Coronavirus Australia live news: 50pc national jab milestone; NSW records 681 cases, 57 in Victoria
Australia reaches 50pc single dose vaccinations for eligible population and adds over 16s to rollout list as NSW hits new peak of 681 Covid-19 cases.
- Under 40s to join rollout
- 50pc national first jabs milestone
- NSW in record 681 cases
- Vic records 57 new local cases
- ACT has 16 new infections
- ‘Get vaccinated or don’t work’
- Jab spike in virus hot spots
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than half the eligible population has now had one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, as Australia’s vaccination rollout picks up pace
Covid-19 vaccinations will be available to all Australians over the age of 16 from August 30, with 16 to 39-year-olds joining the rollout.
NSW hits new peak of 681 cases, and regional NSW lockdown is extended until Aug 28. Victoria has recorded 57 new community acquired cases of coronavirus. The ACT’s 16 new infections take their total to 83.
The Morrison government has written to every nursing home operator in Australia warning that it will not extend the September 17 deadline for all staff to be vaccinated, despite about 100,000 workers not yet having had a jab.
AFP 11.30pm:Biden will get booster shot
Joe Biden says he and his wife, Jill, will get a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot, with the extra dose becoming available to all US adults from next month.
“We’re gonna get the booster shots,” the US President told ABC News in an interview that aired on Thursday.
Noting that he and the first lady had received their original vaccine back around the start of this year, Mr Biden said “it’s past time”.
With fears that the coronavirus vaccines may be wearing off and even more infectious strains like the Delta virus emerging, Mr Biden earlier announced that all American adults will be able to get a booster shot eight months after their last vaccination.
The boosters will become available in the week of September 20.
READ MORE: No Americans will be left behind: Biden promises
James Madden10.45pm: News chief urges bosses to champion the rollout
News Corp Australasia boss Michael Miller has penned an open letter to the country’s business leaders and owners, calling on them to champion the vaccination rollout as part of an urgent nationwide effort to “get Australia working again”.
Mr Miller, the media group’s executive chairman, warned that Australia was “falling behind”, with the country lacking a “clear path forward”.
“We have to urgently rediscover our Australian sense of purpose and unity, and show the world what a fully vaccinated, fully functioning nation can achieve,” he wrote in the letter.
“People who have already endured so much disruption and upheaval do not deserve to be kept in a state of isolation and uncertainty without a clear path forward. They, and the organisations they are part of, the schools they attend, the companies they work for, have to be able to get back to work as quickly as possible.
“Business is crucial to this success. The engine room of the economy cannot be stuck in suspended animation for a moment longer than necessary.”
Mr Miller said News Corp, publisher of The Australian, was actively encouraging and helping all its staff to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, adding: “We encourage all other businesses regardless of size or sector to take the same approach.
Greg Bearup, Paige Taylor 10pm: Regions pay price for city drug dash
Patient zero had form. It is believed the man who brought the pandemic to the NSW Central West – an outbreak that has grown to 169 – was a dealer returning from Sydney with a stash of drugs.
According to several sources in Dubbo, the man travelled to the Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt to pick up a package of amphetamines – where he was also infected with the virus – and that he then returned to Dubbo.
Early last week he was arrested in Dubbo on an outstanding warrant and taken to Bathurst jail, where he was held overnight. He was released the next morning and travelled 649km to Walgett on Monday, August 9, apparently stopping briefly at Dubbo along the way.
While he was in Bathurst jail he underwent a regulation Covid-19 test. The positive result was not known until after he was released from jail.
“If he’d not been arrested and tested things could be much, much worse than they are now,” a source in Dubbo said. “He could have been out in the community for many more days before it was discovered.”
As it is, things are bad enough. This one case has led to more than 60 children being infected and locked down regional NSW as cases spread west to Broken Hill and north to Bourke. Western NSW Local Health District chief executive Scott McLachlan said the majority of the new cases were infectious while in the community. However, as contract tracers do their work, the number of positive cases who were infectious in the community is declining each day.
Jess Malcolm9.20pm: New Victorian exposure sites
Victorian health authorities have announced a string of new exposure sities after cases ballooned by 57 on Thursday.
A bus between North Williamstown Railway Station and Newport Railway station has been listed as a Tier 1 site after a positive case caught the bus on August 11.
A McDonalds and Shell Coles Express in Lilydale have been added as Tier 2 sites, along with the Pacific Werribee Shopping Centre car park in Hoppers Crossing. Soul Origin cafe and Sushi Jiro in the same suburb were also deemed Tier 2 sites.
A busy Woolworths and 7-Eleven store in St Kilda were listed as Tier 3 sites, asking visitors to monitor for symptoms and get tested if they arise.
The Laverton metro train line was also exposed between Newport Station and Southern Cross Station on August 11 as a Tier 2 site.
Checked exposure sites lately? More have been published online at https://t.co/xojLvnrdjA including: pic.twitter.com/FVeI4HpfKa
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 19, 2021
AFP8.40pm: Iran deaths top 100,000
Recorded deaths from Covid in Iran passed the 100,000 mark on Thursday, the health ministry said, amid tighter restrictions nationwide to contain the spread of the virus.
In the past 24 hours, 31,266 people tested positive for coronavirus and 564 died, the ministry said. That brought total infections since the pandemic started to 4,587,683, and deaths to 100,255.
READ MORE:Sixteen new cases in ACT
AFP8pm:Pfizer declines faster than AZ: study
The effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 declines faster than that of the AstraZeneca jab, according to a study published on Thursday.
“Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech have greater initial effectiveness against new COVID-19 infections, but this declines faster compared with two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca,” researchers at Oxford University said.
The study, which has not been peer reviewed, is based on the results of a survey by Britain’s Office for National Statistics that carried out PCR tests from December last year to this month on randomly selected households.
It found that “the dynamics of immunity following second doses differed significantly” between Pfizer and AstraZeneca, according to the university’s Nuffield Department of Medicine.
Pfizer had “greater initial effectiveness” but saw “faster declines in protection against high viral burden and symptomatic infection”, when looking at a period of several months after full vaccination, although rates remained low for both jabs.
“Results suggest that after four to five months effectiveness of these two vaccines would be similar,” the scientists added, while stressing that long-term effects need to be studied.
The study’s findings come as Israel is administering booster shots, after giving 58 per cent of the population two shots of the Pfizer jab.
The US is also set to offer booster vaccines to boost antibody levels following concerns over declining effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The Oxford research also found protection was higher among those who had already been infected with the virus.
The study examined two groups of more than 300,000 people over 18, first during the period dominated by the Alpha variant, which emerged in Kent, southeast England, and secondly from May 2021 onwards, when the Delta variant has been dominant.
It confirmed that vaccines are less effective against Delta, which was first seen in India.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is the most widely offered in the UK, while those under 40 are offered Pfizer or Moderna due to blood clotting concerns.
READ MORE:Name change for AstraZeneca
Jess Malcolm 7.20pm:PM pledges a family Christmas
Scott Morrison has promised all Australians will be reunited by Christmas, despite suggestions some states would keep their borders closed even after high vaccination rates are achieved.
The Prime Minister said all states and territories had agreed to 70 and 80 per cent vaccination targets set by the Doherty Institute modelling. But WA Premier Mark McGowan has said the modelling would not necessarily change his approach.
Mr Morrison said WA had some “work to do” to get up to speed with the other states’ vaccination coverage, but insisted families would be together by the end of the year.
“That commitment was made by all the states and territories and when in your own state, if there are 70 or 80 per cent who are vaccinated, you are less of a risk to themselves and contracting the virus of transmitting it,” he told Nine’s A Current Affair on Thursday night.
“When they get to that level it is a very reasonable expectation that the leaders will follow through on the commitments they made. Let’s see what happens.”
Mr Morrison also said the federal government was leaving “no stone unturned” in its attempts to secure more vaccines, but celebrated the record high vaccination rates today.
“It really ramps up now over the next few months but we’re already achieving rates three times the number of people you can put on in the MCG in one day...That is an extraordinary outcome,” he said.
“It’s not how you start the race, it’s how you finish it and we’re finishing it very well.”
READ MORE: Sydney council forced to close playgrounds
Jess Malcolm 6.38pm:Football stadium construction worker tests positive
The Sydney Football Stadium construction site at Moore Park has been shut down after a worker tested positive to Covid-19.
An Infrastructure NSW spokesperson said officials had been notified of a positive case on Thursday and made the decision to close the site pending further advice.
“We have been notified of a worker at the Sydney Football Stadium redevelopment site has tested positive to Covid-19,” an Infrastructure NSW spokesperson said.
“The worker is currently in isolation and we are working closely with John Holland and NSW Health to ensure the safety of workers and the community.
“As a precautionary measure, the decision has been made to close the site pending further advice.”
Chris Merritt6.26pm:Melbourne curfew heading for the courts
When Premier Dan Andrews imposed this week’s curfew on Melbourne, barrister Vanessa Plain started receiving phone calls. Within days, it was clear that this curfew, like its predecessor, was heading for court.
Plain has received preliminary instructions for a legal challenge and it is easy to see why. Along with fellow barrister Jason Harkness she was part of the team led by Marcus Clarke QC that came close to victory last year when they challenged an earlier curfew.
They ran that case, known as Loielo v Giles, not because they wanted to imperil public health but for reasons that are hard to fault: during an emergency everyone needs to comply with the law.
Read more from Chris Merritt here.
Jess Malcolm6.00pm:Fresh public health alert for NSW venues
NSW Health has issued a fresh public health alert for venues exposed to Covid-19.
Anyone who visited the Woolworths Raymond Terrace on Wednesday August 8 between 7.20am to 10.50am must get tested and isolate until they receive further advice from NSW Health.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days:
Summer House Backpackers Newtown on Thursday August 12 and Friday August 13 all day.
Burger Urge in Dubbo on Saturday August 14 between 6.45pm to 7pm.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 19, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern across NSW that are associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/EFbhd2HsaX
Catie McLeod 5.45pm:BREAKING: Sydney unit block in hard lockdown
An apartment block in one of southwestern Sydney’s Covid-19 hot spots has gone into lockdown amid an outbreak.
Nine people from five different apartments have tested positive in the 12-unit block on Hill Street, Campsie, with all other residents ordered to quarantine for two weeks.
At least some of the positive cases have been transferred to hotels used by the Sydney Local Health District to isolate Covid-19 patients.
Healthcare workers and police are at the apartments where a pop-up testing clinic has been established for the other residents, all of whom have been deemed close contacts.
Jess Malcolm 5.30pm:AstraZeneca changes its name to Vaxzevria
AstraZeneca has changed its brand name to Vaxzevria after it was granted approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The company hopes the brand name change will help to smooth the pathway for Australians vaccinated with domestically produced AstraZeneca to travel internationally.
Vaxzevria is the brand name already in use in Europe and the UK, approved by the European Medicines Agency and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK.
With CSL originally using the previous name “AstraZeneca”, there was concern some countries may not recognise the Australian-produced vaccine, or that it would be seen differently to the same vaccine made overseas.
READ MORE:No jab, no funds: Biden
Jess Malcolm 4.58pm:Health worker jab spots taken in fraudulent vax scam
NSW Police are investigating a fraudulent vaccine scam system which saw 60 people book vaccination appointments reserved for healthcare workers last weekend.
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, police said the bookings were made through a NSW Health link circulating through social media application WeChat, with some users required to pay a fee before attending.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott condemned those responsible for the scam.
“I find it breathtaking how heartless and soulless this kind of scam is: it targets those who are the most fearful of the current pandemic and exploits their fears,” Mr Elliott said.
“I condemn those who think up these scams and hope the community will work with police to identify those responsible.
“In Australia you do not pay for a Covid vaccine,” he said.
NSW Police have launched Strike Force Alioth to investigate the scam, and are appealing to anyone who may have used the link to come forward.
READ MORE:Engaged couple punished for party
Adeshola Ore4.20pm:Vaccine program opens up Pfizer for young adults
Covid-19 vaccinations will be available to all Australians over the age of 16 from August 30, with 16 to 39-year-olds joining the rollout.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the federal government’s vaccination rollout would now be opened up to an additional 8.6 million Australians in that age group from August 30.
People under 40 are currently able to access the AstraZeneca vaccine with informed consent, but the PM’s announcement means that from August 30, Pfizer will be made available to them.
Mr Morrison warned young Australians that they were not yet able to book for a Pfizer jab.
“I want to stress, do not make a booking yet,” he said.
He said the government would announce when bookings could be made within the next week.
More than 50 per cent of Australians have now had a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Mr Morrison also said the government was taking the issue of vaccinating children seriously.
“I anticipated the ATAGI advice in an interim level to be available very soon,” he said.
Jess Malcolm3.35pm:Australia hits 50pc single jab milestone
More than half the eligible population has now had one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, as Australia’s vaccination rollout picks up pace.
There are now 10,359,796 people who have received one dose (50.2 per cent) and 5,815,832 people fully vaccinated (28.2 per cent).
A daily record of 309,010 vaccine doses were recorded across Australia yesterday, with NSW overtaking Tasmania in first dose coverage rates.
NSW, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and West Australia all broke record numbers of doses given in the past 24 hours.
NSW had the largest daily increase, recording 132,439 vaccines administered yesterday bringing its total number to 5,518,435.
Rachel Baxendale3.15pm:Digging down into Victoria’s mystery clusters
In recent days Victorian contact tracers have consolidated as many as a dozen clusters with no identified source of acquisition into what stands as eight key groupings as of Thursday.
Of the key groupings:
– Eight cases are linked to a West Footscray-based cluster which first emerged in a Maribyrnong man in his 20s who works at a warehouse in Derrimut;
– Two cases have been linked to a delivery truck driver who lives in Wyndham Vale in Melbourne’s outer southwest, and does not drive interstate;
– Three cases are linked to a City of Melbourne father who works at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and his son who is in Grade One at St Michael’s Primary School in North Melbourne;
There have been no new cases in the West Footscray, Wyndham Vale or City of Melbourne clusters for about a week.
– Seven cases have been linked to public housing towers at 480 and 510 Lygon Street, Carlton, including one new case on Thursday;
– 255 cases, including 44 of Thursday’s cases, have been linked to a cluster which emerged in an Al-Taqwa College teacher in her 20s and her optometrist partner, who live in Newport in Hobson’s Bay in Melbourne’s inner southwest. The partner worked at Caroline Springs Square shopping centre and played football at the Newport Football Club. A smaller cluster linked to a Melton family, as well as the Glenroy West Primary School cluster, have also been linked to the Hobson’s Bay cluster;
– Eighteen cases, most of which have not been linked to one another, are linked to the St Kilda, Middle Park and Caulfield areas. These cases include:
A person who lives in Middle Park and visited the South Melbourne Market and a string of sites in Melbourne’s inner south and southeast, as well as a case in a cleaner who lives in the City of Greater Dandenong, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, and works in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda;
Nine cases linked to a mother and her adult son from East St Kilda who attended an illegal Orthodox Jewish community engagement party last week. Three of these cases are new on Thursday;
A sex worker who is not believed to have worked while infectious, but is socially linked to a case in a City of Melbourne resident;
A case in a St Kilda resident without clear links to other cases;
– Four cases have been linked to a cluster which emerged in a teenager who works at a pizza shop in Malvern East and lives in Glen Iris. Authorities had previously grouped this cluster with the St Kilda cases, but Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said on Thursday contact tracers were exploring “other potential linkages” and were no longer connecting it with St Kilda.
– 12 other cases remain under investigation. These include six of Thursday’s new cases and six from previous days. Among the 12 are:
Two linked mystery cases in Altona North residents, identified in Wednesday’s numbers;
One case in a Glenroy resident, also identified in Wednesday’s numbers;
Three cases in Thursday’s numbers spread across three households linked to previous cases from recent days. No links have been established between these households;
Thursday’s three separate mystery cases in a Glenroy resident, an Ascot Vale resident and a Doncaster resident.
READ MORE: NZ says it has solved Covid outbreak ‘puzzle’
Rhiannon Tuffield3.10pm:Engaged couple and family fined thousands for party
Police have fined the organisers of an illegal engagement party in Melbourne’s southeast, after it was revealed a Covid-positive person attended the event.
The Caulfield North event, which had 69 guests, received widespread public attention last week after footage of the party was leaked publicly.
Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton said most of the guests would receive fines worth $5500 and revealed four people had already been fined.
“Two of those have been to the parents of the bride-to-be and two of those have been to the engaged couple as well,” Mr Patton said.
“The investigation is still ongoing, it’s obviously been hampered to a degree by the fact that they’re in isolation.”
READ the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale1.55pm:Treasurers extend business support for Vic lockdown
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, his Victorian counterpart Tim Pallas and Industry Support and Recovery Minister Martin Pakula have announced yet another round of business support for yet another lockdown extension.
The latest package is designed to cover businesses from the expiry of the current one at 11.59pm on Thursday, until the same time on September 2 when the current fortnight-long lockdown extension expires.
The package is worth $807 million and jointly funded 50:50 by the Andrews and Morrison governments, with the vast majority of funds to flow automatically to more than 110,000 businesses which have qualified for previous rounds of support.
The latest commitment brings to almost $2bn the joint state and federal business support funding provided during Victoria’s sixth lockdown.
Commonwealth Covid-19 Disaster Payment arrangements for Melbourne workers and eligible sole-trader businesses have also been extended to September 2 in line with the new restrictions period.
Since 1 July, almost $450 million in Covid-19 Disaster payments have been made to 330,000 Victorians.
Mr Frydenberg said the Morrison government would continue to support businesses affected by extended lockdowns in Victoria.
“We have worked collaboratively with the Victorian government to give businesses as much certainty as possible during this challenging period,” he said.
“The extended business support builds on the more than $45 billion in direct economic support the Morrison government has delivered to Victorian households and businesses during the pandemic.”
The Victorian government has provided more than $9 billion in direct economic support for businesses over the course of the pandemic, including $1.5 billion in cash grants paid to more than
98,000 businesses since the May/June restrictions period.
Mr Pakula highlighted Victoria’s Small Business Covid package, worth more than $250 million.
“We know there are businesses that have fallen through the cracks; businesses that haven’t qualified for support in the past but have nonetheless experienced dramatic impacts due to the pandemic,” he said.
“The Hardship Fund will support up to 18,000 businesses across the state – regional and metropolitan alike. We encourage businesses that believe they meet the criteria to make an application for support.”
More information about the business support programs is available at business.vic.gov.au.
READ MORE:Toddlers most likely to spread virus in home
Rachel Baxendale1.40pm:Breakdown of Victoria’s 57 new cases
As of Thursday, Victoria has 296 active cases of coronavirus, including 295 community-acquired cases, and one overseas-acquired case in hotel quarantine.
There are almost 12,000 primary close contacts, and 489 listed exposure sites.
Of 57 new community-acquired cases on Thursday, 44 were in people who had been in isolation for the duration of their infectious period, while a further 10 who spent time in the community while infectious are close contacts of cases identified in recent days, and three are mystery cases.
The 44 quarantined cases include:
– 38 cases linked to Al-Taqwa College;
– Three cases linked to Glenroy West Primary School;
– One case linked to Caroline Springs Square shopping centre;
– One case linked to the Newport Football Club;
– One case linked to the Newport community;
The 10 linked cases who spent time in the community while infectious include:
– One case in a close contact of a 510 Lygon Street Carlton public housing tower resident;
– Three cases linked to the St Kilda East Jewish Orthodox community;
– Three cases are household contacts of three other recently identified cases which are not linked to each other;
– Three cases are in close contacts of a teenager identified in Wednesday’s cases who worked at the Central Park Pizza shop in Malvern East.
The three mystery cases include:
– A Glenroy resident;
– An Ascot Vale resident;
– A Doncaster resident;
Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said the was “fairly confident” the Glenroy mystery case would be solved quickly, with some “potential leads”.
Mr Weimar said there was geographic proximity between the Ascot Vale case and two other previous cases, but no obvious links, while there are no clear links at all between the Doncaster case and any others.
READ MORE:Andrews weighs longer Melbourne lockdown
Rachel Baxendale12.45pm:Authorities track clues from wastewater tests
Acting Victorian chief health officer Ben Cowie said health authorities were continuing to see unexpected detections of Covid fragments in sewage from a range of sites around the state.
“While the (wastewater) testing program isn’t necessarily a smoking gun, it does provide a good signal and another line of intelligence for us to follow,” Professor Cowie said.
He said an unexpected detection in wastewater from the public housing tower at 480 Lygon Street, Carlton earlier this week had alerted authorities to a cluster of cases in that building and the neighbouring one at 510 Lygon St.
“Sometimes (wastewater detections) are the result of somebody who is shedding but no longer infectious. They have had Covid-19, cleared it, but we detect fragments of the virus in the wastewater,” Professor Cowie said.
“Sometimes, it is from a case that we know about who is safely isolating.”
“When we don’t know of any cases isolating in an area, that is when we call it an unexpected detection and we pay close attention.”
Victoria’s current unexpected detections include:
– Three repeat detections in Shepparton in north central Victoria between August 9 and 16;
– A detection in Lakes Entrance in Gippsland in Victoria’s far east, between August 8 and 11;
– Repeat detections in Ardeer, in Melbourne’s west, with a period of concern between August 11 and 16, and new detections in the nearby suburbs of Albion, Braybrook, St Albans, Sunshine, Sunshine North, Sunshine West and Tottenham with a period of concern between August 15 and 17;
– Three detections in southeastern suburbs including Dingley Village, Keysborough, Noble Park, Springvale, and Springvale South between August 11 and 17;
– Repeat detections in an industrial precinct in Sunshine West, where no one lives, but many people work, with a period of concern between August 8 and 17;
“We are at a point where, based on these repeat strong detections, it becomes more likely than not that someone who works in this area actually does have a coronavirus infection, and that is clearly of concern to get them tested not just so we can look after them and provide them with treatment, but to protect their colleagues and community,” Professor Cowie said.
Paige Taylor12.35pm:Cases spike in western NSW towns
The number of people who have contracted Covid-19 in the western NSW outbreak has climbed to 169 after people in Dubbo, Mudgee, Gilgandra and Bourke received positive test results on Wednesday and early Thursday. There have been 27 new cases, 21 of them in Dubbo.
Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders said four people were ill with Covid-19 in Dubbo hospital. For the first time, a Covid-19 patient in western NSW is in intensive care. Dubbo hospital is also caring for four children who have not tested positive for Covid-19 but are staying at the hospital to be near a parent who has.
Mr Saunders spoke at a press conference in Dubbo as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, international medical response team AUSMAT and the Australian Defence Force helped with urgent efforts to test and vaccinate people across the region which includes large numbers of vulnerable Aboriginal people.
Western NSW district health boss Scott McLachlan said the majority of the new cases were infectious while still in the community. However, as contract tracers do their work, the number of positive cases who were infectious in the community is declining each day.
From Saturday, people who do not have a Covid-19 vaccine booking can get a first or second shot by simply turning up at Pioneer Park in West Dubbo. It will be Dubbo’s first walk in clinic after The Australian revealed the bizarre vaccine arrangements in Dubbo that turned Wiradjuri elder “Riverbank Frank” Doolan away at one clinic on Tuesday. When The Australian drove Mr Doolan to another clinic in Manera – it was a 45-minute walk away – he was told he needed to make a booking online even though he has no internet and no email address. Mr Doolan eventually got his shot when the nursing unit manager, Cath Raidaveta, helped The Australian’s reporter Greg Bearup to make Mr Doolan’s booking using Bearup’s phone.
Mr McLachlan said newly-arrived vaccines and vaccination teams were making it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated. There was also a communications campaign to make sure people understood this.
Rachel Baxendale12.25pm:Vaccination stats for Victoria’s cases
Acting Victorian chief health officer Ben Cowie said the state’s public health team had analysed the vaccination status of the 529 locally acquired cases between July 12 and August 18.
Of the 529:
– 80 were eligible to be vaccinated but hadn’t been vaccinated prior to infection;
– 45 had received one dose of vaccination prior to infection;
– 23, or just under five per cent, were fully vaccinated at the time of diagnosis;
This means 461 of Victoria’s 529 coronavirus cases between July 12 and August 18, or 87 per cent, were in people who were not vaccinated.
It means that 381 of the 529 cases, or 72 per cent, were in people who were not eligible for vaccination prior to being infected.
Of 14 people currently in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus:
– Five were not eligible for vaccination prior to becoming infected;
– Nine were eligible but have not yet been vaccinated;
– None were either partially or completely vaccinated.
Professor Cowie said both Pfizer and AstraZeneca reduced people’s potential to contract and transmit coronavirus.
“The really critical point is that both AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines offer around 90 per cent protection against serious illness, hospitalisation and loss of life,” he said.
“That is for the Delta variant. These vaccines are so critical, so please make the appointment and get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible.”
Nicholas Jensen12.15pm:New Zealand reports 11 new cases
New Zealand has recorded 11 locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, after health authorities identified a return traveller from Sydney as “patient zero”.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the case arrived in Auckland on a managed red zone flight on August 7, and returned a positive result two days later, with genome sequence showing the case is connected to the NSW Delta outbreak.
There are now 21 active Delta cases in Auckland, including two patients in hospital. The other 19 cases remain in Auckland’s central quarantine facility.
Health director general Ashley Bloomfield confirmed 12 of the 21 new cases have been confirmed as part of the so-called Auckland cluster.
NZ Health is investigating a further eight cases that are expected to be part of the cluster.
Two people have been taken to North Shore Hospital overnight, with one experiencing “worsening symptoms”, and the other admitted with underlying conditions. Health officials say the two patients – one in their 20s, the other in their 40s – are in a stable condition.
Rachel Baxendale12.05pm:Premier Andrews criticises vaccine supply
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says that while vaccine supply “has been a real challenge” more and more vaccine is becoming available, with an additional 300,000 appointments announced over the past 10 days.
“In aggregate over the next week, we have some 26,000 bookings that are free, as I stand here right now,” Mr Andrews said.
“The split is 14,000 Pfizer, 12,000 AstraZeneca. There are appointments there, they are ready. The teams are ready to give you your jab.
“You just need to book and you can book with confidence.”
Mr Andrew said even more appointments would open up over the course of September with the arrival of further Pfizer supplies, and Moderna.
“But that is not a reason to delay. This is available now. Get online, book an appointment, turn up, and you will be processed as fast as possible.
“You will play a powerful part in keeping yourself safe, your family safe, and every Victorian safe. This is our way out in the long-term.”
Nicholas Jensen12pm:Berejiklian set to outline state’s Covid plan
Ms Berejiklian said the NSW government will provide an update next week on the extension of lockdowns and “what September and October will look like” for Greater Metropolitan Sydney, adding that officials are still considering their approach to schools.
“But, suffice to say, until we hit 70 per cent double dose and 80 per cent double dose, life will be challenging for us. And while we get to those high vaccination rates, we desperately want to see the case numbers come down.”
Ms Berejiklian also warned that, soon enough, other states and territories across Australia will need to learn to live with the Delta variant, saying that NSW is the first to confront the challenge.
“Because of our situation we are confronting this earlier than what we had hoped. But the challenge is that every state has to live with the fact that once you get to 80 per cent double doses, and your population is allowed to live more freely, the Delta variant will creep in because we are so connected.”
Regarding the imposition of stricter lockdown measures, Ms Berejiklian said her government remains open to any health advice and would be willing to enact different lockdown settings.
“If at any time the NSW government gets advice on what to do of course we’ll take that into account … We have no fear in taking any decision that we need to get the case numbers down. But I also need to make it very clear that the Delta strain works in ways other strains of Covid do not.”
Adeshola Ore11.55am:ACT records 16 new cases as outbreak hits 83
The ACT has reported 16 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the current outbreak to 83.
Of the new cases, 11 are linked to existing cases and five are under investigation. No cases in the ACT require hospitalisation.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said one of today’s new cases is linked to a childcare centre. Testing arrangements at the centre have been put in place.
Of the 83 total cases, nine are mystery cases that cannot be linked to other infections.
Mr Barr urged Territorians to stay at home or risk “living like Sydney for the rest of the year.”
“The lockdown needs to work, the restrictions need to stay as they are for the time being,” he said.
Mr Barr also welcomed the extension of regional NSW’s lockdown.
Rachel Baxendale11.50am:New cases ‘high’ but most in isolation
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says that while the state’s daily case number of 57 on Thursday “seems a very big number”, the vast majority – 44 – of those people have been in isolation for their infectious period.
Of 296 people in Victoria with active cases of coronavirus, 14 have been hospitalised, of whom three are in intensive care, with one of the ICU patients also on a ventilator.
“That’s exactly what we want, that is the system working exactly as it should work, and it goes to that point we have made a number of times that the numbers, yes they are important but the story that sits behind those numbers is in fact more important than the numbers alone,” Mr Andrews said.
He said many of the 44 cases in isolation would have to spend up to an additional fortnight in quarantine as a result of their positive tests – many of which were detected on Day 13 of their isolation as existing close contacts.
“ (Covid logistics chief) Jeroen Weimar can speak more deeply to the breakdown of where those Day 13 tests have come from,” Mr Andrews said.
“I would just say that as you move through the outbreak and its different stages, these are principally Al-Taqwa (College) students and close contacts, close personal contacts from that school outbreak.
“There will be other parts of this that unfold over coming days so we may see further cases that are exactly the same as a result of Day 13 testing.”
Rachel Baxendale11.45am:1200 jabs delivered at new Melbourne clinic
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said 1200 vaccine doses had been delivered in the first seven days of the Melton clinic’s existence.
The new Broadmeadows site will be soft launched this Sunday by invitation only, and will open to the public for booked appointments from Monday 23 August.
The Sandown Racecourse clinic will be adjacent to the existing Sandown Racecourse indoor vaccination hub and will run an invitation-only soft launch on Friday. It will open to the public for booked appointments from Saturday, August 21.
Combined, these sites will have 36 bays for drive-through but have the capacity to be ramped up if needed.
The new site at the Eagle Stadium in Werribee will have room for both drive through and indoor vaccinations.
“We’ll be looking to open this site towards the end of this week once more details have been worked through,” Mr Andrews said.
In addition, a pop-up vaccination centre opened yesterday at Peanut Farm Reserve in St Kilda.
“It is a walk-in, no-booking site designed for locals who are eligible for the vaccine. It administered 170 doses in its first two hours,” Mr Andrews said.
The St Kilda vaccination clinic has been opened after a number of cases were detected in the area in recent days, including one linked to a local sex worker.
Rachel Baxendale11.40am:Victoria settles on new drive-through vaccine sites
Victoria has determined the locations for its three new drive-through vaccination clinics announced last week.
The three add to the first drive-through clinic in Australia, which opened in Melton, in Melbourne’s outer northwest, on August 8.
The new ones will be located at the former Ford factory in Broadmeadows, in Melbourne’s outer north, the Sandown racecourse in Springvale, in Melbourne’s southeast, and Eagle Stadium in Werribee in the outer southwest.
Nicholas Jensen11.35am:Bondi man jailed after repeat breaches
Deputy police commissioner Gary Worboys urged residents to abide by the restrictions and follow instructions from NSW Health, after NSW Police issued 671 penalties.
More than half of the infringement notices were issued to residents who were out of their home “without a reasonable excuse”.
“This is concerning when you think about the messaging you hear every day here and through the media about people staying at home and not leaving home unless it is for essential regions.”
Deputy commissioner Worboys said Police arrested a Bondi man who travelled to Sydney’s southwest on four separate occasions despite warning from authorities.
“He was arrested and was taken to the police station and charged with that offence. He will be put before the courts. And here is a person that on four occasions blatantly disregarded the public health order.”
Adeshola Ore11.30am:ACT reports two cases near NSW border
Two new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Queanbeyan, near NSW’s border with the ACT.
Deputy Premier of NSW John Barilaro said it is understood the two people work in the ACT but live in the regional NSW town.
NSW Health has just informed me of two positive COVID-19 cases in Queanbeyan.
— John Barilaro MP (@JohnBarilaroMP) August 19, 2021
It’s understood the two people work in the ACT but live in Queanbeyan.
Contact tracing is underway and there are no public exposure sites in our region at this stage.
1/2
Nicholas Jensen11.25am:Majority of ICU cases unvaccinated
Deputy chief health officer Marianne Gale confirmed there are currently 474 cases being treated in hospital, with 82 patients in ICU and 25 requiring ventilation. Of the 82 patients in ICU, 71 are not vaccinated.
There have been 25 new cases recorded in western NSW, bringing the total number of active cases across the region to 167.
Five cases were also recorded in the Hunter New England area, with a total of 100 active cases in the area.
Dr Gale said it was pleasing that all five new cases could be linked to existing cases.
Nicholas Jensen 11.13am:Regional NSW lockdown extended to Aug 28
In response to rising case numbers in regional NSW, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the lockdown of rural NSW will be extended by one week to at least August 28.
Health authorities remain concerned as the Local Health District recorded 25 new local cases, with new cases emerging across Wilcannia and Dubbo.
“Things are settling down in other parts of regional NSW, which is positive, but concerns remain for western NSW,” said Ms Berejiklian.
Despite the new daily high in infections, Ms Berejiklian said she was pleased that NSW had administered 5.5m vaccinations, with the goal of 6m jabs opening the path towards more freedoms.
“I want to remind the people of this state that once we get to the end of October we expect 70 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated. Once we get to mid November we expect 80 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated,” she said.
“It gives enormous opportunities for greater freedoms than we have today.”
Due to ongoing concerns about community transmission, stay-at-home orders in place for regional NSW will be extended until at least 12.01am on 28 August, in line with existing orders for the Greater Sydney area.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 19, 2021
Nicholas Jensen 11.03am:NSW records new peak of 681 cases
NSW has recorded a new peak of 681 locally acquired cases with 59 infectious in the community. One man in his 80s has passed away at St George hospital.
Of the 681 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 291 are from Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 172 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 74 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 63 are from Sydney LHD,
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 19, 2021
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the areas of Merrylands, Guildford, Auburn, Granville, Lidcombe and Greenacre remain key areas of concern for NSW Health.
Remy Varga 10.45am: Victoria Covid update at 11.15am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, logistics chief Jeroen Weimar, acting chief health officer Dan O’Brien and Chief Commissioner Shane Patton will give a Covid-19 update at 11.15am.
Remy Varga10.40am:Vic hospital staffers stood down after positive test
At least 40 staff members have been stood down at Footscray Hospital in Melbourne’s inner west after a medical professional tested positive for Covid-19.
Western Health Executive Director of Operations Natasha Toohey confirmed on Thursday that a staff member who worked in the hospital’s medical imaging department on Monday has since tested positive.
Two cases of Legionnaires’ Disease have been detected in the Cranbourne East area. Symptoms are similar to COVID-19, so if you have been in the area from the start of August and develop flu-like symptoms, get tested for both conditions.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 19, 2021
More info: https://t.co/EtOBipqLYZpic.twitter.com/RDLhROj26H
“All patients who attended appointments during the potential exposure period are being contacted,” she said.
“At this stage 40 Western Health staff have been furloughed in relation to this exposure.
“Western Health has an extensive range of measures in place to protect patients and staff in line with Department of Health guidelines and as advised by our specialist infectious diseases and infection prevention staff.”
Contact tracing is underway and the source of the COVID-19 infection is not yet known.
READ MORE: ‘Super jab’ still out of reach
Nicholas Jensen 10.35am:Sydney tradies fined over Kiama worksite
NSW Police have issued infringement notices to eight tradesmen, after authorities found they had left LGAs of concern in Sydney and attended a worksite in Kiama.
Earlier this week, Lake Illawarra Police were notified of workers from Sydney who were staying in Kiama.
Police attended the address and spoke with the occupants, who were part of a construction team building an apartment complex in the area.
Thirty-three workers were present on the building site when police arrived to speak with project managers. Authorities issued eight infringements to construction workers who were found to be in breach of the public health orders.
NSW Police says these workers lived in declared LGAs of concern, including four from Bayside, two from Fairfield and two from Blacktown.
The infringements come after more than 730 penalty notices were issued by NSW Police on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Entire town told to get tested
Rachel Baxendale10.15am:Vic mystery clusters in six key groups
On Wednesday, Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said as many as a dozen clusters with no identified source of acquisition had been consolidated into six key groupings in recent days.
There are three new cases among Thursday’s 57 which are yet to be linked to a source of acquisition.
Of the six key groupings:
– At least 211 cases (and likely many of Thursday’s 57), are linked to an Al-Taqwa College teacher in her 20s and her optometrist partner, who live in Newport in Hobson’s Bay in Melbourne’s inner southwest. The partner worked at Caroline Springs Square shopping centre and played football at the Newport Football Club. A smaller cluster linked to a Melton family, as well as the Glenroy West Primary School cluster, are also among these cases;
– Eight cases are linked to a West Footscray-based cluster which first emerged in a Maribyrnong man in his 20s who works at a warehouse in Derrimut;
– Three cases are linked to a City of Melbourne father who works at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and his son who is in Grade One at St Michael’s Primary School in North Melbourne;
– Two cases have been linked to a delivery truck driver who lives in Wyndham Vale in Melbourne’s outer southwest, and does not drive interstate;
– Six cases have been linked to public housing towers at 480 and 510 Lygon Street, Carlton;
– Fifteen cases, most of which have not been linked to one another, are linked to the St Kilda, Middle Park and Caulfield areas. These cases include:
A person who lives in Middle Park and visited the South Melbourne Market and a string of sites in Melbourne’s inner south and southeast, as well as a case in a cleaner who lives in the City of Greater Dandenong, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, and works in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda;
Six cases linked to a mother and her adult son from East St Kilda who attended an illegal Orthodox Jewish community engagement party last week;
A sex worker who is not believed to have worked while infectious, but is socially linked to a case in a City of Melbourne resident;
A case in a St Kilda resident without clear links to other cases;
A case in a teenager who works at a pizza shop in Malvern East and lives in Glen Iris;
“We have within that cluster accountants, we have architects, we have a sex worker, we have members of the Orthodox Jewish community and a pizza guy who works in a pizza shop (in Malvern),” Mr Weimar said of the 15 St Kilda cases on Wednesday.
“It is a very broad and disparate range of people. The only thing that connects them at this point in time is some association particularly in that St Kilda area.”
On Wednesday there were an additional two mystery cases in Altona North residents, and one in a Glenroy resident, although it was suspected that these would be linked to the greater Hobson’s Bay/Glenroy cluster.
It is not yet clear where Thursday’s three new mysteries fit in.
READ MORE:Business slams PM for lack of leadership
Lydia Lynch10.10am:Qld records zero local cases
No local cases have been detected in Queensland on Thursday, Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed.
“I think everyone knows when I have a smile it means good news,” she said.
“Well done Queensland, keep up the good work.”
There are 190,000 people on Queensland’s vaccine waitlist after another 90,000 people joined the line overnight.
More than 14,000 tests were conducted overnight and 1800 people remain in home quarantine.
Thursday 19 August – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 19, 2021
0 new cases recorded in Queensland overnight.#covid19pic.twitter.com/noGplZs0QA
Nicholas Jensen 10.05am:ADF deployed to NSW-Qld border to limit spread
More than a hundred ADF personnel will be deployed across the NSW-Queensland border in a bid to prevent the spread of the Delta farther north.
The decision comes shortly after officials said they would further limit the number of people who could cross the border.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who requested the deployment last week, said she was pleased with the response from the federal government.
As it stands, only critical essential workers, including doctors, nurses, defence personnel, freight and aircrew, are permitted to cross.
Earlier this week, QLD Police said more than 10,000 people crossed the border checkpoints from NSW, with 1000 turned back.
The deployment is expected to begin next week.
Nicholas Jensen9.50am:‘Don’t blame people doing it toughest’
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has attacked comments made by NSW Police Minister David Elliott, saying he does not understand how residents in Sydney’s southwest are struggling to cope during the current outbreak.
“The minister (Mr Elliott) was boasting about how good things were going in the Hills District and claiming that there was some sort of lawlessness in the areas that are doing it tough,” Mr Burke told Sky News this morning.
“We are the home of essential workers. I don’t know who he thinks does the aged care work, fills the shopping shelves, drives the heavy vehicles into the Hills District (where Mr Elliott lives), but most of those people don’t live in his part of Sydney.
“What we have in my part of Sydney is an area, disproportionately full of essential workers, who can’t do their jobs from a laptop, and they are going into harm’s way every day.”
Mr Burke said authorities needed to adopt a more balanced approach across different Sydney LGAs rather than disproportionately focusing its efforts on one particular community.
“Yes, I want everyone to obey the rules, but I do not want people from state or federal governments to be blaming the people who are doing it the toughest.”
READ MORE: Most workers support vax passports
Staff writers9.40am:Palaszczuk update at 10.00am
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will give an update on the situation in her state at 10.00am.
Nicholas Jensen9.15am:Dramatic jump in NSW cases ‘possible’
Deakin chair of epidemiology Catherine Bennett says it is difficult to say whether infections will jump significantly in NSW in the coming days, amid fears case numbers could reach into the thousands.
“We are seeing this pretty consistent 30 per cent increase every incubation period, every four-to-five days which shows that it is actually under control,” Professor Bennett told the ABC this morning.
However Professor Bennett warned the current spike in cases means a weekly jump in infections could be possible.
“We don’t know when this is going to start to turn around. When the vaccination levels, particularly in those areas where the spread is concentrated, start to really kick in and give you that balance … we should see the numbers stabilising.”
“We’re all waiting for that vaccination sweet spot to happen,” she said.
Professor Bennett said daily cases numbers hinge on household compliance and the movement of essential workers over the next few weeks, adding that health officials must “sever the ties between networks”.
Regarding Melbourne’s outbreak, Professor Bennett said the focus should remain on the mystery cases rather than the daily cases numbers.
“If you’ve got people who are testing positive but they’re safely in isolation for their entire infectious period, they’re not adding to that wider spread. But the signal coming from those cases that we can’t tie back in is the concern.”
“It tells us that there are other cases out there and there could be other chains of transmission.”
Rachel Baxendale9.00am:New cases follow lockdown extension
Thursday’s 57 new cases follow the Andrews government’s imposition on Monday of a 9pm-5am curfew on Melburnians and an extension of the city’s lockdown for 14 days to September 2nd, as well as other tougher measures including bans on the use of playgrounds and on drinking alcohol in public.
The latest cases come after 24 cases on each of Wednesday and Tuesday, 22 cases on Monday, 25 on Sunday, 21 on Saturday, 15 on Friday, and 21 locally acquired and two interstate acquired cases last Thursday.
The outbreak peak so far was 29 on August 7, just three days after short-lived celebrations of zero on August 4 – the day before the state’s sixth lockdown was announced.
Of 309 cases linked to Victorian outbreaks which have emerged since August 4, 156, or 50 per cent, have been in quarantine for the duration of their infectious period, including 44 in Thursday’s numbers, 18 in Wednesday’s numbers, 14 in each of Tuesday and Monday’s numbers, 12 in Sunday’s, 11 in Saturday’s, eight in Friday’s, and 15 in last Thursday’s.
There are currently 296 active cases, including one active case acquired overseas.
As of Wednesday, there were 12 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, two of whom were in intensive care – up from six in hospital on Monday.
The latest cases come after 49,607 tests were processed on Wednesday, up from 39,832 on Tuesday, 31,519 on Monday, 29,986 on Sunday, 32,286 on Saturday, 33,675 on Friday, 40,737 on Thursday and 45,408 last Wednesday.
Victoria’s testing record is 59,355 tests on July 20.
Rachel Baxendale8.48am:Vic records 57 new local cases
Victoria has recorded 57 new community acquired cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to midnight on Wednesday.
It is the highest daily case number recorded since the state’s deadly second wave, and almost double the previous peak since, of 29 cases on August 7.
Of the 57 cases, 54 have been linked to known outbreaks, leaving three mystery cases.
Reported yesterday: 57 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 18, 2021
- 27,581 vaccine doses were administered
- 49,607 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/8Bqckira3x
There are also 13 cases among Thursday’s numbers in people who were infectious in the community, with the remaining 44 isolated for the duration of their infectious period.
Of the 57 locally-acquired cases, 54 are linked to known outbreaks and 44 have been in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period. [2/2]
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 18, 2021
The Australian understands the vast majority of the 44 are close contacts of earlier cases linked to Al-Taqwa college, who returned Day 13 test results on Wednesday.
Rachel Baxendale 8.30am: Vic to record at least 48 new cases
The Australian understands at least 48 locally acquired coronavirus cases will be confirmed to have been recorded in the 24 hours to midnight on Wednesday when Victoria’s numbers come out later on Thursday morning.
Victoria’s previous peak since the state’s deadly second wave last year was 29 on August 7 – just under a fortnight ago.
Thursday’s number had already passed 40 by 7pm on Wednesday night – largely off the back of Day 13 tests in close contacts of the Al-Taqwa College outbreak.
This is not entirely surprising, given the significant number of large families who have been isolating under the same roof over the past fortnight.
Provided quarantine rules have been followed, these cases should not pose a risk of onward transmission.
However, authorities are also very concerned about spread within Victoria’s homeless community, which is also expected to be reflected within Thursday’s numbers, after a case in a St Kilda sex worker was confirmed on Wednesday.
Nicholas Jensen8.25am:AMA: Vaccinate all before booster jabs
Australian Medical Association Vice President Chris Moy has urged Australian health authorities to focus on the vaccination of all its citizens before contemplating the prospect of booster jabs.
Following the WHO’s announcement this morning that booster shots were unnecessary for fully vaccinated populations, Dr Moy told Sky News the best protection against the spread of the virus globally was to ensure all countries recorded strong vaccination rates – not just developed countries.
“The US decision (to introduce boosters) is based on evidence, particularly from Israel, that the immunities seem to drop against the Delta variant, and that there seems to be increasing symptomatic infections and also some increase in hospitalisation in those over 65.”
However, Dr Moy warned the evidence of its effectiveness remains unclear.
“Even the data from Israel is showing that there’s still really good protection from serious disease and death (from two doses), so don’t view this as a negative.”
“This is something that we don’t have to contemplate for a while,” he said.
READ MORE: Covid horror at Vic aged care home
Nicholas Jensen8.05am:WHO lashes US booster shots plan
The World Health Organisation has rejected claims booster shots are necessary for populations already fully vaccinated against Covid-19, urging global leaders to prioritise vulnerable countries with low vaccination rates before they consider a “top-up” approach.
It comes days before the US government prepares to make its booster shots widely available to all Americans from September 20.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a press conference in Geneva that the present evidence on booster shots does not indicate they are needed, adding that the most vulnerable people should be fully vaccinated before high-income countries “deploy a top-up” approach.
WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward also told reporters: “There is enough vaccine around the world, but it is not going to the right places in the right order’.
“Two doses should be given to the most vulnerable worldwide before boosters are administered to those fully-vaccinated … We are a long, long way from that,” he said.
Nicholas Jensen7.35am:Warning over new alerts in western NSW
With NSW recording 23 cases in the state’s far west on Wednesday, health officials have registered a clutch of new exposure sites across Dubbo, including a minimart, a fitness centre and a spa.
Residents who attended the Myall St Minimart on Friday August 13 from 2.15pm to 2.30pm are considered a close contact and must self isolate for 14 days since their exposure.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 18, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern across NSW that are associated with confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/88FH450uCd
Additionally, residents who attended Snap Fitness on Darling Street on Tuesday August 10 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm and Itty Bitty Spa on Macquarie Street on between 9.30am to 5.30pm on the same day have also been instructed to self isolated for 14 days.
https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1427922561396973572/photo/1
Several new casual contact venues have also been added across Bourke, Broken Hill, Dubbo and Albion Park.
The additions follow a decision by NSW Health not to list every exposure site across the state but focus on key venues of concern.
READ MORE: NSW Minister diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy
Nicholas Jensen 7.20am:Victoria braces for spike of 40 new local cases
Victorian health officials are expected to announce a spike of 40 new cases today, as contact tracers attempt to pinpoint more than a dozen mystery cases across Melbourne’s inner south east.
The rise in infections is partly connected to Al-Taqwa College in Truganina, outside of Melbourne, where students and staff are currently in isolation, the Herald Sun reports.
Health authorities are concerned about the spread of the virus amongst Melbourne’s homeless community, with hospitals reportedly on standby for a major outbreak.
Investigations are also continuing into the exposures sites linked to a sex worker, who worked in St Kilda and other areas of the city’s south east.
The St Kilda cluster has now grown to 15 cases across Melbourne’s inner southeast, which include accountants, architects, members of the Orthodox Jewish community and a teenage pizza shop employee.
Fears of a spike in case numbers come as Melburnians wake to their 200th day in lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Andrews government has yet to confirm if the lockdown will be lifted, as planned, on September 2.
READ MORE: Isms and ideology sap our strength
Nicholas Jensen6.45am:‘We haven’t seen worst of this in NSW’
As more than 13 million Australians wake to another day of lockdown restrictions, contact tracers across NSW, Victoria and the ACT continue to battle the spread of the Delta variant.
After NSW recorded 633 infections, the state’s highest daily case number since the beginning of the pandemic, Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that “we haven’t seen the worst of this”.
NSW recorded 633 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/MdsdVUIUbJ
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 18, 2021
With 4000 unlinked mystery cases in NSW, a leading epidemiologist has warned cases are likely to rise above 2200 within a month.
James McCaw, who advises the federal government, told the Sydney Morning Herald: “Our models show the possibility of increases and decreases, but I think it’s more likely to be well over 1000 and up to 2000 within a month or so.”
Three more people died in NSW, including an unvaccinated man in his late 60s and two men in their 70s – one of whom one was fully vaccinated, while the other had received one dose.
In regional NSW, 23 local cases were recorded, with 17 infections detected in Dubbo, as well as further cases in Mudgee, Narromine and Gilgandra.
In the state’s far west, Bourke and Broken Hill each recorded one case, while Wilcannia recorded three cases.
Under mounting pressure, Ms Berejiklian defended the state’s current lockdown settings, saying they were clear, but too many residents were breaking rules.
“Every person is passing on the virus to more than one person which is driving case numbers upwards,” she said.
In Victoria, 24 new infections were detected, as health officials continue to investigate more than a dozen mystery cases across Melbourne’s south east suburbs, concentrated in the St Kilda area.
Reported yesterday: 24 new local cases and no new case acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 17, 2021
- 27,173 vaccine doses were administered
- 39,832 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/dESMp3ZkAy
“I have to stress, there are no known linkages between the 15 individuals I’ve called out in the broader St Kilda area at all,” said Covid-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar
“We have accountants, we have architects, we have a sex worker, we have members of the orthodox Jewish community, and we have a pizza guy who works in a pizza shop.”
Meanwhile, the ACT recorded 22 locally acquired cases, with all new infections linked to known cases.
Despite no mystery cases, Chief Minister Andrew Barr instructed residents to remain vigilant and get tested.
ACT COVID-19 update (18 August 2021)
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 18, 2021
â–ªï¸ New cases today: 22
â–ªï¸ Active cases: 67
â–ªï¸ Negative test results (past 24 hours): 6,630
â–ªï¸ COVID-19 vaccinations in the ACT: 57% received first dose, 33% received second dose
For more information, go to https://t.co/2rCcWDk4wlpic.twitter.com/vFzRNn0eGe
“Anyone who looks at the NSW numbers today, and what has been occurring there, would be very clear that now is not the time at this stage of our outbreak to be easing restrictions,” he said.
More than 500 frontline health care workers are among the some 10,000 Canberrans currently isolating.
In the Northern Territory, after recording zero local cases on Wednesday, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he was confident but “not certain” that the snap lockdown of Greater Darwin and Katherine will end, as scheduled, on Thursday.
“We are confident we have caught this thing in time. We are confident we have trapped the risk and we are confident that our tracing efforts have been successful.”
The number of close contacts from the NT outbreak has now reached 93 residents, with health officials establishing two vaccine hubs in central Katherine and at the Katherine District Hospital.
READ MORE: Christine Jenkins — Fears about AstraZeneca must be overcome
Stephen Lunn5.10am:‘Get vaccinated or don’t work’: jab deadline looms
The Morrison government has written to every nursing home operator in Australia warning that it will not extend the September 17 deadline for all staff to be vaccinated, despite about 100,000 workers not yet having had a jab.
From Monday, it will begin publishing staff and resident vaccination rates in individual nursing homes in a bid to accelerate inoculations in the sector.
Health Minister Greg Hunt and Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck wrote to providers on Wednesday advising them that nursing homes would be held to the cut-off date, after which unvaccinated staff would not be permitted to work.
National cabinet agreed on June 28 that all aged-care workers in nursing homes must have at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination by September 17 as a condition of work, given the extreme vulnerability to the virus of those in their care. With less than a month to go, the trajectory of vaccinations among the 278,000 carers and other staff in the sector falls significantly below that required to meet the deadline.
This has put the federal government, which committed in February to fully vaccinating its residential aged-care workforce as a priority by April, and vaccination task force leader Lieutenant General John Frewen under significant pressure.
Read the full story here.
Natasha Robinson5am:Spike in vaccinations at Covid-19 hot spots
The rate of vaccination in hotspot suburbs in Sydney’s southwest and west has been increasing 50 per cent faster than the statewide rate, as mosques and churches are converted into makeshift vax hubs and people flood pharmacies and walk-in clinics to get a jab.
There has been a major community effort aimed at addressing the barriers to vaccine access and misinformation about vaccines that was holding back many from getting their shots in the early stages of the vaccine rollout in Sydney’s west, and now the surging rates of vaccination in hotspot zones is seeing NSW deliver more than 100,000 vaccines a day, well ahead of Victoria’s 63,000.
Figures published by NSW Health show Fairfield, Punchbowl, Lakemba and surrounding suburbs had only between 10 and 19 per cent of people with a first dose of vaccine a month ago; now 40-49 per cent of people in those suburbs have had a first dose.
Rates of vaccination have also climbed by 30 per cent in the southwest Sydney suburbs of Cabramatta, Campsie and Bonnyrigg, as well as suburbs in the west of the city including Caddens, Glenmore Park, Currans Hill, Mount Annan and Eagle Vale.
Read the full story, by Natasha Robinson, Ellie Dudley and David Tanner, here.
Paige Taylor4.45am:Entire town told to stay home, get tested
The entire town of Wilcannia has been ordered to get tested for Covid-19 after an infected person travelled to the remote community for the funeral of a young Aboriginal man and spread the virus to other mourners.
Health authorities held serious concerns for the 745 residents of the river town in western NSW and turned the local football oval into a makeshift testing centre on Wednesday. Locals were being told to get tested and to isolate at home.
The western NSW outbreak had infected 142 people by Wednesday morning, 67 per cent of them Indigenous.
Contact tracers have established that a person with Covid-19 drove six hours from Dubbo to attend the funeral service at St John the Apostle in Wilcannia on Friday last week.
The Australian has been told the church was full and about 30 mourners spilt outside. A local Aboriginal man and woman and their youngest child have since tested positive.
Read the full story here.
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