Coronavirus Australia live news: Bungle forces MP back into isolation; Flights added to Queensland alerts; NSW records 22 new local cases
NSW Health has reclassified Victor Dominello as a close contact after he spent several days in the community.
- Cut international arrivals: Foley
- 2 Sydney hospitals on high alert
- NSW records 22 new local cases
- Qld records 3 new local cases
Welcome to coverage of the latest developments in Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic. Live coverage has ended for now, read on for a recap of the day’s events.
Queensland has added new flights to its growing list of exposure sites. Sydney lists new exposure venues and puts two hospitals on high alert. Queensland has three new cases and Melbourne remains wary as states baulk at AstraZeneca for under 40s.
Two Sydney hospitals have been put on high alert as NSW records 22 new local cases, of which 11 had been in isolation during their infectious period. Queensland has recorded three new local cases, including the brother of the infected hospital worker as state deputy premier Stephen Miles admits Queensland failed to vaccinate all frontline healthcare staff as brother of unvaccinated hospital worker tests positive.
Rhiannon Down10.40pm:Judo club among NSW exposure sites
A judo club, several gyms and a fashion outlet are among Sydney’s latest exposure sites, as the city’s population anxiously awaits tomorrow’s Covid numbers.
All staff and students who attended the UNSW Judo Club at the Police and Community Youth Club in Daceyville on Wednesday June 23 between 5pm and 8pm have been asked to get tested and isolate for 14 days.
PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERN
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 30, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/0XdV7oQfXn
Fitness First in Maroubra and Crunch Fitness in Bankstown have also been added to the list with anyone who visited during the exposure period identified as close contacts.
Patrons at Nieo’s Grille in Earlwood, the Burwood Hotel in Burwood and the H&M in the Glasshouse Building in Sydney must also get tested and isolate for 14 days.
A string of venues in Auburn have also been added to the list as casual contact exposure sites including: Woolworths, Sunshine Fruit, Auburn Chickens and Auburn Central Pharmacy.
Anyone who attended Auburn Central without visiting those locations has been asked to monitor for symptoms.
The East Village Shopping Centre in Zetland has also been listed, the Zetland Coles, as well as the Big W, EB Games and Bunnings in Eastgardens.
Alerts have also been issued for Bankstown Central Shopping Centre, Bomboniere Factory in Bankstown, Cignall Tobacconist in Mascot and the Rose Bay Chemist Warehouse.
Eleven public transport routes have also been added to the list.
Rhiannon Down10.05pm:A national snapshot of Covid-19
The country has recorded 31 local cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours bringing the total to 317, as 12 million Australians reach the end of another day in lockdown.
Some 150,542 tests have been received in the past 24 hours bringing the nation’s total to 20.6 million, according to the latest snapshot of the Covid situation.
Australia has recorded 30,610 cases since the start of the pandemic, as the nation faces its most severe outbreak yet with Perth, Peel, Brisbane, parts of North Queensland, Darwin, Alice Springs and Sydney all under lockdown.
Sixty-two Australians are currently in hospital because of the virus though no new deaths have been linked to the latest outbreaks, with the death toll still at 910.
Greg Brown9.30pm:Federal govt rejects Qld’s AstraZeneca claim
The Morrison government has denied a claim by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that it planned to set up mass vaccination clinics to give AstraZeneca to under-40s.
On ABC’s 7.30 report, Ms Palaszczuk said she had no problem with young people speaking to their doctors about vaccines.
“People can go and have conversations with their GPs and I encourage that, but I think the commonwealth was looking at setting up mass vaccination hubs to administer AstraZeneca to the under 40s. This is extraordinary,” Ms Palaszczuk told the ABC.
A Morrison government spokesman said: “That is absolutely incorrect and it is unclear what the Queensland Premier is basing that claim upon”.
On Monday, Scott Morrison announced that the national cabinet had agreed to indemnify doctors who provided advice to patients on vaccines.
When asked if people under 40 could get the AstraZeneca vaccine, Mr Morrison said “if they wish to go and speak to their doctor and have access to the AstraZeneca vaccine, they can do so”.
Rhiannon Down8.55pm:Palaszczuk: No decision on AZ for under-40s
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has stood by her comments that there was no decision made at National Cabinet to open AstraZeneca rollout to under 40s.
Ms Palaszczuk said she stood behind her state’s advice to younger Australians to wait until another vaccine was available and follow ATAGI’s advice.
“It was quite extraordinary to hear the Prime Minister say the other night after National Cabinet that a decision had been made to give AstraZeneca to people under 40,” she told ABC’s 7.30 program.
“There was no such decision taken at National Cabinet.
“We merely noted that the Commonwealth will be giving an indemnity to GPs.
“So I was very concerned and I think likewise, as you have seen today, other colleagues of mine were also concerned that this was not the advice that was given by ATAGI.
“It is not the advice given by our Chief Health Officer and it is not the advice that the AMA has given.”
Ms Palaszczuk and Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young today expressed alarm at the change in the government’s messaging around the vaccine.
“At the end of the day, I have got over 1 million young people aged between 20 and 40 in my state and I don’t want them put at risk,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Rhiannon Down8.20pm:Bungle forces NSW MP back into isolation
NSW Health says it gave MP Victor Dominello “incorrect advice” and has reclassified him as a close contact after he spent several days in the community.
The health body issued a correction tonight stating that Mr Dominello’s “proximity” in the Chamber during Question Time on Tuesday June 22 “for an extended period of time” made him a close rather than a casual contact.
“NSW Health advises that it provided incorrect advice to Minister Victor Dominello regarding the nature of his exposure in NSW Parliament to a COVID-19 case diagnosed on Thursday 24 June,” the health body said.
“NSW Health has apologised to Minister Dominello for this error and acknowledges that he was following the health advice we provided to him.
“Minister Dominello left isolation on Saturday 26 June after receiving a negative test result and advice from NSW Health that he had been classified as a casual contact.”
Mr Dominello will return to isolation until July 6.
NSW Health says it “apologises for this error” and the bugle was not believed to have posed any significant risk of infection.
“His two negative test results mean he has not posed a risk while in the community or to those he has interacted with in recent days,” it said.
Mr Dominello briefed reporters earlier today on the importance of QR codes, warning that the Delta strain “moves at lightning pace”.
NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall sparked a major infection scare in state parliament last week after he contracted the virus at a Paddington pizza restaurant.
Rhiannon Down7.55pm:Queensland tightens travel from Alice Springs
Queensland has added Alice Springs to its list of hotspot locations, after the outback town was plunged into lockdown after a mine worker visited the airport while infectious.
Health authorities said the town would become a hotspot from 1am tomorrow, barring interstate travellers from the community from entering the state.
“From 1am tomorrow, anyone who has been in the Alice Springs LGA will not be allowed to enter Queensland unless they are a returning Queensland resident, except for a limited range of people who can enter for an essential purpose,” the health body said.
“Anyone who is allowed to enter Queensland from these locations will be required to go into 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine.”
Rhiannon Down7.05pm:Hundreds linked to NSW nursing student case
More than 100 staff and patients at the at Fairfield and Royal North Shore Hospitals have been identified as close contacts after a 24-year-old student nurse worked there while infectious.
NSW Health said so far all Covid tests linked to both hospitals had come back negative, and the clinics have undergone cleaning.
“Patients in the affected wards and those who have been discharged from those wards are being notified and tested,” the health body said in a statement.
“Those wards are not admitting any new patients.”
NSW Health said it was also “contacting patients’ families who may have visited these wards”.
The nurse reportedly spent time in the Fairfield rehabilitation ward and a cardiology and general abdominal surgery ward, though it was unclear to which hospital these two wards were linked.
Health authorities are yet to identify how the nurse came to be infected with the virus.
AFP6.25pm:Kim Jong-un swings axe after Covid-19 breaches defences
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un replaced several senior officials after a “crucial” coronavirus incident, state media reported on Wednesday, in what analysts said was a signal the disease had breached its defences.
Pyongyang closed its borders in January last year to try to protect itself against the virus that first emerged in neighbouring China and has gone on to sweep the world. It has not publicly confirmed any cases of the disease at any point, neither in state media nor in the test statistics it has disclosed to the World Health Organisation.
But analysts said the latest development was a clear indication there had been infections in the isolated country, which is under international sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
James Hall5.56pm:New flights added to Queensland virus alerts
Queensland has added two new Virgin Australia flights to its growing list of Covid exposure sites.
Passengers on flight VA924 from Brisbane to Sydney, taking off at 8.05am on Saturday June 26 and flight VA957 from Sydney to Brisbane, taking off at 3.56pm on the same day are now considered casual contacts of a confirmed case.
The news comes after Queensland recorded three new locally acquired cases of coronavirus on the first day of a three-day lockdown.
Anton Nilsson5.05pm:Service NSW QR codes mandatory for all workplaces
All NSW workplaces and retail businesses will be required to use Service NSW QR codes from next month.
The requirement, beginning July 12, will represent a massive ramping-up of the state’s information collection relating to the coronavirus and will impact virtually every adult in the state.
It will mean anyone who attends their workplace or any type of store will have to scan a QR code using a smartphone when they enter the building.
“We’ve seen with Covid how fast it moves,” Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello told reporters on Wednesday.
“(The Delta strain) moves at lightning pace, so we need to adjust our circumstances accordingly.”
The new rule will impact retail businesses and supermarkets, shopping centres and individual shops within them, gyms, offices, factories, warehouses, schools and universities.
READ the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale3.42pm:Cut international arrivals as choice of ‘lesser evils’: Foley
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has backed calls to cut Australia’s international arrivals, saying authorities face a choice between “lesser evils”.
“What we’re faced with, on the one hand, is a hotel quarantine system that continues (to leak), despite the best efforts of all the states who moved into this space, the constitutional responsibility of the commonwealth,” Mr Foley said.
“Hotel quarantine in hotels is clearly challenged by the Delta variant ... More than 12 million Australians are under lockdown as a result of the system leaking.
“Which is the lesser evil here? Having 12 million Australians locked down, or for a period of time scaling right back our hotel quarantine system until such time as our struggling commonwealth’s vaccination program gets us to a point where we can safely have a conversation around what alternatives are?”
Mr Foley said he shared the concerns of Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk regarding the numbers of non-Australian citizens permitted into the country.
“The commonwealth approves these visas. We know that there are people who are coming and going consistently from our hotel quarantine system, sometimes at the expense of Australians who are desperate to get home,” he said.
“Victoria thinks — and I’m glad to see WA and Queensland share the view — that it is time for that national conversation to be had, and that’s why, as I understand it, the issue is on the agenda for national cabinet on Friday.
“These two responsibilities of the commonwealth, the vaccine program and the quarantine system, are in conflict at the moment, and we have to resolve that in the interests of the Victorian and Australian community.”
READ MORE:I should be exultant I’m fully vaccinated, but I’m not
Matthew Denholm3.42pm:Tas Labor leader stands aside pending conduct investigation
Tasmanian Labor leader David O’Byrne has apologised and stood aside pending an investigation into allegations by a woman relating to his conduct when he was a union leader.
READ the full story here.
Max Maddison3.40pm:Pfizer for under 60’s ‘our guiding light’: Hunt
Health Minister Greg Hunt says medical advice that Pfizer remains the preferred vaccine for under 60s, and AstraZeneca for over 60s continues to be the “guiding light”, as the Morrison government backs away from the decision to open up AstraZeneca to the wider population.
Confusion has reigned since Scott Morrison announced AstraZeneca would be available to younger people subject to a discussion with their GP, with peak medical bodies claiming they weren’t consulted prior to the announcement.
After days of mixed messaging, Mr Hunt clarified the government’s position, deferring to the health advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, as he claimed the only change to the medical advice has been the medical indemnity offered to doctors.
He reiterated that Pfizer remained the preferred vaccine for everyone under 60, and AstraZeneca for over 60-year-olds.
“No change in that medical advice. That has been and continues to be the case. It continues to be the guiding light,” Mr Hunt told a press conference on Wednesday.
It comes as Australia’s chief health officers prepare to stage a revolt against the Prime Minister’s push for young people to front up for the AstraZeneca jab.
Queensland’s Dr Jeannette Young, Australia’s longest serving chief health officer, has taken direct aim at Mr Morrison’s push for young people to ask their GPs about receiving the AstraZeneca jab, associated with a rare clotting disorder.
“I do not want under-40s to get AstraZeneca,” she said. “We are not in a position that I need to ask young, fit, healthy people to put their health on the line by getting a vaccine that could potentially significantly harm them.
“I don‘t want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got Covid probably wouldn’t die.
READ the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale3.25pm:Nine active cases remain in ‘very vulnerable’ Victoria
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said there were only nine active coronavirus cases remaining from the West Melbourne and Whittlesea clusters which first emerged in May.
Fewer than 300 primary close contacts linked to those people remain in isolation.
One of the nine cases is Wednesday’s single new community-acquired case, in a female family member of a Covid ward nurse who caught the virus at the Epping Private Hospital more than a fortnight ago.
Mr Weimar said the new case had been in isolation since June 15, and had tested positive on Tuesday after taking a Day 12 test on Monday.
“She was right at the tail end of that period we ask primary close contacts to go through before determining they’re able to be released, but she tested positive on the last of those tests, so she now starts her 14 day isolation again,” Mr Weimar said.
Victoria’s other two active community-acquired cases include two workers at a dry cleaning business in bayside Sandringham, one of whom caught the virus at a party in Sydney’s Hoxton Park.
Close contacts of one of the workers in an apartment complex in the southeastern Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh have also been asked to isolate, and were undergoing Day 6 and Day 7 tests on Wednesday.
“We’ve got a really good wrap around the housing, apartments, where one of the positive cases lives, we’ve got a good wrap around the family and social contacts of both cases, we feel we’ve got a really good wrap around the customers who’ve used that Sandringham dry cleaners, the people they had contact with on the flight and on the public transport journey, so we’re as confident as we can be at this stage that all those (primary close contacts) are locked down,” Mr Weimar said.
“We may well of course, we’re doing Day 6 and Day 7 testing at Oakleigh at the moment. We may well see some positive cases emerge from that. We’d rather they didn’t, but if they do, they are currently under control.”
Mr Weimar said six miners linked to a mine worker who caught the virus in a Brisbane quarantine hotel before flying to the Northern Territory were also isolating in Victoria, as are 120 people linked to a flight attendant who stayed overnight in Melbourne having worked on flights to and from the city.
He warned Victoria remained vulnerable amid outbreaks interstate.
“While we do have really active interstate clusters firing off in just about every other state apart from Tasmania, we are very vulnerable to those embers flying into Victoria,” Mr Weimar said.
Rhiannon Down3.20pm:Vaccine rollout passes 7.6 million doses Australia-wide
The nation’s vaccine rollout has surpassed 7.6 million jabs, with 144,885 doses were administered in the last 24 hours, as criticism mounts that the health advice surrounding the AstraZeneca jab is confusing.
Some 4,408,194 jabs have now been administered by the federal health system, with 3,975,551 of those through primary care, and 3,237,391 through the states and territories, according to the latest Department of Health figures.
NSW, which is facing the nation’s greatest threat from Covid-19 after 22 cases were recorded on Wednesday, has completed the most vaccinations in the past 24 hours: 20,836 jabs.
Victoria has administered the most vaccines overall with 1,079,775 jabs, including 19,533 in the past 24 hours.
The Australian Medical Association has criticised the federal government for announcing it would open the AstraZeneca jab to under 60s, saying it’s frustrated with conflicting messaging that is causing confusion and hesitancy in the community.
This daily infographic provides the total number of vaccine doses administered in Australia as of 29 June 2021. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccine information here: https://t.co/lsM33j9wMWpic.twitter.com/NImZZUEqKt
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) June 30, 2021
Jess Malcolm2.38pm:Post office, supermarkets among new NSW venue alerts
NSW Health has updated its list of venues visited by confirmed cases of Covid-19.
The new venues include a popular eastern suburbs chicken shop, appliance stores and a gymnastics studio.
All residents are being urged to check the list regularly to help contact tracers contain the outbreak.
Anyone who attended the following venue at the time listed is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days:
Bunnerong Gymnastics, 441 Bunnerong Road, Matraville on Wednesday June 23 from 4pm to 5pm
Anyone who attended the following venues at the listed times is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
Monday June 21: Australia Post Office, 31 Hall St, Bondi Beach from 2pm to 2.30pm
Tuesday June 22: Bill Scott’s Butchery, 50 Blair St, North Bondi from 3.45pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday June 22: Bunnerong Gymnastics, 441 Bunnerong Road, Matraville from 3.30pm to 4pm and 5pm to 5.30pm; Rebel Randwick, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre, 73 Belmore Road, Randwick from 3.45pm to 4.15pm
Thursday June 24: Jaycar Bondi Junction Retail, 125 Bronte Road, Bondi Junction from 3.30pm to 3.40pm; Pacific Square Maroubra Shopping Centre, 737 Anzac Parade, Maroubra from 8.30am to 9.10am
Friday June 22: Harvey Norman Bondi Junction, 500 Oxford Street, Shop 5016, Westfield Bondi Junction from 11am to 11.40am; Fitness First Commercial Building (building C), Bakehouse Quarter, 3a George Lane, North Strathfield from 12.55pm to 1.15pm
Sunday June 27: Super IGA Blaxland, 150-152 Great Western Highway, Blaxland from 6am to 4pm; Chargrill Charlie’s, Rose Bay, 2/779 New South Head Rd from 1050am to 11.05am
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 30, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/OGbCoPU7r6
Rachel Baxendale2.38pm:No response to ADF request: Foley
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says the Morrison government is yet to respond to a Victoria Police request for assistance in enforcing coronavirus travel restrictions along the border with New South Wales.
The Andrews government issued a request on Monday for 30 ADF personnel to work with police to ensure compliance among travellers from NSW.
Sydney, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains are currently red zones, while most of regional NSW is orange, with the local government areas along the Murray River designated green for the convenience of border communities.
Mr Foley said there had been “very productive conversations” with the commonwealth regarding a separate request for 100 ADF personnel to assist with doorknocking of positive cases, close contacts and red zone returnees, predominantly in Melbourne.
“I think we’ll have some more very positive things to say about that, hopefully in the next day, and I want to thank the ADF for their constructive engagement on that,” Mr Foley said.
“What I haven’t had an update on is the Vic Pol request for the logistical assistance along the border, but we remain hopeful that the commonwealth will recognise that Victoria is actually part of the commonwealth of Australia.”
READ MORE: Scary reason no cases led to lockdown
Max Maddison2.36pm:Andrews returns serve at Palaszczuk
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews has taken aim at Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for trying to “create a distraction from their own quarantine failure”, as she rejects calls to reduce weekly arrival caps.
With Ms Palaszczuk and her deputy, Stephen Miles, blasting the government for failures with the vaccine rollout, Ms Andrews returned serve, saying the pair were to blame for placing a domestic FIFO mine worker into hotel quarantine alongside “high risk” international travellers, and for not vaccinating health workers.
“Quite frankly, what premier Palaszczuk and her deputy Stephen Miles are doing is trying to create a distraction from their own quarantine failures,” Ms Andrews told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“The reason that we are in lockdown here, particularly in South East Queensland, but also in parts of northern Queensland are because of failures by the Palaszczuk government.”
Ms Andrews highlighted the Queensland government’s perceived double-standards, by allowing film and sports stars into the state, but jumping “up and down” and trying to blame the commonwealth when they couldn’t manage their own failures.
She also defended the vaccine rollout, saying the Morrison government was “doing all that it can” to ensure a “timely and efficient rollout” across Australia.
“I’ve said for many months now, that we need to learn to live and to work in the Covid environment in which we find ourselves in,” she said.
READ MORE:Reason positive family got travel permit
Jess Malcolm2.35pm:ABF hits back at Miles’ arrivals claim
The Australian Border Force has disputed claims from the Queensland government that half of returning travellers from overseas were not Australian citizens or permanent residents.
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles took aim at the federal government’s overseas arrivals policy, attacking the criteria for letting in people who were foreign visa holders.
He claimed they were “jumping the queue” in front of Australian citizens and “putting our community at risk”.
But the ABF has released a statement calling the comments “misleading”.
“On average over 80 per cent of international arrivals required to quarantine within the hotel quarantine caps are Australian citizens, permanent residents (PRs) or their immediate family,” the statement read.
“Data from other sources such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing a high number of non-citizens arriving into Australia can only report on the passport used to enter Australia.
“It’s important to note that Permanent Residents and their immediate family members who are not Australian citizens will travel on foreign passports.”
The ADF also said just a third of foregin nations had their inbound travel exemption request approved to travel into Australia
“From 20 March 2020 to 31 May 2021, 49,017 foreign nationals have had their inbound travel exemption request approved to travel to Australia,” it read.
“During this same period, 104,507 foreign nationals have had their inbound travel exemption request to travel to Australia denied.
“More than half of these approvals were for those proving a critical skill to Australia.”
READ MORE:Business plans way forward
Rachel Baxendale2.33pm:Two ‘red zone’ arrivals referred to Vic police
Victorian coronavirus logistics chief Jeroen Weimar says two people who weren’t at home yesterday after returning to the state from red zones have been referred to police.
Sydney, Perth and the Peel region, Brisbane and the other parts of Queensland currently in lockdown have all been declared as red zones by Victorian health authorities.
Those returning to Victoria from red zones must quarantine at home for 14 days.
Mr Weimar said Victorian authorities had issued about 7000 red zone returning permits in recent days.
“We’ve spoken to at least three quarters of the people holding red zone permits and we’re calling them every single day, and about a third of them have so far returned a negative test result,” Mr Weimar said.
“We’ve also continued our home visit program. You’ll remember we tend to focus this home visit program on positive cases and primary close contacts. We’re now also extending that to red zone arrivals.
“We checked around 120 people yesterday, including a number of red zone arrivals, and again the vast majority of people are doing the right thing.
“Of the 120 visits yesterday there were two people we’ve referred to Vic Pol for not complying with the directions around the red zone requirements.”
Mr Weimar said 10,000 people had returned to Victoria since June 22 from parts of Queensland which became red zones at 1am on Wednesday.
“We now have 150 authorised officers at the airport checking arriving flights from just about every capital city,” Mr Weimar said.
“Yesterday we met all of our orange zone and red zone arriving flights. We checked over 800 passengers, so every passenger was checked.
“Of those, more than 90 per cent had the right permit or documentation, and of course the remaining 10 per cent were able to do so on the spot.”
READ MORE:Ticky Fullerton: This is no way out of a crisis
Jack the Insider2.31pm:I should be exultant after second dose, but I’m not
COMMENT
I am fully vaccinated, having received my second AstraZeneca shot as of 9:08 this morning. It’s a humble brag. I was pitched in with the IB group, the general population aged 70 or older, indigenous Australians aged 55 or more, emergency service workers and those with underlying medical conditions.
I’ve joined 4.8 per cent of the population in being fully vaxxed. That’s around the One Nation vote in the 2019 election for some perspective although Pauline Hanson’s party has made a bit of noise suggesting it might court the anti vax vote.
There were no adverse reactions, even mild ones, no reaction to the first shot, other than a bit of a dead arm for a day or two. The second shot seems not to have offered even that.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on 16 February this year, three weeks after the approval of the Pfizer vaccine. By arrangement with the company, the commonwealth planned to manufacture millions of doses of the vaccine under licence at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories.
That has come to an end, or it will in October, with the A-Z vaccine phased out in preference to other vaccines due to its rare but potentially lethal side effects associated with a type of thrombosis (TTS) in younger age groups.
The more data that comes in from the Pfizer vaccine, the more positive it looks but there is not enough of it available to vaccinate the entire population in the short to medium term.
Anton Nilsson2.10pm:Mandatory QR codes for NSW offices, supermarkets
All NSW workplaces and retail businesses will be required to use Service NSW QR codes from next month.
The requirement, beginning July 12, will represent a massive ramping-up of the state’s information collection relating to the coronavirus and will impact virtually every adult in the state.
It will mean anyone who attends their workplace or any type of store will have to scan a QR code using a smartphone when they enter the building.
“We’ve seen with Covid how fast it moves,” Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello told reporters on Wednesday.
“(The delta strain) moves at lightning pace, so we need to adjust our circumstances accordingly.”
Jess Malcolm1.33pm:Coatsworth ‘at odds’ with Queensland CHO on vaccine
Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth has taken aim at Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young, saying he is “at odds” with her over the riskiness of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
In a statement on Twitter, Dr Coatsworth retweeted his own comments citing facts about the low risk of clotting associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Well, I guess that puts me at odds with the QLD CHO,” he wrote on Wednesday.
“Critical ethical principle of autonomy at stake here. Should not be paternalistic. Adults should be allowed to consent to an intervention with a 3 in 100,000 risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome and less than 1 in 1,000,000 of death #auspol #covid19aus #AstraZeneca.”
Earlier this morning, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young criticised the Prime Minister’s push for young people to ask their GPs to get the AstraZeneca jab, citing fears over extremely rare clotting.
“I do not want under-40s to get AstraZeneca,” she said. “We are not in a position that I need to ask young, fit, healthy people to put their health on the line by getting a vaccine that could potentially significantly harm them.
“I don‘t want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got Covid probably wouldn’t die.
Well, I guess that puts me at odds with the QLD CHO https://t.co/SORe6WcmzQ
— Dr. Nick Coatsworth (@nick_coatsworth) June 30, 2021
Paul Garvey12.58pm:WA records one new case on second day of lockdown
Western Australia has recorded one new local case as it enters its second day of lockdown.
WA Premier Mark McGowan on Wednesday morning said the latest case was a 37-year-old male who had visited a gym in Perth’s northern suburbs that has been linked to two of the three other cases.
Mr McGowan said the man had been in quarantine and had not been in the community while infectious.
He had initially returned a negative test when the gym was first identified as a potential exposure site, but was retested after he subsequently developed symptoms.
Mr McGowan said 18,255 tests were conducted on Tuesday, a record high for WA.
“Even if you’ve already returned a negative result and then develop symptoms, get tested again,” he said.
The Perth and Peel region entered a four-day lockdown at midnight Monday after an outbreak in Perth’s northern suburbs grew to three cases.
The latest outbreak started with a physiotherapist who had recently returned from Sydney. A woman who visited a gym where the physiotherapist worked, and a man who was eating at a brewery visited by the original woman, have both since tested positive for the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The latest lockdown is Perth’s third this year.
Mr McGowan said the fact the latest case was already in isolation when his positive test was returned vindicated the government’s approach.
“Lockdowns are naturally frustrating and difficult for everyone, but they are necessary. I wouldn’t do it if the health advice didn’t say it was the best way to handle the current situation as quickly and effectively as possible,” he said.
“And hopefully, in the future as more Western Australians get vaccinated, they will no longer be required.”
READ MORE: Alice Springs plunged into lockdown
Rachel Baxendale12.40pm:Victoria seeks clarity on AstraZeneca change
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says state health authorities received official confirmation from the commonwealth overnight of the Morrison government’s intention to implement a no-fault indemnity scheme for GPs administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to patients aged under 60.
“I’m meeting with officials shortly to understand what that might mean for the practical delivery of both our GP and our state clinics,” Mr Foley said on Wednesday.
“We will keep working with our health services, and we’ll keep Victorians updated on progress there.
“Can I say in the meantime, as we always have said, if you have questions about what your individual needs are, and you want to make sure that your options for what can be delivered through vaccines, please consult your trusted GP or your primary healthcare provider.
“Together with the commonwealth we will get to a situation where we clarify exactly what that position is. As soon as we have some clarity from the commonwealth as to what their position is in delivery of these vaccines to age groups, we will share those with Victorians.”
Mr Foley said Victoria had made a proposal to the commonwealth regarding the involvement of pharmacists in the vaccine rollouts, particularly in areas with a GP shortage.
However, he said vaccine supply represented a key obstacle.
“I’d use this opportunity to again implore the commonwealth to seek more vaccines, particularly for the vaccine-hungry Victorian community, who have demonstrated a strong desire to be vaccinated,” Mr Foley said.
“All roads come back to the shortage of supply of vaccinations.
“More GPs want to get involved, pharmacists want to get involved, community health centres want to get involved. We see today propositions that private businesses want to get involved. All of which sound like great ideas to me, but you can’t distribute what you don’t have, and that continues to be our main problem.”
READ MORE:Pharmacies enter Covid-19 vaccine frontline
Lydia Lynch12.36pm:Stop squabbling, Queensland Opposition Leader says
Queensland’s Opposition Leader has called on state and federal leaders to “stop squabbling” and figure out how to get Australia vaccinated faster.
David Crisafulli, who leads Queensland’s LNP, said there was a “lack of clarity” about the coronavirus vaccine which was fueling hesitancy.
“What I want to see is the state and federal government; stop the squabbling, stop the games, stop the politicking and get people, get those vaccines into their arms.
“The mixed messaging across the board isn’t helping.”
Mr Crisafulli slammed the state Labor government’s failure to ensure staff working in Queensland’s six Covid wards were vaccinated.
Millions of Queenslanders were plunged into lockdown on Tuesday after an unvaccinated teenager who worked immediately outside an isolation ward tested positive to the Delta strain.
Queensland Health have admitted it did not know how many hospital staff had been inoculated against coronavirus, in response to a series of questions from The Australian.
One third of staff have not received a first dose, or have, but it is not documented.
Mr Crisafulli said it was “absurd” that Queensland Health had not kept track of its own staff’s vaccination numbers.
“What is unfolding is an absolute failure of the health system in this state,” he said.
READ MORE: Top doctor takes aim at PM
Jess Malcolm12.34pm:This family were doing the right thing: Marshall
South Australian Health authorities will now be contacting anyone who has been potentially exposed to Covid-19 positive cases on the flight from Alice Springs, but Premier Steven Marshall says it is a “low risk”.
Based on the limited time the family members spent in the community, Mr Marshall said today’s new restrictions were a proportionate response.
“I think we were very fortunate that this family has been doing the right thing, all of the miners who have returned from the Northern Territory have been doing the right things by isolating and getting tested, we have not had any other positive tests for the other 28 miners,” Mr Marshall said.
“It is the perfect example of why following the direction of SA Health keeps the state safe.”
When asked about whether a lockdown could be announced in the future, Mr Marshall said it would depend on the situation.
READ MORE: Sign lockdown to end on time
Jess Malcolm12.22pm:No lockdown but new restrictions for SA
South Australia has so far avoided a lockdown as the state recorded five new cases of locally acquired transmission.
The first case was a mine worker who infected his wife and three of his four children.
All of these new cases have been at home in isolation since Saturday.
While avoiding a city-wide Adelaide lockdown SA Premier Steven Marshall has announced a raft of new restrictions.
Home gatherings will be reduced to 10 people, and mask wearing has now been recommended in retail settings where you cannot social distance.
People are not required to wear a mask at work or in social settings.
Mr Marshall has also asked people to work from home if they are unable to social distance at their workplace.
SA residents are also being urged to be vigilant checking into venues with the QR codes.
READ MORE:Cases in SA break 212 day Covid-free run
Jess Malcolm12.17pm:NSW Treasurer’s plea for ‘constructive dialogue’ between leaders
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has called for a “constructive dialogue” between leaders during the problematic vaccination rollout and national outbreaks of the Delta strain.
The comments came just after an explosive press conference from Queensland health authorities who told their residents to ignore the Prime Minister’s advice for younger Australians to take AstraZeneca if they wanted to under guidance from their GP.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Perrottet called for calm.
“We have got to have a constructive dialogue between political leaders,” he said.
“We cannot continue to be in a situation for the next six months to continue going into lockdown and shut ourselves off to the world.
“We are not going to move forward if we fight with each other.”
Mr Perrotett also hinted that Queensland Premier Annastascia Palasczuk was attempting to shift blame away from herself.
“When leaders shift to the blame game to cover up their own issues it reduces confidence in the whole system.”
READ MORE: Premier pushes Pfizer for elderly
Rachel Baxendale 12.10pm:Vic to keep restrictions for foreseeable
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says restrictions on crowd numbers at AFL matches and theatre performances will remain as they currently are for the foreseeable future, amid a “delicately poised” coronavirus situation in other states.
AFL fans had hoped crowd capacities would increase to as much as 85 per cent this weekend, but the Andrews government has opted to maintain 50 per cent.
Indoor entertainment in cinemas, theatres and music halls will remain limited to 75 per cent capacity and up to 300 patrons per seated, indoor space, and up to 1,000 people in outdoor spaces.
“It is clear that as a nation, things are extremely delicately poised at the moment,” Mr Foley said.
“We are seeing situations right around the country where 12 million of our fellow Australians are under a form of severe lockdown, so based on the assessment from our public health officials, the arrangements that we currently have in place will continue to be in place.”
READ MORE: In the grip of Covid health fascism
Jess Malcolm12.05pm: Gunner: Don’t rush and get tested
NT First Minister Michael Gunner has urged people not to rush and get tested as Alice Springs prepares for lockdown.
“We don’t want people leaving home and flooding the testing sites, we need to prioritise that for any high risk individuals there. There won’t be many but we want them at the front of the queue for testing.”
Alice Spring has been plunged into lockdown because of the length of exposure at the airport, and to protect its vulnerable communities, Mr Gunner has confirmed.
“I woke up this morning hoping this was a day for good news and there is some good news, there is zero cases today, but we are still in a dangerous period.”
Uder lockdown restrictions, All residents in Alice Springs must stay at home except for the following reasons: essential goods and services, essential work, medical reasons, one hour of exercise per day within 5kms of your home or to provide care.
Cafes and restaurants will be open for takeaway, and supermarkets and essential stores will stay open.
Mask wearing is enforced to all residents.
Mr Gunner has told all Alice Springs residents to stay where they are until further information is given from health authorities.
“We are now going through a process of refining areas which areas of the airport are close contact, whether you are a first contact or are low-risk.
“This will determine your risk of exposure, whether you are at a 14-day stay at home order, get tested or monitor for symptoms.”
READ MORE:Hunt grilled over vaccine backflip
Jess Malcolm 11.55am:Alice Springs locked down for 72 hours
The Northern Territory has extended its strict stay-at-home orders to Alice Springs for 72-hours over fears a mine worker has spent time in the town whilst infectious.
The lockdown will last for 72 hours and will be effective from 1pm on Wednesday.
The man spent time at the Alice Springs Airport on Friday June 25 between 9am and 3.50pm. He did not exit the airport, and spent time in the cafe and multiple bathrooms.
On Saturday June 26, the man returned to Adelaide and took a Covid-19 test.
His test was negative, however he has since developed symptoms while in isolation in Adelaide, and four of his five household contacts have now tested positive.
The Northern Territory recorded no new cases of Covid-19 today.
READ MORE:Nation braces for surge in cases
Jess Malcolm 11.47am:Mystery over source of infected Sydney nurse
Health authorities have not yet found the source of the 24-year-old student nurse who tested positive for Covid-19.
She was at work for five days while infectious, which is three days prior to the onset of her symptoms as per the normal tracing caution.
Dr Kerry Chant said one of her household members has tested positive, and testing is underway for another household member. Repeat testing is also underway for the first household member.
“Sometimes the direction of transmission is sometimes very difficult to understand, so we do need to do a few tests around the person,” she said.
“In the early hours of this morning the real focus was keeping our patients and staff safe, and so immediately staff who had contact with the student nurse were identified and ensured that they were not on duty.”
READ MORE: Sign NSW lockdown will end on time
Jess Malcolm 11.45am: Berejiklian: follow health advice on AZ
Gladys Berejiklian has instructed NSW residents to follow the federal regulatory health advice which advises the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 60.
The comments come after Queensland authorities warned residents under 60 to not choose to take the AstraZeneca vaccine over safety fears.
“What we need to do as a state government is follow the federal regulatory health advice which is that AstraZeneca is offered for over-60s, and obviously second doses are strongly, strongly advised,” she said.
“Beyond that, you must go to your GP and get their advice.
“The federal advice is there and beyond that point you should talk to your GP.”
Ms Berejiklian also assured people she had been advised of “no interruption” to the Pfizer supply, after the Queensland Premier claimed they could run out of the vaccine as soon as Monday.
“We are given a four to five-week period, so we know roughly what we’re getting in the next four to five weeks.”
READ MORE: Doctors stand firm on Pfizer for under 60s
Jess Malcolm 11.40am: SA braces for lockdown with 4 new cases
South Australian residents are bracing for more restrictions with the state poised to record its first case of community transmission in more than 200 days.
The South Australian premier will address the media at 11.45am where it is expected he will announce four new locally acquired cases.
The announcement could plunge the state into a strict lockdown, joining NSW, West Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland under tight stay-at-home order.
Emily Cosenza 11.35am: SA records cases after 211 Covid free days
South Australia is expected to confirm its first locally acquired Covid-19 case after more than 211 days on Wednesday in a shock development that could plunge the state into a snap lockdown.
The locally acquired infections are expected to be announced later on Wednesday morning.
NCA NewsWire has been told by sources the state has recorded new local cases for the first time since November last year.
SA Health workers are scrambling to determine the source of the infection and how many other community members were in contact with the cases.
A media conference with Premier Steven Marshall, chief health officer Nicola Spurrier and SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has been called for 11.45am.
READ the full story
Jess Malcolm 11.25am: Two Sydney hospitals on high alert
Two Sydney hospitals have been placed on high alert after a 24-year-old student nurse spent time at work whilst infectious.
The impacted wards in Fairfield Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital have now been shut down, and rapid testing is underway for all staff and patients.
The nurse reportedly spent time in the Fairfield rehabilitation ward and a cardiology and general abdominal surgery ward. It was unclear to which hospital these two wards were linked.
Health authorities have also been scrambling to track down any patients that have been recently discharged but may have been infected.
Dr Kerry Chant said all testing has so far returned negative.
“It’s much too early to tell whether we will have any transmission and we have taken a very broad, infectious period because of our concern about the vulnerability of health care settings.”
The Chief Health Officer confirmed she was not aware whether the nurse was vaccinated.
The case was detected late last night at 10pm and will be included in tomorrow’s numbers.
READ MORE:Queensland unleashes on vaccinations, quarantine
Rachel Baxendale11.20am:Vic case family member of previous case
Victoria’s single new community-acquired case of coronavirus is in a female family member of a previous case connected to the Epping Private Hospital outbreak, Health Minister Martin Foley has confirmed.
A fortnight ago a nurse who had been treating three elderly Covid patients from the Arcare aged care facility at the hospital tested positive for the virus.
Authorities subsequently confirmed the nurse had also been working at the nearby Northern Hospital.
Mr Foley said the latest case had been in quarantine throughout her infectious period.
Victoria recorded one new case in hotel quarantine over night, after 29,949 tests were processed in the 24 hours to midnight on Tuesday.
Jess Malcolm11.15am:Contact tracers helped NSW avoid ‘huge escalation’
NSW has so far avoided a “huge escalation” of cases originally predicted by health authorities due to the successful effort of contact tracers, the state premier says.
While it is “early days”, Gladys Berejiklian has told residents of NSW that the public health response is working.
Three new cases were linked to Christo’s Pizzeria in Paddington, bringing the total number of cases linked to this venue to four.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 30, 2021
“What we want to see moving forward in terms of positive trend is a higher proportion of people in isolation for the full time of their infectiousness,” she said.
“If all of us stick together and continue to do the right thing, we will hopefully see those trends continue with a greater proportion of those cases identified in isolation.”
Ms Berejiklian also flagged the number of exposure sites to decrease in the coming days.
The purpose of the NSW lockdown is to ensure new cases have spent minimal time in the community, Dr Kerry Chant has confirmed
Of today’s new locally acquired cases, four more cases have been linked to the West Hoston birthday party bringing the total number of cases to 39.
There was one new case linked to Great Ocean Foods fish wholesaler in Marrickville, bringing the total number of cases to 19.
There have been four new cases linked to the Crossways Hotel, and four new cases linked to Christo’s Pizzeria in Paddington.
Health authorities have extended the time of exposure linked to the Crossways Hotel. Anyone who visited the venue from June 23 to 27 inclusive is now a close contact and must isolate for 14 days.
READ MORE:Mixed jab advice confuses everyone
Jess Malcolm 11.05am:NSW records 22 new local cases
NSW has recorded 22 new local cases in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday, three more than Tuesday but still trending downwards. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 11 of the new cases had been in isolation during their infectious period, while five of them were in isolation for part of their infectious period.
Six of the new cases today spent time in the community.
There were over 68,000 tests conducted in the past 24 hours.
NSW recorded 22 new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, all of which are linked to previously confirmed cases. pic.twitter.com/q1N2eEtTiz
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 30, 2021
The purpose of the NSW lockdown is to ensure new cases have spent minimal time in the community, Dr Kerry Chant has confirmed
Of today’s new locally acquired cases, four more cases have been linked to the West Hoston birthday party bringing the total number of cases to 39.
There was one new case linked to Great Ocean Foods fish wholesaler in Marrickville, bringing the total number of cases to 19.
There have been four new cases linked to the Crossways Hotel, and four new cases linked to Christo’s Pizzeria in Paddington.
Health authorities have extended the time of exposure linked to the Crossways Hotel. Anyone who visited the venue from June 23 to 27 inclusive is now a close contact and must isolate for 14 days.
Lydia Lynch10.55am:Young: I don’t want under-40s to get AZ
Queensland’s chief health officer has taken direct aim at Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s vaccine advice.
Dr Jeannette Young said people under 40 should not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine because of the risk of blood clots.
“We are not in a position that I need to ask young, fit, healthy people to put their health on the line getting a vaccine that could potentially significantly harm them,” she said. “I don’t want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, even if they got Covid, probably wouldn’t die,” she told reporters.
BREAKING: Queensland CHO Jeannette Young wants no under 40s to get AZ vaccine because of blood clot risk. Says all states CHOs are in agreement. @newscomauHQpic.twitter.com/D5p5aUAN5L
— Rohan Smith (@Ro_Smith) June 30, 2021
Dr Young said her opinion was shared with other chief Health officers and she did not understand why Mr Morrison was encouraging young people to receive AstraZeneca.
“Well, I haven’t been able to talk to him and to understand his thought processes.
“The premier announced in national cabinet that there wasn’t a discussion, so I genuinely don’t understand his processes,” she said
“I know an urgent meeting has been called by the commonwealth today with chief health officers to talk this through, so I’m sure I will find out more.”
Dr Young said healthy young people should wait until the Pfizer jab is available
Jess Malcolm 10.45am:NSW Health issues alert correction
NSW Health has issued a correction to a previously listed venue exposed to Covid-19.
Macchina Espresso at 6/11 Mashman Avenue was previously listed in Kirribilli.
The cafe is located in Kingsgrove, not Kirribilli as originally stated.
Anyone who visited the cafe on Saturday June 26 from 9.15am to 9.35am is considered a casual contact and must get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
“We apologise for any confusion and inconvenience,” it wrote on Twitter.
*CORRECTION* Macchina Espresso, 6/11 Mashman Avenue is located in Kingsgrove, not Kirribilli as originally stated.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 30, 2021
Venue alert: Kingsgrove - Macchina Espresso, 6/11 Mashman Avenue: Saturday 26 June, 9.15am – 9.35am.
We apologise for any confusion and inconvenience.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – FURTHER VENUES AND BUS ROUTESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 29, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new venues of concern and bus routes associated with confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/Oh72nf9bSo
Lydia Lynch10.30am:D’Ath: We’ll run out of vaccines by July 5
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has said the state had written to the commonwealth asking for an extra 152,100 Pfizer doses.
“We are at critical levels,” she said.
Ms D’Ath said some vaccination sites, including Sunshine Coast University Hospital, would run out of vaccines by July 5.
“We are getting to that point where we will have to prioritise only second doses.”
The Queensland Premier said under 40s should be offered alternatives to the AstraZeneca due to a link with rare blood clots, adding that they would not be offered AstraZeneca at state run hubs in Queensland.
“The Queensland government will only provide to people the vaccine that is medically recommended for them,” she said. “We will not ignore the health advice.
“For the prime minister to attempt to overrule the medical advice and provide a vaccine that is not recommended for people under 60 puts Queenslanders at risk.
“There are some discussion that the Commonwealth may even provide their own vaccination hubs so they can get AstraZeneca vaccine out to younger people despite that vaccine not being recommended and that would be very risky”.
After an emergency meeting of state and territory leaders on Monday night, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said health advice did not preclude people aged under 60 from asking for AstraZeneca.
“And so if you wish to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, then we would encourage you to go and have that discussion with your GP and we’ve already made announcements to support those additional consultations with GPs so you can have that conversation,” she said.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles accused the federal government of overriding vaccine health advice to get rid of extra stocks of AstraZeneca.
READ MORE: Doctors stand firm on Pfizer for under 60s
Anne Barrowclough 10.25am:Palaszczuk: no Nat Cab decision on A for under 40s
Annastacia Palaszczuk has told people under 40 to listen to health advice rather than the federal government, over vaccination, saying there was no National Cabinet decicion to give AstraZeneca to under 40s.
“Please listen to Dr Young and listen to the health experts when it comes to the vaccine. At the moment, the advice is for people aged 40 to 59 to get Pfizer, and people 60 and over to get AstraZeneca. There has been no national cabinet decision about AstraZeneca being given to under 40s,” the premier said.
“Also, I draw people’s attention to recent reports from the BBC over in the UK. Where it says under 40s to be offered alternatives to AstraZeneca vaccine. It says here, most adults under the age of 40 will be given an alternative to the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine due to a link with rare blood clots.”
Lydia Lynch10.00am:Qld records three new local cases
Queensland has recorded three new local cases, including the brother of the infected hospital worker.
Wednesday 30 June – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 30, 2021
Three new locally acquired cases.
One new overseas acquired case.#covid19pic.twitter.com/tqRppCXIo6
All new cases have been linked to three separate clusters and are considerred “low risk” says .
Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The first case is the brother of an unvaccinated hospital receptionist who triggered the state’s latest lockdown.
Case two tested positive in isolation and was a close contact of the Portuguese flight attendant who is infected with the Alpha or UK strain.
The third case is associated with a Virgin cabin attendant linked to the Bondi cluster of Delta cases in NSW.
The flight attendant was infectious when she worked on Virgin flights to and from Queensland last Friday and Saturday.
READ MORE:In the grip of Covid health fascism
Jess Malcolm9.50am:AMA chief: Fix hotel quarantine
The Australian Medical Association is calling on the federal government to fix mandatory hotel quarantine amid multiple leaks of the virus into the community sparking lockdowns in several states and territories.
Important decisions on mandatory vaccination for quarantine and aged care workers from national cabinet.
— AMA President (@amapresident) June 29, 2021
Next challenge: Fix hotel quarantine.
Rather than limiting arrivals can all states guarantee that their hotel quarantine is gold standard?
Until then we are all at risk.
AMA President Omar Khorshid warned Australians are at risk if problems are not fixed.
“Important decisions on mandatory vaccination for quarantine and aged care workers from national cabinet,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Next challenge: Fix hotel quarantine.”
“Rather than limiting arrivals can all states guarantee that their hotel quarantine is gold standard?”
“Until then we are all at risk.”
Jess Malcolm9.45am:Berejiklian to give update at 11am
Gladys Berejiklian will give a Covid-19 update this morning at 11am, alongside Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Digital and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys.
The state recorded 19 cases of the virus on Tuesday, which marked day three of the city-wide lockdown.
Seventeen of the 19 new cases were linked to known cases, and two are under investigation.
Health authorities are hoping contact tracing will be able to contain the virus, by ensuring all new cases are in isolation before they become infectious.
The NSW Premier was optimistic the state could avoid another surge in numbers on Tuesday, after health experts had forecast them to spike at this point in the outbreak.
READ MORE:Doctors stand firm on Pfizer for under 60s
Jess Malcolm9.30am: Infected hospital worker ‘was offered vaccine’
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has confirmed the infected hospital receptionist who sparked the state’s lockdown was offered the vaccine but did not “take the option up”.
The Prince Charles Hospital worker had been offered the vaccine like all healthcare workers, Ms D’Ath told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
“I’m not aware that she refused it, I think she just didn’t take the option up,” she said.
“Everyone in health has been offered to go and get vaccinated either at a vaccination centre at their own hospital or any of our community vaccination hubs.
“They were working as the receptionist outside the ward and they absolutely should have been part of that mandatory (vaccination) group,” she said.
Ms D’Arth said authorities were currently investigating why the woman was not vaccinated while working outside a Covid-19 ward.
“I’m asking that question: who made the decision to put someone who was unvaccinated into that position in that hospital?”
The brother of the receptionist has since tested positive, and the third family member is still being assessed.
READ MORE: Alarmed and dangerous
Jess Malcolm9.05am:Vaccines ‘may not be effective for new variants’
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says there are concerns some vaccines may not be effective in fighting off the Delta variant.
Dr Chant told 2GB’s Ben Fordham that Covid-19 vaccines will need to be altered each year as new variants of the virus emerge.
“With these new variants there is some concern that some of the vaccines may not be as effective against new strains of the virus,” she told 2GB on Wednesday morning.
“In the future there will be new vaccines developed. It’s going to be like the seasonal flu where as the virus develops and changes, we will bring out a new strain of vaccine”.
Amid the growing outbreak in NSW, Dr Chant encouraged people to come forward for their second dose of vaccine to ensure they are fully protected.
She also flagged that NSW health authorities are hoping numbers to decrease by the end of this week, and urged people to check the list of exposure venues considering there has been a lot of community transmission from some venues.
Gladys Berejiklian said numbers were lower than expected on Tuesday, after authorities had forecast a big spike at this point of the outbreak.
READ MORE: Pharmacies enter vaccine frontline
Max Maddison9.00am: Hunt sidesteps vaccine shift questions
Health Minister Greg Hunt says while medical bodies weren’t told about the plan to open up AstraZeneca to the wider population, the “important thing” is that the Morrison government implemented the policy change.
Several bodies - including the Australian Medical Association and Victoria Health - say they weren’t warned about the change which emerged from National Cabinet on Monday, placing significant pressure on doctors to respond to the uptick in demand.
But while informing the organisations about plans to offer medical indemnity, Mr Hunt couldn’t say why key bodies weren’t told about the shift on AstraZeneca before the announcement.
“I think the important thing here is, they advocate for a policy change, and then we listen, and then we respond. And so having advocated, we did listen, we did respond,” Mr Hunt said.
READ MORE:Doctors stand firm on Pfizer for under 60s
Max Maddison 8.45am:Hunt refuses to give roadmap to freedom
Health Minister Greg Hunt has refused to say when the conversation about the nation’s roadmap to freedom can begin.
Despite NSW Premier Gladys Berjiklian saying a benchmark vaccination rate of around 80 per cent of the state population, requiring 10 million doses, would be sufficient to return to Covid normal and international travel could begin again.
With Australia in the midst of the most precarious outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, Mr Hunt, however, has resisted pressure to outline what the road to normality looks like, instead saying what was “absolutely critical” right now was ensuring people came forward for testing and vaccinations.
Despite offering indemnity to GPs who administer vaccinations, opening the door for younger people to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, Mr Hunt also reiterated that the medical advice was unchanged and remained clear, with Pfizer still recommended for under 60-year-olds.
READ MORE: Moving vaccine goalposts amid lockdown confusion
Jess Malcolm 8.40am: AMA: Aussies don’t know which way is up over AZ
The Australian Medical Association is frustrated with conflicting messaging in the federal government’s vaccination rollout, saying the changes are causing confusion and hesitancy among the general public.
Despite the commonwealth’s change to the rollout on Monday night, AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said most doctors will continue to follow the official medical advice which is not to give AstraZeneca vaccine to people under 60.
“The ATAGI advice is the key bit of information here,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“For those under the age of 60, they have done the risk analysis for us and they have said in Australia’s context, in the size of outbreaks we are likely to get, the preferred vaccine is the Pfizer vaccine due to the very tiny but significant risk of the TTS syndrome.”
Dr Khorshid has called for better consultation with the medical sector, and more funding for the vaccination advertising campaign.
“This is one of the criticisms that the AMA does agree with of the government’s rollout of the vaccine, is that the messaging has really been mixed and I think Australians don’t know which way is up when it comes to the vaccine program.
“If we can turn this thing into a national priority where everyone is jumping on board, it is effectively like a war, so let’s take that war footing and encourage everyone to do the right thing.”
READ MORE:‘Don’t want it to get out of control’
Jess Malcolm 8.30am: Victoria records one new local case
Victoria has recorded one new case of locally acquired Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm lastnight. The person is a primary close contact and has been in isolation through their infectious period.
There were 29,949 tests conducted up to 8pm last night.
There were also 20,067 doses administered yesterday, bringing the total number of vaccines in the state to 1,079,775.
One new case was recorded in the state’s hotel quarantine system.
Reported yesterday: 1 new local case and 1 new case acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 29, 2021
- 20,067 vaccine doses were administered
- 29,949 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/6WelyFkxLY
Max Maddison8.25am: Covid positive MP: simplest task like marathon
NSW Nationals MP Adam Marshall says even the most simple tasks feel like he’s “running a marathon”, as he tries to recover from Covid-19, and says the experience has opened his eyes.
The Agriculture and Western NSW Minister tested positive after attending Christo’s Pizzeria in Paddington with National colleagues on June 21, and Mr Marshall said he was savouring the “small victories” as he slowly recuperated.
“For me, the worst impact has been the absolute sapping of energy, just wanting to sleep all the time, even the most menial task like making the bed or getting up and making a cup of tea is just - it feels like you’ve just been running a marathon,” Mr Marshall told Nine’s Today show.
“So it’s just been quite debilitating, and quite eye opening for me, but a lot of people still seem blase about the impacts of COVID.”
READ MORE:Doctors stand firm on Pfizer for under 60s
Jess Malcolm 8.10am: RACGP: GPs will follow scientific advice over AZ
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President Karen Price says most doctors will continue to follow the scientific advice recommending AstraZeneca only for people aged over 60.
The federal government announced adults under the age of 40 could now request the AstraZeneca shot from GPs on Monday, but Dr Price expects the rollout to remain unchanged.
“Most will be following the scientific device which has been followed through with data,” she told Sunrise on Wednesday.
“If people insist that they want to have AstraZeneca then it is up to the doctor and patient to work out how they feel about that and how they feel about making sure that they are fully consented and so forth,” she said.
“Really the recommendations have not changed, there is a recommendation for people over 60 to get the AstraZeneca and those under to get the Pfizer, so that has not changed.”
Dr Price said the announcement from the Prime Minister was a “callout” which confused the public and the medical industry.
“A bit of a confusing signal into the sector even though I had not changed. That gave us some challenges yesterday.”
READ MORE: ‘Locking some out better than locking all down’
Jess Malcolm8.00am: Miles admits: We need to do better
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has admitted the state failed to vaccinate all frontline healthcare workers, foreshadowing the government will review and broaden the directive for vaccination in this setting.
The news comes as the brother of the Brisbane hospital worker also tests positive.
Dr Miles confirmed there were now two positive cases, with another family member of the woman still being assessed.
“We need to do better, the whole vaccination rollout hasn’t been as smooth as anyone would have liked,” he said.
“We need to get more of our hospital staff vaccinated, that’s what this case underlines.
“Health staff interacting with Covid patients all need to be vaccinated.”
The Deputy Premier also renewed calls to reduce international arrivals, saying a huge amount of them are not Australian citizens or permanent residents.
“We can’t afford for the commonwealth to keep letting people in, there are many people who are not stranded Australians and are citizens from other countries. Both seem to be jumping the queue.
“Last month there were 2400 citizens of the UK, 1400 from India...1100 from the US.
“There were 2,000 non citizens who came in and half of those were on temporary visas.”
READ MORE: In the grip of healthcare fascism
Max Maddison 7.50am:Canavan: Sydney lockdown no knee jerk reaction
Queensland Senator Matt Canavan says premiers are rushing to lockdown “far too quickly”, but praises NSW Gladys Berejiklian for holding her nerve.
With the highly transmissible Delta variant spreading across the country, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk plunged parts of the state into a snap lockdown on Tuesday, but Senator Canavan questioned the decision, pointing to the toll it takes on the economy and livelihoods.
“I do think some of these premiers are rushing to lockdown far too quickly. I do feel for all those businesses in Townsville. It’s school holidays, they have just been forced into a lockdown without a single case,” Senator Canavan told Nine’s Today Show on Wednesday morning.
“That’s never happened, I don’t believe in a capital city, maybe in Perth over there, but on the eastern seaboard that’s never happened, so why is Townsville being forced into a lockdown when there is not a single case of coronavirus there at the moment?”
Despite Greater Sydney likely to endure a two weeks stay-at-home order, Senator Canavan praised the NSW Premier for resisting the pressure to unnecessarily burden her citizens.
“I think the premiers, certainly the NSW premier, has held her nerve this past year. I don’t think it’s fair to characterise the lockdown that we are experiencing in NSW and greater Sydney at the moment as being a knee jerk response,” he said.
“I think the premier of NSW was very reluctant to take that path.”
Lydia Lynch 7.40am: Qld hospital worker’s schoolboy brother also positive
The schoolboy brother of an unvaccinated Brisbane Covid-ward receptionist at Prince Charles Hospital, who sparked the state’s latest lockdown, has also tested positive to the virus.
In a circular to parents overnight, St Patrick College Shorncliffe principal Chris Mayes said Queensland Health had revealed a male student had tested positive to Covid.
“He is in good spirits, though unwell and is being isolated in hospital,” the email said.
“He was not at school during the probable transmission period but was part of the tennis co-curricular program on Monday, which was during that time.
“Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers over the next two weeks.”
It was understood the boy had travelled north to Townsville and Magnetic Island with his sister last week.
Test results of another symptomatic family member and a close friend of the receptionist were expected to be announced later this morning.
READ MORE: Long way to fall from Palaszczuk’s high horse
Jess Malcolm7.35am: Collignon: Don’t reduce overseas arrivals cap
Infectious disease expert Peter Collignon says it is unreasonable to reduce the caps for international arrivals as Australia battles several outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant.
The Premiers of Queensland and Victoria called for a massive reduction on the numbers of returning travellers on Tuesday publicly airing their frustration over the hotel quarantine system and slow vaccination rollout.
"There is a risk bringing returned Australians home - but what are we going to do, leave them there?"
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) June 29, 2021
Infectious Diseases Physician @CollignonPeter says it's "unreasonable" for Victoria and Queensland to call for the number of international arrivals into Australia to be slashed. pic.twitter.com/wylrIzyoFA
But Professor Collignon told Sunrise it is still possible to bring stranded Australians home safely.
“If you look at New South Wales for instance they have had over 1000 positive people, because they assess them at the airport, into their main quarantine hotels which are apartment hotels,” he told Sunrise on Wednesday.
“As far as I’m aware there has not been any leaks in that high-risk situation so it can be done.”
Professor Collignon also raised concern about the implementation of short, sharp lockdowns in several states, saying contact tracing and testing should be enough.
“If you look at the track record in Australia, contact traces have been very effective. All of the short lockdowns we have had in Australia, they have not found more cases than they had already by the standard techniques and cooperative public and people coming for testing.”
READ MORE:Mixed jab messages confuse everyone
Jess Malcolm7.15am:‘Unbelievable’ that Queensland woman not vaccinated
Australian Medical Association Queensland Director Maria Boulton says it’s “unbelievable” that the hospital clerical worker which sparked the state’s three day snap lockdown was not vaccinated.
The hospital receptionist worked just outside a Covid-19 ward and spent 10 days in the community infectious including visiting Magnetic Island via Townsville whilst infectious.
Dr Boulton told Today that front line workers during the pandemic must be protected, highlighting that people are most vulnerable whilst working in the state’s hospitals.
“If this was a war you would send people with guns and shields and armour,” she said.
“I have staff, I know they are vaccinated. I’m a responsible business owner. It honestly beggars belief, they are exposed. We know they do get sick in those environments.
“It seems to me it’s a governance issue. It seems to me it needs to be fixed yesterday, because we can’t continue to have this happening over and over again.”
Queensland Health authorities confirmed that the woman had the highly contagious Delta variant on Tuesday afternoon, causing Dr Boulton to be “very concerned”.
“All I can say to people is I urge you to keep an eye on that Queensland Health website. If you’ve been to an exposure site do the right thing, if you are sick, please, please, do the right thing.”
READ MORE: Covid ward worker ‘visibly sick at work’ for two days
Jess Malcolm7am:Gym, restaurants among new Sydney exposure sites
NSW has added new exposure sites including a gym, restaurants and multiple bus routes to its growing list of exposure sites.
If you were at the following venue at the times listed, please immediately call NSW Health, get tested and isolate until you receive further information from NSW Health:
■ Fitness First Gym, 110 Spring Street, Bondi Junction: Friday June 25 from 6.20am to 7.10am.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days.
MONDAY, JUNE 21
■ Uniqlo, Mid City Centre, Level 1, 197 Pitt Street Mall from 10.15am to 11.15am; and
■ MaLa Tang Restaurant, East Village Shopping Centre, 4 Defries Avenue, Zetland from 6.15pm to 7.15pm.
THURSDAY, JUNE 24
■ MaLa Tang Restaurant, East Village Shopping Centre, 4 Defries Avenue, Zetland from 6pm to 7.15pm;
■ Service desk at Bunnings, Cnr Parramatta Road and Fredrick Street, Ashfield from 1.30pm to 8pm; and
■ Service desk at Bunnings, Cnr Parramatta Road and Fredrick Street, Ashfield, those who were greeted between 3.50pm to 4pm.
FRIDAY, JUNE 25
■ Gusto Espresso Bar café, 14/157-165 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction from 6.45am to 7.25am;
■ Fitness First Gym, Bakehouse Quarter, 22 George Street, North Strathfield, 11am to 1.30pm;
■ One Drop Brewing Co, 5 Erith Street, Botany from 7.45pm to 10pm; and
■ Crossways Hotel, 482 Liverpool Road, Strathfield South from 4pm to 10pm.
SATURDAY, JUNE 26
■ Beautique Nail Spa, Shop 3-5/233 Kingsgrove Road, Kingsgrove from 9.30am to 10.30am;
■ Happyfield, 96 Ramsay Street, Haberfield from 2pm to 3pm;
■ Club Marconi (gaming area), 121-133 Prairie Vale Road, Bossley Park from 3pm to 6pm; and
■ Crossways Hotel, 482 Liverpool Road, Strathfield South from 3.30pm to 6pm.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the listed times is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
■ Five Star Hot Food and Sushi Bar, Bronka Arcade, 157-165 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction on Tuesday June 22 from 1.30pm to 2pm;
■ Ampol Foodary service station, 404/410 Liverpool Road, Croydon on Thursday June 24 from 3.30pm to 3.35pm;
■ Ampol service station, 237-245 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove on Friday June 25 from 1.45pm to 2pm;
■ Guzman Y Gomez, The Concourse Shop 1, The Concourse, 409 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood on Friday June 25 from 2.20pm to 2.50pm;
■ Coles Rose Bay, 694 Old South Head Road, Rose Bay on Friday June 25 from 7am to 7.30am;
■ Woolworths Newington, 1 Avenue of the Americas, Newington on Sunday June 27 from 12pm to 1.20pm; and
■ Officeworks Five Dock, 213 Parramatta Road, Five Dock on Monday June 28 from 4.30pm to 4.55pm.
SATURDAY, JUNE 26
■ Morrison Park Cricket Nets, Morrison Road, Putney from 9.20am to 2.45pm;
■ Coles Rose Bay, 694 Old South Head Road, Rose Bay on Saturday June 26 from 3.25pm to 3.35pm;
■ Macchina Espresso, 6/11 Mashman Avenue, Kirribilli from 9.15am to 9.35am;
■ On Cowell, 1/3-7 Cowell Street, Gladesville from 9.40am to 9.50am;
■ Boronia Park Gourmet Charcoal Chicken, 101 Pittwater Road, Hunters Hill from 11.10am to 11.20am;
■ Cellarbrations, 32 Pittwater Road, Gladesville from 11.20am to 11.35am;
■ Bake Bar Rose Bay, 554 Old South Head Road, Rose Bay from 1.15pm to 1.25pm;
■ Club Macroni (anywhere else in the club aside from the gaming area), 121-133 Prairie Vale Road, Bossley Park from 3pm to 6pm; and
■ Gelatissimo, 1/19 Broughton Street, Kirribilli from 5pm to 5.15pm.
Anyone who travelled on the following bus routes at the listed times is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
FRIDAY, JUNE 25
■ M90 Bus, from Stand E, Albert Road, Strathfield Station to Liverpool Road (opposite Strathfield South Public School), Strathfield to Strathfield, departed 3.39pm and arrived 3.50pm; and
■ M90 Bus, from Hume Highway (near Strathfield South Public School) to Stand E, Albert Road, Strathfield Station, Strathfield to Strathfield, departed 10.10pm and arrived 10.17pm
SATURDAY, JUNE 26
■ 526 Bus, From Parramatta Road at Nipper Street to Park Street (opposite Olympic Park Station), Homebush to Sydney Olympic Park, departed 9.33am and arrived 9.44am.
Jess Malcolm6.30am:More than 12 million Australians now in lockdown
More than 12 million Australians are in lockdown as health authorities in multiple states and one territory battle outbreaks of the highly infectious Delta variant.
Australia recorded 25 cases of community transmission on Wednesday, with Queensland the most recent state to be plunged into restrictions.
Queensland joined the other states after an unvaccinated clerical hospital worker tested positive for Delta. She had spent 10 days in the community while infectious, including visiting Magnetic Island via Townsville in the state’s north. She was infectious from Saturday June 18, showed symptoms on Monday June 21 before coming forward a week later for testing.
The lockdown is set to last three days and includes the Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Moreton, Redlands, Logan, Somerset, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Townsville council areas and the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire.
NSW has introduced fresh travel restrictions overnight for travellers from Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Anyone travelling to NSW who has been in those areas in the previous 14 days must now complete a travel declaration form confirming they have not been to any exposure venues, which is the same requirement already in place for travellers from Victoria.
The changes come as the state yesterday recorded 19 new cases, with 17 linked to existing cases and two under investigation.
Perth and Peel residents are beginning their second day of a four-day lockdown after no new cases were reported in West Australia. There are now three associated with the outbreak, with two of the cases confirmed to be the Delta variant.
IMPORTANT: Following the detection of another local case in Perth’s northern suburbs, Perth and Peel will enter a circuit-breaker lockdown for a minimum of four days from midnight tonight. pic.twitter.com/5aR0qZ1mTF
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) June 28, 2021
Territorians are waking up to their third day of lockdown as two new cases of locally acquired cases were recorded and several more public exposure sites announced. The initial outbreak was caused after a Brisbane mine worker tested positive at a Central Australian mine. The total cluster from the mine has grown to 10. Darwin’s lockdown has been extended to Friday as health authorities scramble to trace 180 close contacts of the positive case.
Victoria recorded its third consecutive day of no new locally acquired cases on Tuesday, and further tightened travel restrictions to the state. Anyone from Perth, Peel or Queensland’s locked down government areas non-Victorian residents will not be allowed to enter the state. Victorians must now obtain a red zone permit, travel directly home, get tested and quarantine for 14 days.
READ MORE:Doctors stand firm on Pfizer for under-60s
Jamie Walker5.05am:Queensland Covid ward worker not vaccinated
An unvaccinated receptionist who contracted Covid-19 after being stationed outside the isolation ward of a Brisbane hospital was visibly sick at work for two days before she flew to Townsville on holiday, potentially seeding an outbreak in both cities.
The containment breach triggered the lockdown of 3.8 million people in the Queensland capital, the holiday destinations of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, Townsville and the Indigenous community of Palm Island as three of the 19-year-old woman’s close contacts, including her younger brother, fell ill.
The concern spiked when it was revealed late on Tuesday she had the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s bid to shift blame to the federal government was undercut by the revelation that the woman, a casual employee of Prince Charles Hospital on Brisbane’s northside, had not been vaccinated despite a directive three months ago for staff exposed to Covid patients to have the jab.
This followed the infection of two nurses and a doctor at the 1000-bed Princess Alexandra Hospital, Covid control blunders that forced Greater Brisbane into a three-day lockdown ahead of Easter, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Queensland economy.
The spectre of another set of school holidays being disrupted provoked dismay and bewilderment as an “absolutely furious” Ms Palaszczuk ordered an investigation into how the receptionist had been in such proximity to the Covid ward when unvaccinated.
Read the full story here.
Yoni Bashan5am:Pharmacies enter Covid-19 vaccine rollout frontline
Health officials have approved a nationwide Covid-19 pharmacy vaccination program following outbreaks that have plunged four capital cities, and 11 million people, into lockdown.
Under the plan, the program, which started with 49 pharmacies in regional Queensland on June 7, will expand to cover 207 sites in all states and territories except Tasmania and the ACT.
According to correspondence obtained by The Australian, officials expect the program’s expansion to begin in the Northern Territory and Western Australia on July 12 and in NSW, Victoria and South Australia a week later.
But the limited scope of the initial expansion sparked disappointment from the Pharmacy Guild, which represents the sector. The guild says the commonwealth assessed almost 4000 chemists as suitable.
Business groups are also offering to help accelerate the inoculation effort, urging the federal government to allow them to promote and administer vaccines in workplaces.
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale4.45am:Premiers in call to ‘halve’ overseas arrivals
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will push to temporarily halve Australia’s international arrivals at a coming national cabinet meeting, declaring “locking some people out is better than locking everyone down”.
Amid lockdowns across four capital cities, Mr Andrews received backing from Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk. As head of the state that has accepted by far the most overseas arrivals since the pandemic began, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has in recent days maintained Australia should continue to show compassion to those wishing to return home from abroad.
However, Ms Berejiklian revealed she had been pushing “behind closed doors” for weeks for increased vaccine supplies.
Mr Andrews said on Tuesday it was evident in Australia and across the world that “you cannot manage Delta outbreaks without significant restrictions”.
Read the full story, by Rachel Baxendale and Max Maddison, here.
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