Coronavirus Australia live news: NSW peaks again with 633 cases: Vic records 24 new local cases; NZ situation worsens
Gladys Berejiklian says every person with the virus is spreading it to at least one other; NZ cluster reaches 10 as Jacinda Ardern points the finger.
- Ardern says NZ outbreak linked to NSW
- ACT records 22 new cases
- NSW peaks again at 633 cases
- Vic records 24 new local cases
- Senator isolated after daughter’s infection
- Dan ‘doesn’t have to prove curfews work’
- New fears of ICU bed shortages emerge
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
NSW has recorded a grim new peak of 633 cases with 62 infectious in the community.
As cases in her country grow to ten, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says NZ’s snap lockdown was triggered by a positive case who travelled from NSW to Auckland in July.
The ACT has 22 new cases, all linked.
Victoria has recorded 24 new local cases, including four mystery cases. Labor senator Katy Gallagher is in mandatory isolation after her daughter tested positive to Covid-19. In Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews said he ‘did not have to prove curfews work’, despite strong opposition to his latest restrictions.
Jess Malcolm 11.30pm: Vic and Tas toughen restrictions on NZ
Victoria and Tasmania have moved to strengthen border restrictions with New Zealand.
Since 8pm on Wednesday Victoria has designated New Zealand a red zone under its traffic light permit system, requiring any returning Victorians to register for a permit and quarantine at home upon arrival. Non-Victorians will not be permitted to enter.
From 8:00pm 18 August, New Zealand is a red zone under Victoria’s travel permit system. pic.twitter.com/HqXH7y5VQ6
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 18, 2021
Jess Malcolm 10.45pm: New alert for Dubbo shop
A Dubbo minimart has been listed as a close contact venue by NSW Health late on Wednesday evening.
Anyone who visited the Myall Street Minimart on Friday August 13 from 2.15pm to 2.30pm is now considered a close contact and must self isolate for 14 days since exposure.
Several new casual contact venues have been added in Albion Park, Bourke, Broken Hill and Dubbo.
NSW Health is urging all residents to check the government website regularly as new venues arise.
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
Jess Malcolm 10pm: Vic to record 40 new locally acquired infections
Victoria is likely to record at least 40 new locally acquired infections on Thursday, the highest number since its deadly second wave.
The Herald Sun has reported at least 40 cases had been confirmed as of 7pm on Wednesday night.
The numbers are likely to spike after day 13 testing of people in connection to the Al-Taqwa College outbreak.
There are also fears the virus has circulated among the city’s homeless community.
The surge will come on Melbourne’s 200th day of lockdown since the pandemic began, and is likely to quash any hopes the city would be freed soon.
Ewin Hannan 9.45pm: Business slams PM for lack of leadership
Employers have accused the Morrison government for failing to show “any leadership at all” over workplace vaccinations, criticising the Coalition for rebuffing their bid for new laws that would clarify their ability to enforce compulsory Covid jabs and stand down vaccine refusers.
Employer groups said a meeting with unions convened by Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash on Wednesday had done nothing to address their concerns about the potential legal consequences for business from the vaccine rollout.
“We got absolutely nothing from the federal government today,” Australian Mines and Metals Association chief executive Steve Knott said.
“All we’re getting at the moment is ‘run around the park, look over there, have a go yourself, maybe you might be able to get a state health order’. When you operate across multiple states that’s not very helpful. So we’re not getting any leadership at all from the federal government on this issue which is really disappointing.”
Mr Knott said employers, once they have consulted with workers, should have the right to not employ workers in customer-facing roles if they chose not to be vaccinated. “The issue of what you do with the vaccine hesitant, those who refuse to get vaccinated and the implications that has for business, that issue just gets sidestepped,” he said.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said the Morrison government needed to implement new legislation clarifying the ability of employers to implement mandatory vaccinations without being exposed to the risk of legal action.
Yoni Bashan 9pm:Private hospital staff join jab force
NSW Health has asked private hospitals to pause non-urgent elective surgery to bolster the state’s Covid-19 response, after daily infection numbers spiked on Wednesday and officials warned of further increases in coming days.
Health staff from 40 private hospitals are expected to be redeployed as part of a “large-scale vaccination effort” that is continuing across the state, but also to support what officials described as increasing demand that was being experienced across the public health system.
Non-urgent surgery has already been placed on hold in public hospitals across Greater Sydney and regional NSW.
The move to do so in the private system indicates the heightened level of urgency and strain on resources.
Official said urgent elective and emergency surgeries would continue. “This decision has the full support of the commonwealth government through the commonwealth Department of Health, which has agreed the temporary suspension of non-urgent elective surgery to free up staff to support the pandemic response,” NSW Health said in a statement.
Wednesday marked a rise in daily infections, with 633 cases announced and 92 known to be active in the community; another 475 cases are under investigation for their isolation status.
AFP 8.20pm:Israel tightens restrictions as cases leap
New restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 took effect in Israel on Wednesday, after the largely vaccinated country saw the highest daily infection rate since January.
The measures, announced on Sunday, require vaccination certificates or negative coronavirus tests to enter a range of public spaces, including restaurants and bars, cultural and sports venues, hotels and gyms, the health ministry said.
The same applies to worshippers wishing to enter synagogues, mosques or churches with more than 50 people in attendance.
In addition, the capacity of stores, shopping malls and industrial parks will be limited to one person per seven square metres.
After its launch last December, Israel’s widely praised vaccination drive helped to drastically bring down infections.
But that trend has since reversed, driven by the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus, with restrictions that were lifted in June reimposed since July.
In recent weeks, the state has begun administering booster shots to Israelis aged 50 and over, while urging anyone aged 12 and older to get vaccinated.
About one million Israelis have not been vaccinated even though they are eligible.
According to the health ministry, more than 8700 people tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday, the highest number for a single day since January.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been imploring Israelis to get vaccinated, warning of a possible lockdown that could affect the Jewish high holidays next month unless inoculation numbers rise.
Jess Malcolm 7.40pm: Dubbo venues trigger alert
Two new Dubbo venues have become close contact sites.
Snap Fitness on 113 Darling Street was exposed to Covid-19 on Tuesday, August 10, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm.
Itty Bitty Spa on 69-79 Macquarie Street was also exposed on August 10, from 9.30am to 5.30pm.
Anyone who was at these venues at these times must get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Jess Malcolm7pm: ACT exposure list grows
The ACT has added several new close and casual exposure venues including a Subway restaurant, an athletics club and a rehabilitation health clinic.
Iskia Athletic Club Campbell in Campbell was closely exposed on Thursday, August 12, from 12.15 to 2pm.
The Rehabilitation Specialists in Fyshwick and The Bucket Warehouse have both been listed on Wednesday, August 11, as well as the Grand Central Towers communal pool area, which was exposed on Thursday.
A positive Covid-19 case also visited the Dickson Subway on August 11 from 7pm to 7.50pm.
Other sites on the list include the Spence Grocer across a number of days last week, the Braddon McDonalds and the Belconnen Westfield.
ACT residents are urged to check the list of exposure sites and follow the appropriate public health advice.
âš ï¸New close contact and casual contact exposure locations – 6:00pm 18 August âš ï¸
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 18, 2021
You can find the full list of exposure locations here: https://t.co/bL6UvAP6E8pic.twitter.com/LteKP1oHOs
Jess Malcolm 6.31pm:ACT health system under strain
Over 500 nurses in the ACT are now isolating after coming into contact with a positive Covid-19 case, with its healthcare system starting to show the first signs of strain under the weight of a Delta outbreak.
The spike in cases has triggered public health authorities to call on retired nurses to come back to work to offer care or help with testing.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith told the ABC on Wednesday that the outbreak was having a “huge impact” on its healthcare system.
“People might have heard yesterday that we are calling on nurses in the ACT community who aren’t already working in our health system to come and help us,” she told ABC Radio Canberra.
“If they meet the criteria, any recently retired nurse or a nurse who’s taking a career break who has the capacity to return will make a real difference in our outbreak.”
Jess Malcolm5.48pm:Elective surgery cancelled in private NSW hospitals
Elective surgery will be postponed in a number of private hospitals in NSW from Monday August 23 in a bid to free up medical staff needed to support the state’s Covid-19 pandemic response.
Private healthcare workers will be used to support large-scale vaccination efforts already underway and help meet workforce demands in the public health system.
Staff from hospitals across greater Sydney have already been deployed to help boost vaccination rates and have supplied supplementary resources to regional areas.
Patients due to receive non-urgent elective surgery who are impacted by these changes have been contacted and are encouraged to seek medical attention if their condition changes.
Emergency surgery will continue.
The affected private hospitals are as follows:
Macquarie University Hospital
Castlecrag Private Hospital
Hunters Hill Private Hospital
Kareena Private Hospital
North Shore Private Hospital
St George Private Hospital
Strathfield Private Hospital
Warners Bay Private Hospital
Westmead Private
Wollongong Private Hospital
Brisbane Waters Private Hospital
Dubbo Private Hospital
Gosford Private Hospital
Hurstville Private Hospital
Lingard Private Hospital
Maitland Private Hospital
Shellharbour Private Hospital
Tuggerah Lakes Private Hospital
Sydney Adventist Hospital
Campbelltown Private Hospital
Hunter Valley Private Hospital
Newcastle Private Hospital
Norwest Private Hospital
Prince of Wales Private Hospital
Sydney Southwest Private Hospital
Nepean Private Hospital
Northern Beaches Hospital
Mater Hospital Sydney
St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Darlinghurst
Remy Varga 4.50pm: Alert after kindergarten exposed for a week
A Glenroy Kindergarten has been listed by Victorian public health authorities as a Tier 1 exposure site for seven consecutive days, stoking fears children could have been infected with Covid-19.
The York St Kindergarten was exposed from August 6 to 12 between 9am to 5pm, after an employee presumably worked while infectious.
Anyone who attended this venue during this period must immediately get tested and quarantine for 14 days from exposure.
The Spencer Street Coles in Melbourne CBD has also been listed as a Tier 2 site, along with Rex Espresso in Barkly Square in Melbourne’s north.
The Women’s House Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda was also listed as a Tier 2 site on Wednesday afternoon.
Anyone who visits a Tier 2 site is required to get tested urgently and isolate until receiving a negative result.
Remy Varga 4.20pm: Playground, park, court lockdown closures begin
Melbourne councils have begun closing playgrounds, basketball courts, public gym equipment and skate and BMX parks to enforce the Chief Health Officer’s latest restrictions.
Port Philip Mayor Louise Crawford said the council had taped off playgrounds, skateparks and outdoor exercise equipment in the local government area that covers Port Melbourne, St Kilda and Elwood.
“We are installing temporary closed signs around the basketball hoop posts,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the northeast Melbourne Boroondara council, which includes Hawthorn and Kew, said all outdoor playgrounds and exercises spaces had been closed while basketballs hoops had been removed or had access restricted to prevent public use.
“In line with current Victorian Government COVID-19 directions, Council has closed all outdoor public playgrounds, gym equipment, basketball courts, and outdoor skate and BMX parks,” she said.
“Council has installed signage at all of our open space areas advising of the closures.”
A City of Melbourne spokeswoman said playgrounds within the LGA had been roped off while basketball hoops would start to be removed from Thursday.
“In line with the Chief Health Officer’s directions, and to protect public health, playgrounds have been roped off and signage displayed indicating they are closed,” she said.
“Basketball hoops will start being removed tomorrow.”
The spokeswoman said the facilities would be reopened as soon as restrictions eased.
Max Maddison 4.10pm: ‘Never too late’: Kidd defends Indigenous vaccine effort
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd says 1.7 million vaccines have been administered across the past seven days, as he defends the Morrison government’s efforts to vaccinate vulnerable populations in western NSW.
Professor Kidd said the figure was more than the population of “Adelaide and Darwin combined”, as he pointed to the rising vaccination rate among the total eligible population, which had reached 27.5 per cent, and workers in essential industries, with 46 per cent of aged care workers receiving both doses.
Amid criticism that efforts to vaccinate remote Indigenous communities had come far too late, given the virus was already circulating, Professor Kidd said it was “never too late” for people to get vaccinated, but pointed to the vaccine hesitancy in some of the affected areas.
“What we’ve seen of course is that vaccine hesitancy is markedly reduced when outbreaks do occur. We saw that happening in Victoria earlier in the year. We have certainly seen this happening across New South Wales as well,” Professor Kidd told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
“Of course we have had vaccines rolling out in many of these centres but what we’ve done over recent days is to ramp up even further the opportunities for people to be vaccinated against Covid-19.”
READ MORE:Women wins appeal against jail for picnic with dying dad
Jess Malcolm 3.55pm: Three news cases bring NZ outbreak to 10
A further three new Covid-19 cases have been detected in New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total outbreak to 10.
The new cases were announced by Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins on local station Radio NZ.
No further details were given about the nature of these cases, with further information expected in its daily update tomorrow.
Mr Hipkins said he expected there would be more cases to come.
“We’re seeing more cases coming through, I don’t have details of those cases,” he said. “But yes, I can confirm that we have further positive test results since the press conference today.”
READ MORE:NZ PM warns virus outbreak will grow
Max Maddison 3.45pm: Morrison, Thai PM discuss ‘common’ Covid-19 challenges
Scott Morrison and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha have discussed the countries’ “common challenges” in combating the spread of Covid-19, in their first call since November last year.
With case numbers soaring in the southeast Asian country, surpassing 20,000 new infections daily, the Prime Minister and his Thai counterpart discussed Australia’s support for access to safe and effective vaccines, including through bilateral, Quad and G7 initiatives.
The hook up was the first since talks for the Australia-Thailand Strategic Partnership concluded last November.
Jess Malcolm 3.30pm: Covid-19 case in Goulburn, not active in community
A new Covid-19 case has been detected in the regional city of Goulburn, NSW.
The person works in the ACT but lives in the Goulburn area, and is suspected to have caught the virus in Canberra.
The Southern NSW Local Health District has confirmed the case was not active in the community while infectious, and there are no exposure sites.
A small number of close contacts have been identified and are being tested and isolating.
Additional testing capacity has been set up in Goulburn at the Hospital.
Jess Malcolm 3.15pm: Police warn of swift action on any anti-lockdown protest
NSW Police have issued a stern warning to anyone planning to attend an unauthorised anti-lockdown protest this weekend, saying they will face “the full force of the law”.
Preparations are already underway for a highly visible and mobile police operation to disrupt mass gatherings anywhere in the state.
Anyone planning to attend has been threatened with severe and harsh penalties, and legal action.
Minister for Police David Elliott said illegal protests could have long-lasting and detrimental impacts to all Sydneysiders.
“The overwhelming majority of people in NSW are doing their bit to turn the Covid-19 case numbers in the right direction and this proposed protest would undermine all that work,” Mr Elliott said.
“We’re temporarily living with restrictions that we all want to see lifted, but the mass gathering of a group of idiots could mean that day moves further into the future.
“I have complete confidence in the work police are doing within Operation Stay at Home and the operational plans for the weekend should reassure the wider community that officers are at the ready to take swift action against anyone not complying with the public health orders.”
READ MORE:Life of luxury for anti-lockdown inciter
Eli Greenblat 2.54pm: ‘Pantry eating’ slows Domino’s Pizza sales
Domino’s Pizza chief executive Don Meij believes once households have eaten their way through much of their bloated pantries in preparation for extended lockdowns they will soon get bored and crave for takeaway meals such as pizza.
Labelling it “pantry eating”, Mr Meij said the pizza chain’s experience across its regions in Australia, Asia and Europe through the first wave of Covid-19 last year showed a short dip in sales for his pizzas was soon followed by a return to historic growth patterns.
Mr Meij said Domino’s flagship outlets in Australia were experiencing this phenomenon at the moment as NSW, Canberra and Victoria faced lockdowns and curfews with same-store sales up just 2.7 per cent in the first seven weeks of the current financial year. That well below Domino’s long-term aspirations for like for like sales growth of 3 to 6 per cent.
Nicholas Jensen2.05pm:NT ‘confident’ lockdowns will lift with zero new cases
NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner says he is confident the snap lockdown of Greater Darwin and Katherine will end on Thursday as health authorities await further testing results from close contacts.
After recording zero community cases earlier today, Mr Gunner said he was confident but not “completely certain” that the lockdown would lift at midday tomorrow.
“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 this outbreak has now reached 93 residents, with 2128 tests recorded across the NT on Tuesday.
Health officials have established two vaccine hubs in central Katherine and at the Katherine District Hospital in a bid to accelerate the region’s rollout using an additional 1000 doses.
Mr Gunner said all close contacts had been reached and were isolating, except one case of a man currently on a ship in international waters.
Fifty-seven per cent of the NT population has now received a first dose of vaccination.
READ MORE:Qld Premier’s threat over NSW fears
Adeshola Ore2.05pm:Federal parliament to sit next week despite ACT lockdown
Federal parliament will sit as scheduled next week, despite the ACT being in an extended Covid-19 lockdown.
The Australian understands the decision has been made in consultation with Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly and the presiding officers. Scott Morrison has informed ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr about the sitting schedule.
Mr Barr had previously said it was his preference for parliament not to sit.
The ACT recorded 22 new cases of the virus today.
READ MORE:Ridiculous excuse for Covid road trip
Greg Brown1.51pm:Frydenberg urges Indigenous voice supporters be flexible
Josh Frydenberg has urged supporters of an Indigenous voice to parliament against using a “take it or leave it” approach in pushing the reform, declaring the formation of the Aboriginal advisory body needed to be bipartisan and subject to negotiation.
The Treasurer would not endorse enshrining the voice in the constitution, as called for by Indigenous leaders in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and backed by Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and South Australian Premier Steven Marshall.
“We know how difficult it is to get constitutional change through in our parliament and our country,” Mr Frydenberg said at the virtual Melbourne book launch of Senator Bragg’s book, Buraadja. “Where we need that double majority of voters and states.”
Scott Morrison is pursuing a “voice to government” that would be created through legislation, but has rejected holding a referendum to enshrine it in the constitution.
Noel Pearson is among Indigenous leaders who has flagged opposition to a legislated version of the voice that is not protected by constitutional enshrinement.
However, Mr Frydenberg warned supporters of the voice against being inflexible, arguing it would be no easy task creating the body through legislation.
“Legislative change is difficult too,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“We’ve really got to focus on what unites us here and not what divides us,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“And what we need to do is ensure that the change whatever form it takes, is bipartisan.
“You don’t get many chances of this and you need to take the public with you. “And that’s why it needs to be subject to negotiation, consultation, there needs to be flexibility, because if this proposition in the voice is a take it or leave it, I don’t think it necessarily advances in the way that some people would like it to do.
“And this is the reality that we have to shake. And this is where we have to work through the issue.”
READ MORE: PM puts voice on hold for now
Paige Taylor1.45pm:Powerful vaccination message to Indigenous people | WATCH
The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council has begun circulating a confronting video warning Indigenous people they could be responsible for putting their relatives in hospital if they do not get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The 30-second clip is being used to encourage Aboriginal people in western NSW to take advantage of a massive vaccination drive as Covid-19 cases hit 142 in the region. About 60 per cent of infected people in the western NSW outbreak are Indigenous.
The video shows an Aboriginal woman playing with and looking after her daughter as she grows from a baby to an adult and leaves home. The narrator says: “Mum has always been there to take care of you, to hold you, to love you. She’s given you so much”. In the next scene, the worried daughter is behind a glass wall looking at her mother who is in a hospital bed on a respirator. The narrator says: “And this is what you could give her in return. Get vaccinated against Covid-19 now. Do it for your mum, your dad, your family and your community”.
The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service commissioned the video to promote Covid-19 vaccinations in the far north of Western Australia, where an outbreak of the virus among hospital workers in 2020 caused panic. That region’s more than 100 Indigenous communities are considered especially vulnerable because of overcrowded housing and because of the high proportion of the Kimberley’s approximately 15,000 Indigenous residents with co-morbidities such as diabetes.
The risk to Aboriginal communities in western NSW is acknowledged to be extremely serious.
On Wednesday, the Australian Defence Force, the emergency health crisis team AUSMAT and the Royal Flying Doctor Service were in NSW’s west running mobile vaccination teams to try to get ahead of the virus, which has now reached Wilcannia and Broken Hill.
READ MORE:‘Brother, we’re ‘roos in the spotlight’
Nicholas Jensen1.31pm:Ardern says NZ lockdown linked to NSW outbreak
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand’s snap lockdown was triggered by a positive case who travelled from NSW to Auckland in July.
New Zealand health authorities said genome sequencing had traced the spread of the virus back to a positive case in quarantine, with Ms Ardern telling reporters today that “our case has originated in Australia”.
However the precise link to the NSW outbreak remains unclear, as health officials are reportedly still trying to understand how and exactly when the virus arrived.
Ms Ardern did not clarify how officials established the case originated in Australia.
Health director general Ashley Bloomfield confirmed there were now seven cases linked to the original patient, including a teacher and a fully vaccinated nurse at Auckland Hospital.
Sixteen close contacts have since been identified.
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Max Maddison1.00pm:Vaccine approval for teens ‘not too far away’: PM
Regulatory approval for vaccinating 12-15-year-olds is “not too far away”, Scott Morrison has revealed, but says the government wants to be “very sure” about the medical advice.
Labor senator Katy Gallagher’s daughter Evie, 14, contracted the virus on Tuesday at Lyneham High School. She criticised the Morrison government for the sluggish vaccination rollout, saying there was a “fair dose of anger” for the lack of supply in the country.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is currently considering expanding the vaccination rollout to teenagers, and the Prime Minister flagged it could be approved imminently.
“And it’s not too far away, is my understanding. But equally we’re talking about the vaccination of our kids and I want to be very sure about the medical advice we’re getting about that,” Mr Morrison told reporters on Wednesday.
He said national cabinet was considering a state-based system for vaccinations programs run out of schools, with planning already underway.
READ MORE:Senator’s fury as daughter tests positive
Max Maddison12.50pm:PM ‘optimistic’ of avoiding recession, despite NSW crisis
Scott Morrison says he “remains optimistic” the country can avoid falling into another recession on the back of record cases numbers in NSW.
The Prime Minister said the economic advice he had been given showed the economy bouncing back “strongly” once the country hit the sufficient vaccination thresholds to reopen, citing current modelling which showed the swift pace of vaccination uptake.
“I do remain confident in the Australian economy because there is no issue with the Australian economy. There is an issue of the impact of COVID-19 and restrictions that are holding that economy back,” Mr Morrison told reporters on Wednesday.
Two consecutive quarters of negative growth are considered to be a technical recession. With prolonged and widespread lockdowns across the country, economists have already written off the third quarter of this year.
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Nicholas Jensen12.10pm:ACT records 22 new cases, all linked
The ACT has recorded 22 locally acquired cases of Covid-19, bringing the territory’s total active cases to 67.
All new infections have been linked to known cases, while the list of “self-identified contacts” has grown to more than 10,000 residents.
Despite all cases being linked Chief Minister Andrew Barr said: “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.”
ACT has also tightened its border with NSW, placing additional facilities on the Queanbeyan side of the ACT border.
“We have been able to direct some Canberrans (on the border) to those testing facilities when demand has peaked inside the ACT.”
In the last 24 hours, 8417 tests were conducted, with almost 25,000 tests taken since the lockdown commenced. Health officials said this meant 6 per cent of the ACT population had accessed a Covid test.
Mr Barr said the ACT government is working with the commonwealth to make sure support is available for businesses struggling under lockdown.
Remy Varga12.01pm:Clients urged to get tested after sex worker tests positive
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has confirmed a St Kilda sex worker has tested positive for Covid-19 and is quarantine under government care.
Mr Foley said there was no evidence of transmission occurring because of the woman’s occupation but said out of caution anyone who had employed the services of a sex worker in St Kilda to come forward for testing.
“No matter where you are, you need to come forward and get tested,” he said.
Mr Foley said the woman lived in a boarding house in St Kilda and a number of their primary close contacts had tested negative.
“We want to make sure issues of what faith you follow, what profession you’re involved with, what your arrangements are, what your form of housing is … the issue here is that this virus does not discriminate,” he said.
Paul Garvey11.57am:‘Extreme’ risk: WA poised to completely close to NSW
Western Australia could completely shut its border to NSW within days after case numbers soared to a new record level.
The 633 new cases announced by NSW on Wednesday means it is at risk of becoming the first state to be classed as an “extreme” risk under WA’s border controls. Such a rating would mean WA would stop allowing people from NSW into WA on compassionate grounds, with only those public officials exempt from border controls under the Australian constitution – namely Commonwealth parliamentarians, defence officials, and Federal bureaucrats – allowed to enter from NSW.
The “extreme” rating applies to any state that records a rolling five-day or 14-day average of more than 500 new Covid cases a day, with NSW on track to reach that mark as early as this weekend.
WA premier Mark McGowan last week said Western Australians who wanted to return home from NSW on compassionate ground would be allowed to do so if they had received at least one vaccination.
But the premier warned on Wednesday morning that anyone in NSW wanting to get back to WA needed to “get on a plane now”.
“We created a window for Western Australians on compassionate grounds to come home, provided they are vaccinated and provided they are tested, and we urge people to do so.
If they choose not to, and the window closes, that would have been their choice,” he said.
The refusal of even compassionate cases would constitute the most comprehensive form of domestic border closure introduced in Australia during the pandemic.
Mr McGowan also announced that travel restrictions from New Zealand would be tightened from midday today. Anyone arriving in Perth from New Zealand will now be required to quarantine for two weeks.
New Zealand’s latest lockdown also means that the upcoming Bledisloe Cup rugby match scheduled for Perth on September 28 could be in doubt.
“It’s a moving situation and we’re trying to work out exactly what can be done about that,” Mr McGowan said.
“It would be very disappointing for rugby fans if we’re forced to cancel the game but that’s the nature of the world we’re in.”
READ MORE:‘Real risk of death’ as teens in ICU
Nicholas Jensen11.55am:Berejiklian defends current NSW lockdown settings
Amid mounting pressure, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has defended the state’s current lockdown settings, adding that too many people “continue to do the wrong thing”.
“Unfortunately, it only takes a small number of people to do the wrong thing, to cause this amount of spread … we know that there is the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant rebuffed claims she is at loggerheads with the Premier regarding the introduction of stricter lockdown.
“The Premier is very committed to achieving the same outcomes (as me). We have a shared vision, a shared vision which is high vaccination coverage and very low levels of community transmission,” she said
“I can’t comment any further than to say that the Premier, in all my discussions with her, is absolutely committed (to this goal).”
Lydia Lynch11.45am:Less essential workers: Qld to get tougher on NSW border
As Queensland relaxes its internal gathering restrictions, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it is necessary to toughen border restrictions with NSW.
NSW reported 633 new local cases on Wednesday while Queensland recorded zero.
“It only takes one person crossing the border with Delta and there is another lockdown,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
She said the state would reduce the number of essential workers from NSW who can come to Queensland.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the cases were moving “closer and closer to our border”.
“We have the next few days to really get that tightened up and sorted so we can minimise that movement,” she said.
From Friday, all essential travellers from NSW must prove they have had at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
Queensland police estimate 4000 people are crossing the border from NSW for work each day.
Authorities are now working to slash eligibility requirements for workers travelling to Queensland in a bid to reduce the risk of Delta spread.
Teachers were already cut from the essential worker list last week.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young has asked the heads of all government departments to work out which workers are “absolutely essential”.
Nicholas Jensen11.39am:People not staying home: Police issue 730 penalty notices
More than 730 penalty notices were issued by NSW Police in the last 24 hours, of which 448 were given to residents moving outside of their house “without a good reason”.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said today’s cases “show us that people clearly want to step outside of the rules and put the safety of theirs and the community at risk”.
Mr Worboys said some residents continue to flagrantly ignore public orders, citing a case from Dubbo:
“Yesterday police were called to Mendoran, near Dubbo, where they spoke to a fellow who had an accident in his car which was struck by a kangaroo.
That person told police quite willingly he arrived ten days ago from Queensland. He went to the airport, he hired a car and he decided that he would travel around country NSW on back roads because he was sick of Covid.”
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Lydia Lynch11.37am:Qld to relax restrictions tomorrow; zero new cases
Queensland will relax its Covid restrictions on Friday afternoon after zero local cases were reported today.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said from 4pm Friday, 30 people can gather in homes.
Masks will not be required outdoors, but must still be worn indoors.
Funerals and weddings can have 100 people attend.
Community sport will also return at the weekend.
The decision to ease restrictions comes less than a month after a cluster spread through a number of Brisbane schools. There were 144 cases linked to the outbreak.
Queensland will have a second wave of restrictions eased on August 27 after it further tightens travel from northern NSW.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said a second tranche of rules would be eased in another week.
“We have to prove over that week that we can keep our border strong,” he said.
Masks remain mandatory indoors and school students must wear them in classrooms for another week.
Nicholas Jensen 11.25am:‘Concern’ over 23 cases in western NSW
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the outbreak in western NSW remains deeply concerning.
Twenty three cases were recorded in the region overnight, with 17 infections detected in Dubbo, as well as further cases in Mudgee, Narromine and Gilgandra.
In the far west, Wilcannia recorded three cases, while Bourke and Broken Hill each recorded one case.
“It is clear there is an issue in western NSW, where our focus and our priority is, and the message for everybody is to follow the state at home orders and cut down mobility,” he said.
NSW says it is continuing to conduct sewage surveillance in the areas, after detecting fragments in Bathurst and Orange. Overnight viral fragments were detected in the Yamba sewage plant.
Nicholas Jensen11.20am: Biz support system ‘not up to standard’
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello has apologised for extended delays in business support grants, saying “the quality of service we provided over the last month is not up to standard”.
“Can I first begin by apologising to all the businesses that did not receive their grants on time or did not receive phone calls when they should have expected phone calls,” Mr Dominello said.
“In relation to wait times, they have not been great. You would expect that with 260,000 applications. We had an increase of 4000 calls during the peak time.
“We have never had this level of demand before and when we were setting up this grant program, in many ways we were flying and building the plane at the same time,” he said.
Nicholas Jensen11.15am:Each infected case ‘passes virus to more than 1 other’
Gladys Berejiklian has warned every person is passing on the virus to more than one person which is driving case numbers upwards.
Of the new cases, 158 are linked to a known case or cluster – 145 are household contacts and 13 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 475 cases remains under investigation.
chief health officer Kerry Chat confirmed there are 462 cases in hospital, with 77 people in ICU. Twenty-five of those patients require ventilation.
“We have people in their teens, in their 20s, in their 30s, in their 40s, in their 50s, in their 60s, in their 70s and 80s … We know that for every one of those individuals in ICU, particularly those in the older age groups, they have a real and material risk of death,” said Ms Berejiklian.
In western NSW, 23 new cases were reported to 8pm last night, bringing the total case numbers in the region to 139.
Nicholas Jensen 11.00am:NSW records 633 new cases
NSW has recorded 633 new local cases of coronavirus, of which at least 62 were infectious in the community. The vast majority – 550 cases – are from southwest and west Sydney.
The state recorded three deaths, including a male in his late 60s, who was not vaccinated and two males in their late 70s who both died at Nepean Hospital.
Gladys Berejiklian said: “According to the data we have, every person who has the virus is spreading it to at least more than one person. Now, for us to know that we have reached our peak, that can’t continue. So what the data is telling us in the last few days is that we haven’t seen the worst of it.”
Nicholas Jensen10.20am:SA quarantined man escapes to pub
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has admitted to failures in the state’s medi-hotel security protocols, after authorities allowed an international traveller to leave hotel quarantine for eight hours to go to the pub.
A NSW man in his 30s, who arrived on a repatriation flight on August 3, has been charged after SA Police found he left his room.
The man used a fire escape to access the hotel’s basement car park, where he was questioned by police. He was permitted to leave the property after he allegedly told them he had gotten lost after leaving a nearby pub.
The investigation has identified nine recommendations for improving hotel quarantine, including reviewing how CCTV and fire escapes are monitored.
The man has since returned four negative tests.
Nicholas Jensen10.00am:ADF set for Dubbo, Newcastle
ADF personnel are preparing to join NSW Police in Dubbo and Newcastle today in a bid to enforce public health compliance, self-isolation orders and reduce local transmission.
Fifty ADF personnel will assist with compliance in Dubbo and the surrounding areas, with a further 50 troops assisting with compliance in the Hunter Region.
Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing has welcomed the arrival of troops in regional towns, saying the troops are there to support the community alongside police.
“Among other tasks, you will see them delivering hampers and checking on the welfare of our most vulnerable people.”
NSW Police said further deployments are expected by the end of the week.
Rachel Baxendale9.45am:Alert over second Vic public housing tower
There have been 15 coronavirus exposure sites added to the Victorian health department’s list in the 24 hours to Wednesday, including a second public housing tower in Carlton, in Melbourne’s inner north, and a skate park.
The skate park listing comes after the Andrews government on Monday banned the use of playgrounds, skate parks and basketball courts until at least September 2.
Of the 24 locally-acquired cases, 20 are linked to known outbreaks and 18 have been in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period. [2/2]
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 17, 2021
The public housing tower at 510 Lygon St, Carlton, has been listed for four consecutive days between August 14 and 17, after the neighbouring tower at 408 Lygon St was listed for dates extending back to August 8.
A nearby Woolworths at Lygon Court was initially erroneously listed by the health department as a Coles, and was a Tier 2 site for a period on August 10.
Other new sites include a skate park in Jacana in Melbourne’s outer north, a 7-11 in Flemington in the inner northwest, and a Bakers Delight in Ashburton in the southeast.
There are also new sites in Altona and Altona North in the southwest, Malvern East in the southeast, and Carrum Downs in the outer southeast.
There are 524 exposure sites listed statewide for the past fortnight, down from 541 after some older ones expired on Tuesday.
Nicholas Jensen9.40am:Canberra, WA agree Perth quarantine facility
The commonwealth and West Australian government have finalised a deal to construct a purpose-built quarantine facility near Perth after months of negotiation.
Under the arrangement, the federal government will pay for the construction of a 1000 bed facility that is expected to be completed by March 2022.
In a statement, Premier Mark McGowan said the commonwealth will fund the construction of the facility, while the WA government will control and operate it after completion. The state will also meet operational costs during the pandemic.
“WA has always stood ready to support the commonwealth to deliver on its proposal for a dedicated quarantine facility to ensure more Australians can safely return to our shores following the devastating impacts of the global Covid-19 pandemic.”
Construction is due to commence in October.
Rachel Baxendale9.30am: Vic has 11 mystery clusters, 4 mystery cases
Victoria currently has at least 11 separate clusters since August 4 with no identified source of acquisition.
A further four of Wednesday’s cases are yet to be linked to previously known outbreaks.
The mystery cases include:
– 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 Maribyrnong man in his 20s who works at a warehouse in Derrimut;
– 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;
– A Glenroy family linked to Glenroy West Primary School;
– A delivery truck driver who lives in Wyndham Vale in Melbourne’s outer southwest, and does not drive interstate;
– 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. This case is believed to be linked to a case in a cleaner who lives in the City of Greater Dandenong, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, and works in Fitzroy Street;
– A mother and her adult son from East St Kilda who attended an illegal engagement party last week;
– Two cases from a household in the public housing tower at 480 Lygon Street, Carlton. As of Tuesday, a total of four cases were linked to this cluster, with neighbouring tower 510 Lygon St also named as an exposure site late on Tuesday.
– One case in a St Kilda resident without clear links to other cases;
– Two cases linked to each other through social contact, who respectively reside in St Kilda and the City of Melbourne;
– Four cases in Wednesday’s numbers which are yet to be linked to a source of acquisition.
Nicholas Jensen9.15am:More than 500 in iso in NT
More than 500 residents are isolating in the Northern Territory after a positive case triggered the lockdown of Darwin and Katherine on Monday.
NT contact tracers are scrambling to reach hundreds of potential casual contacts, after identifying 84 close contacts in Greater Darwin and Katherine.
More than 480 casual contacts have been linked to a Woolworths in Katherine, causing health officials to surge testing capacity in the area.
The NT government said additional vaccines clinics will be established in the coming days to help administer thousands of vaccines.
The territory’s lockdown was triggered after a man in his 30s arrived at Darwin Airport on a Qantas flight on Thursday and travelled to the Hilton Hotel by taxi.
The man spent three days in Darwin before travelling to Katherine on Sunday, where he met friends and attended a Woolworths.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said it was too early to tell if the lockdown could end on Thursday.
“I need to have confidence that we have the virus trapped, and if we have that confidence then we can lift the lockdown,” he said.
Max Maddison 9.00am:Gallagher's ‘anger’ over infected daughter
Opposition finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher says she’s battling a mixture of the emotional response of a mother and a “fair dose of anger”, after her daughter contracted Covid-19 in Canberra.
Senator Gallagher announced her daughter, Evie, 14, tested positive to the virus on Tuesday, one of the 17 cases reported in the ACT. One of the key opposition interrogators of the Morrison government’s lethargic vaccination rollout, she said the country had let young people down.
“It’s a mix of your normal emotional responses as a mother wanting to care for and protect the children, and a fair dose of anger, to be honest, that it’s come to this,” Senator Gallagher told Sky News on
“We did so well last year, and yet we’ve got millions in lockdown today and for me, my little girl’s lying in bed trying to fight off a really nasty virus and my son’s in the next room and I’m desperately hoping he’s not going to catch it.”
READ the full story
Rachel Baxendale8.50am: Victoria records 24 new local cases
Victoria has recorded 24 new local cases in the 24 hours to midnight on Tuesday, with 20 linked to known outbreaks. Eighteen have been in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.
The 24 include four cases which are yet to be linked to a source of infection, and six cases in people who spent time in the community while infectious.
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
Wednesday’s 24 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.
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
The latest cases come after 24 cases on Tuesday, 22 cases on Monday, 25 on Sunday, 21 on Saturday, 15 on Friday, 21 locally acquired and two interstate acquired cases on Thursday, and 20 last Wednesday.
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 252 cases linked to Victorian outbreaks which have emerged since August 4, 112, or 44 per cent, have been in quarantine for the duration of their infectious period, including 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, 15 in Thursday’s and 14 in last Wednesday’s.
There are currently 246 active cases, including up to two active cases acquired overseas.
As of Tuesday, there were 12 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, two of whom were in intensive care – representing double the number in hospital and ICU just a day earlier.
The latest cases come after 39,832 tests were processed on Tuesday, compared with 31,519 on Monday, 29,986 on Sunday, 32,286 on Saturday, 33,675 on Friday, 40,737 on Thursday, 45,408 on Wednesday, and 41,571 last Tuesday.
Victoria’s testing record is 59,355 tests on July 20.
Nicholas Jensen8.30am: NSW to open 5th quarantine hotel
The NSW government is urgently seeking to increase accommodation for residents who need to isolate, as household transmission continues to rise across the state.
NSW Health is due to open a fifth Special Health Accommodation facility to cope with the increase in residents who cannot safely isolate at home.
In the last two weeks, more than 70 per cent of infections had occurred within households, forcing health officials to reconsider NSW’s isolation capacity.
Deputy chief health officer Jeremy McAnulty said Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland and Blacktown LGAs continue to record the highest number of cases, totalling more than 1300 infections in the last week, with hundreds of residents requiring isolation facilities.
Dr McAnulty said accommodation facilities were also being established in the state’s west in light of the region’s ongoing outbreak.
Max Maddison8.15am: Clare: Send in army to boost vaccination
Opposition spokesman for housing Jason Clare has called on the Morrison government to bring the army into southwestern Sydney to boost vaccination rates in the “epicentre” of the outbreak.
The Blaxland MP’s electorate has seen soaring infections as health authorities grapple with the spread of the virus among family households.
It was clear the extended and increasingly restrictive lockdown wasn’t working as well as it should, Mr Clare said, as he called on the federal government to use all the tools at their disposal to boost vaccination rates.
“Get the army in to help … I think that’s a practical, common sense idea that the Prime Minister could pick up today to help make sure that we’ve got more people to vaccinate Australians in my community,” Mr Clare told Sky News on Wednesday morning.
“We had 120 people turned away from the vaccination clinic last week here about STEM, just because there weren’t enough doctors to vaccinate. That’s crazy.”
Nicholas Jensen 8.00am:Cemeteries stay open, funerals allowed
NSW Health says cemeteries will remain open and continue to allow funerals and memorial services of up to ten people.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, NSW Health said “people are also permitted to leave home for compassionate reasons”.
“In certain circumstances, such as an anniversary of a deceased child, or where a close family member has recently died, visiting a gravesite would be considered compassionate.”
“A group of people who live in the same house may gather outdoors. Otherwise, outdoor gatherings are limited to two people. Masks must be worn outdoors in declared areas.”
The statement comes after security guards at Rookwood Cemetery reportedly turned away families wanting to pay their respects at the graves of loved ones.
NSW Health insists the restrictions are designed to limit interaction between people from different households and reduce transmission of the virus.
Nicholas Jensen7.40am: Frewen: We’ll keep breaking vax records
Lieutenant General John Frewen has welcomed the arrival of additional Pfizer doses to Australia in the last 24 hours, saying the country will continue to break vaccination records as long as supply continues to increase.
“We have been getting record days just about every day consistently,” Lieutenant General Frewen told Channel’s 7 Sunrise program. “This is all about people in Australia being prepared to turn up and get jabbed.”
Australia has set a new daily record for the number of COVID-19 doses administered, with 279,465 people rolling up their sleeves on Monday at an extraordinary rate of around 200 jabs a minute 💉 pic.twitter.com/LZr2CGfXve
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) August 17, 2021
With more than half a million Pfizer vaccines set to be administered in NSW’s 12 LGAs of concern, Lieutenant General Frewen said the additional doses were designed to “make a difference” in areas recording high levels of transmission.
“It will take a couple of weeks for the vaccine to kick in but it is going to take weeks now to try and get that situation back under control.”
Pharmacists will also play a greater role in administering doses, he said, with the federal government looking to expand its “rollout network” and strategy.
“The pharmacists are playing an important role now. We have brought almost 2500 pharmacies into play in the last fortnight. This is another contributing factor to how we are managing to accelerate these numbers, but pharmacies are ready now.”
READ MORE:Indigenous Covid disaster a terrible legacy
Nicholas Jensen 7.30am:75 per cent of NSW cases in under-40s
After receiving a second delivery of Pfizer vaccines from Poland on Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia had set a new daily vaccination record, with more than 279,000 doses administered across the country on Monday.
“We believe that is the highest number, not just during the Covid vaccination program, but at any point in Australia’s history for vaccinations in a single day.”
In daily case numbers, NSW recorded 452 new infections on Tuesday, as well as the death of a woman in her 70s.
NSW recorded 452 new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/V8iZFFHJFd
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 17, 2021
Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that 75 per cent of the state’s active cases are in people aged under 40, urging young people to come forward to be vaccinated, especially if they live in an LGA of concern.
Deputy chief health officer Jeremy McAnulty said the spread of the virus into regional NSW was “very concerning” for the state’s Indigenous population.
“The majority of those (116 cases) have been in people who are Aboriginal,” he said.
After recording 24 new cases, Premier Daniel Andrews has urged Victorians to abide by its new raft of lockdown restrictions, including the state’s controversial 9pm-5am curfew.
Of the new infections, 21 are linked to known outbreaks, while 14 have been in isolation throughout their infectious period.
Reported yesterday: 24 new local cases and 1 new case acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 16, 2021
- 25,742 vaccine doses were administered
- 31,519 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/criDnQ00A9
With new cases in the Port Phillip, Glen Eira, Bayside and St Kilda areas, Victorian health officials have called upon local residents to help lift the state’s testing rates.
Meanwhile, ACT health officials recorded a further 17 cases on Tuesday.
Eight of the ACT’s cases are currently unlinked and remain under investigation. chief health officer Kerryn Coleman confirmed six cases had been linked to a nightclub, four cases to a high school, three cases to a primary school, three cases to a community centre and three further cases linked to other exposure sites.
ACT COVID-19 update (17 August 2021)
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 17, 2021
â–ªï¸ Cases today (since yesterday’s press conference): 17
â–ªï¸ Active cases: 45
â–ªï¸ Total cases (since March 2020): 169
â–ªï¸ Test conducted (past 24 hours): 7,380
â–ªï¸ Negative test results (past 24 hours): 6,369
â–ªï¸ Total negative tests: 304,929 pic.twitter.com/kbFQ7xs912
In the Northern Territory, despite recording zero local infections in its first day of lockdown, health officials are awaiting test results for 25 people who were on the same flight as the man who tested positive for the virus on Monday.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the man in his 30s was “more infectious” following his second Covid-19 test today, suggesting his case was “detected early”.
Mr Gunner said the NT health officials were locked in a “waiting game” until all close contact test results were returned.
The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance said the current situation in the NT poses a “very serious” threat for the Indigenous population.
At least 30 per cent of Indigenous Australians have received their first dose, with 15 per cent fully vaccinated.
Melissa Iaria7.00am:Jabs on track for November target: new study
A comparison of Australia and Canada’s Covid-19 vaccination approach reveals there is “good reason” to be confident we will achieve our 80 per cent target by mid-November, a new paper suggests.
More than one-fifth of eligible Aussies (those aged 16 and over) have been fully vaccinated and Doherty Institute modelling for national cabinet predicts 70 per cent will be fully vaccinated by November 1, climbing to 80 per cent on November 22.
In a new paper, The Centre of Independent Studies (CIS) says many doubts expressed about Australia’s ability to achieve the predictions are unwarranted, when considering the experience of other countries, particularly Canada.
The think tank compared the rollout in the two countries, given their similarities in area, population size, spread and systems of government in its paper entitled ‘90 days to freedom? Why Australia can learn from Canada’s vaccination success’, released on Wednesday.
The Canadian rollout did not gain strong momentum until May, affected by missteps and supply problems similar to those that have slowed Australia’s rollout, study author, CIS senior fellow and economist Robert Carling suggests.
However, by mid-August, 64 per cent of the total population was fully vaccinated.
READthe full story
Nicholas Jensen6.30am:NZ’s new cases include vaccinated nurse
New Zealand has recorded four new cases of community transmission, after entering a nationwide lockdown on Tuesday for at least three days.
The new cases include a fully vaccinated nurse at the Auckland City Hospital and three household cases. All infections have now been identified as the Delta variant.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday’s case in Davenport was a tradesperson who visited more than 20 locations while infectious.
“While we know that Delta is a more dangerous enemy to combat, the same actions that overcame the virus last year can be applied to beat it again.”
“We have made decisions on the basis that it is better to start high and go down levels rather than start too low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly.”
Vaccinations have also been suspended during the lockdown, authorities have said, “to ensure vaccines can be administered in a safe environment”.
New Zealand’s new infections break its six month record of zero community cases.
READ MORE: New Zealand must ‘stay the course’
Jess Malcolm5.15am:Senator isolated after daughter’s Covid-19 infection
Labor senator Katy Gallagher is in mandatory isolation after her daughter tested positive to Covid-19 on Tuesday morning.
In a statement posted to her Facebook page, Ms Gallagher said her daughter was feeling “pretty unwell”. The rest of her family recorded negative tests but will remain in strict isolation until advised otherwise.
“This morning we were advised that my gorgeous daughter Evie has tested positive for Covid-19,” she wrote.
This morning we were advised that my gorgeous daughter Evie has tested positive for COVID-19. One of Canberra’s 17 positive cases today.
— Katy Gallagher (@SenKatyG) August 17, 2021
My full statement is available on this link or on my Facebook page. https://t.co/uIbJlwmZIopic.twitter.com/2iFyecwgce
“She is at home with us but is feeling pretty unwell and understandably worried about what this means for her and for the rest of her family. We are really grateful for the medical and personal support we are receiving.
“I am lucky as I am fully vaccinated. Unfortunately too many Australians have not had that opportunity.
“My focus right now is on my little girl and getting her through this — but these events bring a sharp personal focus to the consequences of our government’s failure to ensure a prompt, efficient national rollout of vaccines.
“Here I sit tonight, where after doing everything right for 18 months, like millions of other families right around Australia — I am left with my children completely vulnerable to Covid-19.”
It is unclear where her daughter contracted the virus, but it comes as the ACT recorded 17 new cases yesterday, with several schools declared close-contact venues.
Harrison School (primary and secondary campuses) was exposed last Wednesday and Thursday — August 11 and 12 — from 8.30am to 3.30pm, potentially sending hundreds of children and staff into isolation.
St Thomas Aquinas Primary School in Charnwood has also been listed as a close contact venue on Thursday from 8.30am to 4pm.
UCSSC Lake Ginninderra in the gymnasium and cafeteria/canteen area in Belconnen was also exposed, on Monday, August 9, from 10am to 1.30pm.
A Lyneham chemist, Kaleen supermarket, Evatt IGA and Farrer flower shop were also listed.
All close and casual contacts are advised to get tested and follow the appropriate public health advice.
A full list of exposure locations can be found on the ACT government website.
âš ï¸ Close contact and casual contact exposure locations âš ï¸
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 17, 2021
We have listed new exposure locations linked to confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the ACT.
You can find the full list of exposure locations here: https://t.co/Rc5MotcEQipic.twitter.com/y9aKsR4n7q
READ MORE: NSW man jailed for brazen train trip
Rachel Baxendale5am: Andrews: ‘I don’t have to prove that curfews work’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he does not need to prove the efficacy of a curfew in bringing down coronavirus case numbers, despite having chosen to impose one on five million Melburnians.
Until at least September 2, Melburnians can be fined $1817 on the spot for leaving home between 9pm and 5am, unless they have an essential worker permit or require urgent medical care.
Asked to justify the curfew in light of comments from epidemiologists, including the Doherty Institute’s Jodie McVernon and ANU’s Peter Collignon, that they had not seen evidence proving such rules curbed the spread of coronavirus, Mr Andrews said: “It is not for me to prove the efficacy of any one measure.”
“No one has ever maintained that any one measure is the way out of this, so therefore it is not for me to provide hard data that establishes that,” he said on Tuesday. “I have never made that claim. We have never made that claim. If one thing alone was all we needed to do, then we would just do that one thing.
“We have a suite of measures and we have an experience — a tragic, terrible experience from last year where we went from more than 700 cases a day to zero.
“Each of those measures played a part in that, and that’s why the chief health officer has provided his advice to reinstitute the curfew.”
Mr Andrews was unable to say whether any of the 228 cases so far linked to the current outbreaks had been acquired outdoors after 9pm, but said the new rules were not related to cases already transmitted. “This is about stopping further cases. We can’t reverse those positives that are already there,” he said.
“But let me just be clear about, you know, the shocking impingement on people’s human rights. Like, it means you can’t go shopping in the middle of the night. It means you can’t go and do your exercise in the middle of the night – and for anyone inconvenienced by that, of course I apologise.”
READ MORE: ‘Their problem’ — Dan’s swipe at Sydney
Natasha Robinson4.45am:New fears emerge for ICU bed shortages
Almost three-quarters of NSW’s available staffed intensive care beds are full, with Covid-19 patients making up 10 per cent of total ICU admissions.
Intensive care doctors are increasingly concerned at the pressure on the state hospital system as rising case numbers lead to a significant spike in hospitalisations. There are currently 69 patients in ICU in NSW with Covid-19, with 25 on ventilators.
The state has 844 staffed ICU beds available, and 608 of them were occupied on Monday.
The pressure of Covid-19 cases on the ICU system is intense, with one-on-one care necessary and onerous PPE requirements. The average Covid-19 patient who enters ICU stays much longer than most patients who enter intensive care. The median length of stay for patients who are ventilated is 16 days and one in five dies. Of all patients who are hospitalised with Covid-19, about 10 per cent end up in ICU.
Read the full story here.
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