resist/ hinder officer” and not complying with Noticed Direction Covid-19.
The 33-year-old man was refused bail and will front Parramatta Local Court today.
The other men have been bailed and will front Mr Druitt Local Court at a later date.
Anton Nilsson 9.33am:Revealed: Sydney suburbs with most Covid-19 fines
NSW police officers were handing out more than twice as many Covid fines to western Sydney residents than to those who live in the city and the eastern suburbs – even before the crackdown in the city’s west and southwest began.
Figures obtained exclusively under freedom of information by NCA NewsWire show that between June 25 – when the City of Sydney and three eastern suburbs council areas went into lockdown – and July 8, the day before NSW police launched a controversial “high-visibility operation” in Sydney’s southwest – police issued 251 penalty infringement notices to people living in the lockdown zone.
In the western suburbs they issued 572 PINS.
Sydney City had the most fines, 119, followed by Parramatta with 79 fines, Fairfield with 75, Liverpool 73, and Blacktown 71.
Greg Brown9.07am:Unvaccinated in for a rude awakening: Joyce
Barnaby Joyce has predicted private companies will begin refusing service to people who are not vaccinated from Covid-19.
The Deputy Prime Minister said business owners would likely not want to be responsible for unvaccinated people falling sick from the virus.
“People in private enterprise are going to say ‘look I’ve got rights here too’,” Mr Joyce told Sky News.
“If you want to come into my barber shop, or my childcare facility …then I have a right to say, maybe, have you been inoculated’?
“And if you say you haven’t, I have got a right as the owner of the shop to say I can’t have you sitting in a seat next to someone who has.”
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Christine Kellett8.32am:Victoria records four new cases
Victoria has recorded four new cases of local transmission from more than 25,000 tests.
All cases are linked to known outbreaks and were in quarantine during their infectious period.
There are now 161 active cases of coronavirus in the state.
Reported yesterday: 4 new local cases and 0 new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 31, 2021
- 15,841 vaccine doses were administered
- 25,779 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/eg0SEKjuAj
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Sam Schechner8am:Vaccine health pass fuels French protests
French protesters took to the streets for the third consecutive Saturday to protest new restrictions on people unvaccinated against Covid-19, a movement that threatens to complicate the country’s coronavirus response.
Protesters decrying what they called a “health dictatorship” and carrying banners and French flags reading “Freedom!” marched in cities across France, including Marseille and Lyon.
In Paris, police mobilised 3,000 officers across the city for four separate marches. In late afternoon there were scattered scuffles near Place de la Bastille with police, who threw teargas canisters into the crowd.
The weekly protests are a new challenge for President Emmanuel Macron, who said in mid-July that a health pass would be necessary to enter places like restaurants, as a way to avoid a new shutdown in the face of fast-rising coronavirus cases. The health pass is a scannable code to prove that an individual has been completely vaccinated against Covid-19, has recovered from it within the prior six months or has recently tested negative for it.
Dow Jones
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Christine Kellett7.20am:Chances of Qld lockdown lifting on Tuesday ‘low’
A Brisbane infectious diseases expert says it is unlikely Queensland’s snap lockdown will be lifted in just three days, with more Covid transmission among schools emerging as a concern overnight.
“I would think, with the number of additional cases overnight, the additional schools, that the chance of this ending after three days is fairly low,” Paul Griffin, Director of Infectious Diseases as Brisbane’s Mater Hospital, has told the ABC this morning.
“But, of course, we need everyone to do the right thing so that we can get on top of it as quickly as possible and be out of lockdown as soon as it’s appropriate.”
Chief health officer Jeannette Young yesterday admitted authorities did not yet know how far the virus had been spread, as a lockdown was enacted for 11 council areas stretching from the Gold to the Sunshine coasts.
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Staff writers6.30am:Queensland wary of more Delta cases on Sunday
More cases of community-spread Covid cases in southeast Queensland are predicted to be revealed on Sunday as the Brisbane-centred region enters its first full day of its strictest restrictions so far of the pandemic, putting millions more Australians under lockdown.
It is currently due to end on Tuesday afternoon but may be extended.
Three other Brisbane high schools on Saturday night told parents they had been touched by the outbreak. Brisbane Boys Grammar School emailed parents saying that a student had tested positive to Covid-19, warning anyone at the BGS Spring Hill campus on July 28, 29 and 30 was ordered into home isolation until further advice was provided directly by Queensland Health authorities, The Sunday Mail reports.
A parent has also tested positive at Brisbane Girl’s Grammar school, the ABC is reporting.
St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly also sent out a late email to parents saying the school had been identified by Queensland Health as a potential exposure site.
Health officials are on the hunt for missing links to the latest coronavirus incursion into Queensland, and chief health officer Jeannette Young has acknowledged the virus could be “anywhere” in the southeast, it says.
Authorities have warned to expect an “enormous” number of Covid exposure sites visited by the latest cases, with bus routes, supermarkets, chemists and a TAFE building among the new venues also added to the list.
Queensland recorded six new cases yesterday, an outbreak that has been traced to two returned travellers who were treated for Covid on the Gold and Sunshine coasts. It has not yet been established how one of the travellers managed to infect a Brisbane medical student who passed the virus on to an Indooroopilly schoolgirl.
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Patrick Lawnham6.15am:Postponed NRL matches to be played on Sunday
The NRL have produced a Super Sunday comeback — securing Queensland government approval to restart the competition with a triple-header at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium despite the snap lockdown.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman have used their persuasive powers and strategic nous to assure Queensland health officials the game is safe to continue under unprecedented protocols and empty stadiums after being forced into the extraordinary postponement of three matches on Saturday, News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom reports.
The NRL’s revised round-20 schedule will also include two crucial matches on Monday night.
A triple-header without crowds at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday will kick-off with the Knights versus Raiders at 1.50pm.
Originally scheduled for Saturday night on Fox Sports, the much-anticipated grand final rematch between the Storm and Panthers will now be played at 4.05pm on Sunday.
The final match on Sunday will be the Dragons versus Rabbitohs at 6.25pm.
In order to make-up for Saturday’s postponed matches, Monday night football will return to Fox Sports with the Bulldogs playing the Titans at 6pm before the Sharks and Sea Eagles clash at 8.05pm.
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Courtney Walsh6am:New AFL schedule set for Sunday
The AFL has managed to baulk another Covid-19 challenge by hastily arranging the evacuation of clubs from Queensland and its southeast regional lockdown on Saturday.
All three matches due to be played in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast this weekend will instead be played on Sunday in Melbourne as a result.
At one stage on Saturday, the AFL had more charter flights in the air than West Coast had goals to three-quarter time in their clash against Collingwood at the MCG.
Brisbane have landed in Launceston but will be confined to their rooms ahead of a matching against Hawthorn on Sunday.
Melbourne is on a flight back to the Victorian capital after landing in Brisbane, only to be turned around after an extended stint on the tarmac awaiting instructions.
Port Adelaide was in Melbourne preparing for a flight to Queensland but instead will play the Giants at Marvel Stadium on Sunday night.
The Swans shared a flight to Melbourne with the Gold Coast Suns, while Essendon are also returning home after spending a fortnight in Queensland.
There will now be three matches in Melbourne in Sunday, beginning with the match between the Suns and Melbourne, with matches also played in Tasmania and Western Australia.
The Swans will play Essendon at the MCG at 3.10pm, while the Giants and Port Adelaide clash at 6.10pm will feature as the second leg of a double-header at Marvel Stadium.
AFL clubs and broadcast manager Travis Auld said it had been a challenge to rearrange three matches given the short notice ahead of the lockdown in Queensland.
“We thank each of the six clubs, players, venues, broadcasters, umpires, officials and ticketing agents for their agility and collaboration this morning as we worked through rescheduling the three games and we thank respective state governments for their ongoing support,” he said.
“While the pandemic will continue to challenge us, the health and safety of those in our game and the wider community remains paramount and we again thank everyone associated with the game for their continued support of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.”
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Nicholas Jensen5.45pm:Eight people arrested in Sydney crackdown
NSW Police issued more than 250 Penalty Infringement Notices and arrested eight people after thwarting a second anti-lockdown protest on Saturday.
At the conclusion of the operation, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the vast majority of infringement notices were issued to individuals for breaching the stay at home orders by travelling outside their LGA.
More than 70,000 vehicles were checked by police at 11 designated traffic points stationed on major roads leading into the city centre, and 42 mobile units deployed across our roadways.
NSW Police said a man in his 40s was arrested at a home in Oatley after travelling on trains outside his LGA without a reasonable excuse. He was taken to Kogarah Police Station, where charges will be laid.
A further operation is planned for tomorrow and officers will have an ongoing presence to ensure there are no further protests and that the community comply with the public health orders.
“Today’s activities demonstrate to the community that NSW Police will not tolerate actions that present a risk to public safety and our ability to stop the spread of COVID-19. We continue to ask the community to work with police to ensure compliance,” said Deputy Commissioner Lanyon.
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Agencies5.30am: Health, trade chiefs urge jab makers to spread help
Four of the world’s most prominent health, trade and financial organisations on Saturday implored Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to prioritise doses for poorer countries to combat the “acute and alarming shortage”.
A joint statement by the heads of the World Health Organisation, World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund and World Bank said countries which have progressed far in vaccinating against the disease should release doses rapidly in favour of less fortunate nations.
“We reiterate the urgency of providing access to Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments to people throughout the developing world,” they said.
“In the area of vaccines, a key constraint is the acute and alarming shortage in the supply of doses to low and low-middle income countries, especially for the rest of 2021.
“We call on countries with advanced Covid-19 vaccination programs to release as soon as possible as much of their contracted vaccine doses and options as possible to Covax, AVAT (the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust), and low and low-middle income countries.” Covax aims to get donor-funded jabs to poorer countries.
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