Coronavirus Australia live news: mRNA vaccines available to under 40s by next month, Lieutenant-General John Frewen says
Despite Doherty strategy for inoculating young people, Lieutenant-General John Frewen says mRNA supplies are not yet available.
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite Doherty strategy for inoculating young people who are ‘peak transmitters’, Lieutenant-General John Frewen says mRNA supplies are not yet available
A NSW man in his 20s was one of two Covid deaths recorded today among 233 new cases as health authorities scramble to find infections in the Newcastle and Hunter areas after sewage testing detected viral fragments.
Queensland has recorded 16 new cases of Covid-19, prompting the cancellation of Brisbane’s Ekka public holiday next Wednesday.
Greg Brown11.30pm:Plan B to target the reluctant
Targeted advertising campaigns and incentive programs for groups of Australians most hesitant to be vaccinated will be rolled out if the nation stalls on its plan to reach an inoculation rate of more than 80 per cent.
Lieutenant General John Frewen, the head of the vaccination rollout, said his strategy would evolve “as we become more aware of exactly who is hesitant or where the hesitancy is”.
“Then we need to start tailoring campaigns for that. And that will be part information, it may be part convenience of vaccination, it could well be incentives,” he said.
With the government moving to encourage 20-39 year olds to get the jab, General Frewen said Australians under 40 could now get an AstraZeneca jab from a pharmacist without consulting a general practitioner.
“You will get a very similar informed consent process and if pharmacists are concerned in any way, they may refer people on to a GP if they need to get any additional advice,” he said.
“We have onboarded 1000 pharmacists. We have already got 250 pharmacists administering AstraZeneca and more and more of them are going to come on now.
“We have been prioritising affected government areas in Sydney, so we are just shy of 50 pharmacists there already doing AstraZeneca.
Yoni Bashan10.45pm:Delays and long waits hinder NSW jabs rollout
NSW vaccination rates have recorded only a modest uptick since Gladys Berejiklian called for an increase over the month of August, with progress being stifled by lengthy waiting periods at some clinics and access points, confusing residents and causing them to delay getting a jab.
The state recorded more than 84,000 vaccinations on Tuesday, according to figures released by the federal government, only slightly higher than the 82,000 doses reported on Sunday – with the increases reported mostly at GP clinics and primary care sites managed by the commonwealth.
At state-run vaccination hubs, daily inoculation rates have remained relatively unchanged in recent days, hovering between 24,000 and 26,000 doses, as they have since late July.
According to numerous accounts provided to The Australian, people seeking vaccinations through a GP or medical centre have experienced lengthy delays across the city, with bookings for AstraZeneca requiring six to eight weeks of waiting in some regions.
Health officials insisted operations remained efficient at state-run vaccination hubs, with delays of no more than a few days, although they said people seeking AstraZeneca may be eschewing this option to discuss the vaccine with their doctor.
Joseph Lam10pm: Health workers isolated after colleague infected
About 30 healthcare workers are now in isolation after a staff member at a Sydney hospital tested positive for Covid-19.
The worker at St George Private Hospital in Kogarah, about 15km from the CBD, tested positive to the virus on Wednesday after working while potentially infectious on Monday, according to the Daily Telegraph.
“Any additional identified close and casual contacts will be advised today,” hospital chief executive Peter Ridley wrote in a letter to staff.
“They should wear a surgical mask when leaving their home to be tested and self-isolate for 14 days or until advised by the Public Health Unit.”
The hospital has begun deep cleaning across operating theatres, bathrooms and common areas.
Other staff not in isolation have been told to monitor for symptoms, to maintain social distancing during meal breaks, to maintain hygiene and to clean “high touch surfaces”.
READ MORE:Delays, long waits hinder jabs rollout
Jess Malcolm9.15pm: Year 12s opting out of Pfizer offer in protest
The Berejiklian government’s vaccination push for Year 12 students is in danger of being derailed by high levels of vaccination hesitancy among the cohort, coupled with a large number of students opting against the jab in protest against the HSC examinations.
The indications of significant hesitancy by students come as new Doherty Institute modelling released on Tuesday found vaccination of young people was a key component needed to move away from lockdowns, with young people being the cohort most likely to transmit the virus.
Nearly 20,000 Year 12 students from Sydney’s eight hardest hit areas are scheduled to be vaccinated with Pfizer from Monday as the NSW government pushes to return them to face-to-face learning in time for their exams.
An informal survey conducted among Year 12 students suggests many of those eligible may choose not to have the jab.
A survey of 4507 students within a private Year 12 Facebook group with more than 36,000 members found 40 per cent of respondents would not take up the offer for the Pfizer vaccine.
By comparison, an Australian Bureau of Statistics survey released earlier this month found 73 per cent of Australians would get a Covid-19 vaccine when it was available and recommended for them; just 11 per cent said they would not get one.
Vaccine hesitant responses littered several separate posts in the group, with students raising questions over its efficacy and safety.
AFP 8.30pm:China restricts overseas travel
Beijing announced tighter restrictions on overseas travel for its citizens Wednesday in response to rising coronavirus cases in China.
Immigration authorities said they would temporarily “not be issuing ordinary passports and other entry-exit documents” for non-essential reasons.
READ MORE: Vaccine hesitancy rife among Year 12s
Joseph Lam8.05pm:Police warning on masks
NSW Police have issued a strong message for those who falsely claim to be exempt from wearing a mask, warning false declarations could result in imprisonment of up to five years.
Although mask-wearing rules had changed recently, compliance is not up for negotiation, said Deputy Commissioner Metropolitan Field Operations Malcolm Lanyon.
“Clearly the rules now state that people need to abide by the mask wearing requirements of the Public Health Orders unless they have an exemption. That exemption can be in the form of either a medical certificate or people are able to carry a statutory declaration,” he said.
When asked, all residents with a mask exemption must produce it
“If police ask to see the exemption people are required to present that documentation, and we will investigate all exemptions,” Mr Lanyon said.
“Make no mistake, police are investigators by trade. If we have any reasonable doubt that a document may be false, we can and will investigate these matters thoroughly to bring people before the courts.”
Residents found guilty of making a false declaration can be charged under The Oaths Act 1900 and be liable of up to five years imprisonment.
READ MORE: Disaster payments ‘too generous’
David Penberthy7.30pm:Pubs cry foul as footy crowds grow
South Australia’s health bureaucrats have been accused of double standards after allowing a 15,000-strong crowd for this Saturday’s AFL clash at the Adelaide Oval while local businesses face collapse due to punishing restrictions.
As of Wednesday night capacity limits were increased from just 25 per cent to 50 per cent at pubs and clubs as SA creeps slowly out of last week’s seven-day lockdown.
But hospitality businesses say that even with the increase they are struggling to survive and are urging a return to 75 per cent.
Their anger erupted when it emerged that SA Health and the Adelaide Oval’s Stadium Management Authority had signed off on a 15,000 crowd for the traditional “Showdown” between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows this weekend.
Duke of Brunswick publican Simone Douglas wrote an open letter on behalf of the 120-member Hospo Owners Collective representing city entertainment venues saying the SA Government needed to realise businesses were on the brink of collapse.
She said that the withdrawal of JobKeeper and the limiting of SA government assistance to the seven days of the lockdown meant pubs like hers were teetering.
Taking aim at the state’s Covid Transition Committee, Ms Douglas said the actual impact of the lockdown and ongoing restrictions was not understood by those managing the pandemic.
Greg Brown6.45pm: Bid to boost renewable agency fails
A push by Labor and the Greens to overturn regulations that broaden the investment remit of the renewable energy agency has failed.
The disallowance motion pushed in the Senate was tied 15 each, with One Nation siding with the government in backing taxpayer investment in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage technologies.
Opposition energy spokesman Chris Bowen on Monday told caucus that Labor should oppose ARENA being used for anything other than renewables.
His position was backed by most Labor MPs but faced opposition from Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon, who declared it was “poor policy and poor politics”.
The regulations — which had to be rewritten after Labor, the Greens and the crossbench in June vetoed the government’s initial plans — include a provision to invest in carbon capture and storage, battery storage and hydrogen made from gas.
There is a funding increase of $192.5m under the government’s rules.
Joseph Lam6.35pm:Supermax prison in lockdown
The home of Australia’s most notorious criminals is locked down after a corrective services officer who transported inmates to the centre tested positive for Covid-19.
The Goulburn Correctional Centre, home of Australia’s supermaximum security prison, has been placed into a precautionary lockdown and several inmates are now in isolation.
“The officer had attended the centre briefly today while transporting inmates to the centre. These inmates have been placed into isolation and will be tested for Covid-19 as a precaution,” a Corrective Services spokeswoman told The Daily Telegraph.
“The CSNSW Covid Command Post is working with the centre to ensure all precautions are taken,” she said.
READ MORE: You’ve got a vaccination certificate. What’s next?
AFP6.15pm:Boffin Barbie: toy creator honours vaccine co-creator
Toy giant Mattel hopes to “inspire the next generation” after creating a model of its iconic Barbie doll in honour of Sarah Gilbert, co-creator of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
Professor Gilbert said she found the news “very strange” but hoped “children who see my Barbie will realise how vital careers in science are to help the world around us”.
“My wish is that my doll will show children careers they may not be aware of, like a vaccinologist,” she said.
The toy company created models in honour of five other women in the sciences: US healthcare workers Amy O’Sullivan and Audrey Cruz, Canadian campaigner Chika Stacy Oriuwa, Brazilian researcher Jaqueline Goes de Jesus, and Australian medic Kirby White.
“Barbie recognises that all frontline workers have made tremendous sacrifices when confronting the pandemic and the challenges it heightened,” said Lisa McKnight, senior vice president of Barbie and dolls at Mattel.
“To shine a light on their efforts, we are sharing their stories and leveraging Barbie’s platform to inspire the next generation to take after these heroes and give back.
“Our hope is to nurture and ignite the imaginations of children playing out their own storyline as heroes.”
READ MORE: Alarm over mystery case at Islamic school
AFP 5.30pm: Macau orders testing after first cases in 16 months
Macau has ordered compulsory coronavirus testing for all residents after a family of four was found to be carrying the Delta variant, breaking the city’s record of over 16 months virus-free.
Over the next three days authorities plan to test all 680,000 residents at 41 testing centres, the government said on Wednesday.
The testing is one of a host of new measures announced after the gambling hub recorded 491 days without a single local infection.
Authorities are investigating whether the daughter of the family contracted the virus on a flight from Zhuhai to Xi’an in mainland China last month, Macau’s leader Ho Iat-seng said on Wednesday.
The same flight carried two other infected people from Nanjing, the centre of a Delta-variant outbreak in China that has led to more than 300 new cases across 15 provinces and cities in two weeks.
Long queues formed on Wednesday morning outside testing centres and the city’s health app crashed, local media reported.
Macau has adopted mainland China’s health app, which rates infection risk, tracks movement and generates test and vaccination records.
“I have to say sorry to all residents,” Ho said.
Macau has kept infections low by closing itself off from the rest of the world for much of the pandemic and placing restrictions on arrivals from mainland China.
It has recorded only 60 cases and no deaths.
But the zero-Covid strategy has come with deep economic costs for the only place in China where gambling is allowed.
Macau’s casinos account for about 80 per cent of government revenue. The city ordered a shutdown of all casinos for two weeks when the virus was first detected last year, causing a loss of $US937m ($1.26bn), according to an estimate by the University of Macau.
Revenues have climbed this year as some of the border restrictions with mainland China were relaxed but they remain well below pre-pandemic levels
READ MORE: Beijing ‘covered up’ leak from Wuhan
Rachel Baxendale 4.46pm:Melbourne teacher tests positive to Covid-19
Victoria’s latest Covid-19 case is in a teacher at the Melbourne Islamic school which was linked to 113 Covid-19 cases at the height of Victoria’s second wave.
Al-Taqwa College in the outer southwestern suburb Truganina wrote to parents on Wednesday afternoon, telling them the school would close immediately after a teacher had tested positive.
The letter says the department has directed all staff, students and their households to isolate and get tested immediately.
Thursday is set to be a student free day at the school, with only classes to resume on Friday and continue until further notice.
Meanwhile, the health department has issued a Tier 2 exposure site alert for Coles Yarraville, in Melbourne’s inner west, between 4.30pm and 5.30pm last Thursday July 29.
Earlier, the department confirmed that an investigation into a new case was underway.
“The Department of Health is investigating a confirmed case and will provide more information shortly,” a departmental spokeswoman said shortly after 3pm.
The new case comes after Victoria recorded its first “zero day” of no locally-acquired cases on Wednesday, for the first time since the state’s fifth lockdown.
Matthew Denholm 4.24pm: Vaccine passports, incentives ‘a slippery slope’
Former federal Liberal minister Eric Abetz has broken ranks to attack the concept of vaccine passports and freedom incentives as “dangerous” and a “slippery slope”.
The Tasmanian Senator, a minister in the Howard and Abbott governments, warned against the erosion of medical privacy and personal freedom.
“I encourage everyone to consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible, however once 100 per cent of the population has had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated, lockdowns and all restrictions should be a thing of the past and vaccine passports should not be a blunt instrument to force people to be vaccinated by locking them out of society,” Senator Abetz said on Wednesday.
“Denied or limited access to government and private businesses goods and services should not be based on one’s medical status and the idea of a domestic ‘vaccine passport’ is a dangerous one that can create a class of citizens.
“The question then becomes, and which no-one seems willing to discuss, is how far do the authorities go to restrict these freedoms? How many vaccinations and booster shots or other medical procedures will be required on a person’s vaccine passport to allow them to participate as full citizens? This is a slippery slope. Once the genie is out of the bottle, there will be no turning back and freedom will be seriously compromised.”
Paul Garvey4.21pm:WA FIFO worker returns ‘very weak’ positive
Western Australia will scale up its Covid-19 testing centres after a fly-in fly-out mine worker was found to potentially be carrying the virus.
Premier Mark McGowan on Wednesday said the man had returned a “very, very weak” positive test result and had been active in the community for the past week.
The man was at Perth Airport on 20 July, the same day as a Queensland man who later tested positive for Covid-19 arrived at the airport.
The FIFO worker has already returned a negative test since returning the weak positive. His girlfriend and three of his closest work contacts have also tested negative.
In a further twist, the man had also previously had the virus in March and April last year.
While there are no additional restrictions as a result of the latest case, WA health minister Roger Cook said anyone who was showing symptoms or had been to an exposure site should get tested.
“There’s no reason to think this will lead to a lockdown but it is a cause for concern,” he said.
The man had been asymptomatic throughout the period of his possible infection.
Mr McGowan said the man had been mainly in the areas of Greenwood and Fremantle while potentially infectious.
“We’re scaling up our testing centres so people who are feeling unwell, or people who have been at any of the potential exposure sites can go and get themselves tested as soon as possible,” he said.
Jared Lynch3.45pm:Online fee shock for shoppers in lockdown
Retail giants Kmart and Target are charging shoppers click and collect fees during lockdown, despite stores being only opened to fulfil online and pick-up orders at Covid-19 hotspots.
Meanwhile other major retailers, including Woolworths-owned rival Big W, are operating pick-up services free.
In one case, Kmart slugged a pregnant woman a $3 click and click fee on a $9 pair of maternity leggings which equates to 30 per cent price hike.
The company said it was continuing to charge a $3 fee on click and collect orders totalling less than $20 to cover “part of the cost for our team members to individually pick, pack and store your order”.
Rachel Baxendale3.16pm:Infection emerges in Victoria after earlier zero recording
No sooner was Victoria celebrating its first day with no locally-acquired coronavirus cases, than a new one emerged.
The state’s health department has confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that an investigation into a new case is underway.
“The Department of Health is investigating a confirmed case and will provide more information shortly,” a departmental spokeswoman said.
The fact that the case is being investigated appears to indicate that no link to known outbreaks has been immediately identified.
READ MORE: Queensland’s biggest outbreak since first wave
Max Maddison2.53pm: PM rubbishes ‘Anthony’s idea’ of cash for vax
Scott Morrison has continued his broadside against Labor’s vaccination cash incentive plan, as he pins the policy on Anthony Albanese.
Since the $6 billion plan’s fruition on Monday, the Morrison government has attacked the idea as being unnecessary, and representative of the opposition’s profligate spending.
The Prime Minister used a question from the Opposition Leader during question time on Wednesday afternoon about the advice of the chief medical officer Paul Kelly to continue his assault on Labor.
“This is a policy that has been put forward by the Leader of the Opposition, which is ill considered, which is ill informed, that is ill disciplined. This is a policy that he has not sought to consult on, not sought to take proper advice on,” Mr Morrison said.
“I note that those opposite, to quote them, referred to this as Anthony’s idea. That’s how they referred to it.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Covid-19 vaccination commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen revealed all incentive options were being explored to help vaccinate resistant cohorts of the Australian population. Mr Albanese used the comments to question the federal government’s resistance to the idea.
But Mr Morrison rubbished the suggestion, saying Lieutenant-General Frewen was not recommending paying $4.2 billion to people who had already received the vaccine.
READ MORE: It’s worth giving incentives a shot
Ellie Dudley 2.33pm: Covid victim a 27-year-old forklift driver
A 27-year-old forklift driver has been revealed as the young man who died overnight after contracting Covid-19 in south west Sydney.
Aude Alaskar passed out at the Liverpool apartment he shared with his wife on Tuesday and was unable to be revived by paramedics, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Prior to his death, Mr Alaskar had been complaining of feeling “a little fatigued” and was being checked by health authorities daily, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant told reporters on Wednesday.
“We are aware that with Covid you can get sudden deaths and I think that it is important to understand that your health status can deteriorate (quickly),” Dr Chant said.
But Mr Alaskar’s relatives told The Daily Telegraph he had received a clear Covid test the day before he died and said his family had a long history of heart problems.
Dr Chant confirmed Mr Alaskar had not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Asked whether his wife, who he is believed to have contracted the virus from, had been vaccinated, NSW Health would not say.
“Due to patient privacy, NSW Health has no further information to provide,” a spokeswoman said.
READ the full story here
Max Maddison2.27pm:Christensen free to speak mind on masks: PM
Scott Morrison has defended Nationals MP George Christensen’s “right to free speech” amid allegations he is “undermining” public health measures.
While responding to a question from Macarthur MP Mike Freelander, which cited comments by Mr Christensen saying Covid mask mandates is an “insanity”, the Prime Minister said he didn’t share the views of the Dawson MP, but defended his ability to speak his mind.
“I have been very clear about that but I tell you what, in this country people have a right to free speech. They do. They do have a right to free speech in this country and that is not something that the government is seeking to clamp down on,” Mr Morrison told Question Time on Wednesday afternoon.
Moments before, Mr Christensen had been flaunting requests by speaker Tony Smith for all members to wear face masks while in the chamber. After being alerted to this by Labor, Mr Smith asked the Dawson MP to respect the statement he made on Tuesday.
Mr Morrison then turned his attention to Labor’s preselection of outspoken AstraZeneca critic Michelle Anada-Rajah in the seat of Higgins. He accused Labor of “setting the standard”, talking down the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“The leader of the Labor Party should take the example of the former leader of the Labor Party who’s happy to get out there and support the CSL workers who are out there making those AstraZeneca vaccines that the leader of the Labor Party seems to be crab walking away from,” he said.
READ MORE: RBA is hostage to lockdowns
Matthew Denholm2.10pm:Tasmania reaches 50pc vax milestone
Tasmania will have given half of its eligible population their first Covid-19 vaccine by the end of today.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the 50 per cent first-vaccination “milestone ... puts Tasmania well ahead of the national average of just over 41 per cent”.
“I am very thankful that Tasmanians are hearing our message and they are taking action to protect themselves, their loved ones and our community,” Mr Gutwein said. “Importantly 25 per cent of Tasmanians have now had their second dose as well; meaning that one in four eligible Tasmanians are now fully vaccinated, and that we are well on the way to giving us the very best chance of combatting COVID-19.”
Max Maddison2.02pm:No mRNA vaccines for under 40s despite Doherty advice
Covid-19 vaccination commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen says the federal government won’t start vaccinating under 40-year-olds, despite the Doherty Institute warning it is vital because they are high Covid transmitters.
Lieutenant-General Frewen reiterated that AstraZeneca was already accessible for younger age groups, but said the main reason for not opening up mRNA to all cohorts was expectation, which was undermined by constrained supplies.
“The idea for 30-39 – we will open mRNA towards the end of this month, early next month – means that when people are told they can access the vaccine they can do it in a reasonable period of time,” Lieutenant-General Frewen told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“AstraZeneca is available right now under informed consent. People need to make a decision whether they have the available vaccine now or whether they wait.”
The Doherty Institute recommended that vaccinating under 40-year-olds offered the “greatest potential to reduce transmission” given that a high proportion of vulnerable Australians were already vaccinated.
Rachel Baxendale 1.40pm: ‘New info’ about positive traffic controller
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar says contact tracers have identified “new information” regarding a Covid testing centre traffic controller who tested positive for the virus last week.
The worker at the Moonee Valley testing centre in Melbourne’s northwest was working at a time when positive cases attended the drive through facility, but no direct links between him and those people have yet been officially identified.
While two of his colleagues subsequently tested positive, it is believed they caught the virus from him, and not vice versa.
“There are very strong indications, or there’s a strong line of investigation around some movements that he had at work,” Mr Weimar said on Wednesday.
“The team is reviewing that again this afternoon and if we can confirm that connection then we’ll announce that shortly.”
Asked what the “line of investigation” was, Mr Weimar said it was “too early to say”.
“As I said the the team is reviewing a number of different factors over the course of today, and we’ve got some new information about movements around that particular worksite, and it may well be that that gives us a clear connection,” he said.
“We know that genomically it’s connected, so it is part of this same Delta cluster that we’ve been working with over the last three or four weeks. But that’s the last piece of the puzzle that I’m very keen to land in the next day or two.”
READ MORE: Border businesses ‘on their knees’
Max Maddison1.29pm: Cash incentives for vaccination ‘on the table’
Covid-19 vaccination commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen says all incentive options are on the table, including cash and lotteries, to encourage resistant cohorts to get their jabs, but says at the moment, demand is continuing to outstrip supply.
The Morrison government has delivered a fierce attack on Labor’s $6 billion cash incentive plan, which they claimed was a “vote of no confidence and an insult to Australians”. But Lieutenant-General Frewen flagged cash payments as a possible route once demand began to slow.
“We will look at all possible alternatives. There is cash, there is the idea of lotteries – all these things are being discussed. What is resonating with people right now really is being able to get back to the sort of lifestyle we used to enjoy,” Lieutenant-General Frewen told a press conference on Wednesday
But he warned the time for incentives was still a while off, with strong demand for mRNA vaccines meaning there was little reason to encourage vaccine uptake.
“Right now, I have said incentives is something we will consider but right now Australians, in the last 7-day, we have had 1.2 million doses going into people’s arms,” he said.
“Demand is still exceeding supply right now so the time for incentives may be later when we’re getting into some of the more hesitant groups.”
READ MORE: Court asked to order Qantas to rehire workers
Rachel Baxendale 1.24pm: Victoria weighs offering AZ to under 40s in clinics
The Victorian health bureaucrat in charge of the state’s vaccination rollout says the health department is “actively considering” offering AstraZeneca to under-40s at state-run clinics.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’s latest advice is that the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination with AstraZeneca “strongly outweigh the risks of adverse effects” in people aged below 60 “in the context of an outbreak”.
ATAGI’s position remains that Pfizer is the preferred vaccine for under 60s, but supply constrains mean the Pfizer vaccine is not expected to be made available to under-40s in Victoria until at least September.
This means that Victorians aged under-40 who are not part of a priority group can currently only access a Covid-19 vaccine if they seek AstraZeneca through a GP.
Asked whether the Victorian health department was likely to administer AstraZeneca to under-40s, deputy secretary in charge of vaccination, Naomi Bromley, said: “We are actively considering that at the moment, and we think we’ll have more to say on that in coming weeks.”
“People in those age groups absolutely can go to GPs, and GPs have many, many access points all across the state, and plenty of supply,” Ms Bromley said.
“So it’s not that people can’t access it. We are looking very closely at whether we open that access up in our state system, and again, we’ll come back to you when we’ve got more to say about that.”
READ MORE: Reluctant Young flags AstraZeneca rethink
Ellie Dudley 1.06pm:Number of calls to Lifeline breaks national daily record
Lifeline Australia received the highest daily number of phone calls in the 58 year history of the business on Monday, as Australia’s Covid-19 crisis continues to take its toll.
Some 3345 callers sought support from the suicide prevention service on Monday, to seek support through the isolation, anxiety and uncertainty of the pandemic, Lifeline Australia Chairman John Brogden said.
“This has been a tough period for all Australians, and it has pushed many of those already struggling into crisis - but we’re glad they know help is out there,” he said.
“The fact that so many Australians are reaching out – many for the first time - and seeking help is a good thing.
“Our volunteers are working harder than ever and giving people the support they need when they need it.”
Mr Brogden expects the high volume of calls to continue through the current lockdown period in NSW and Queensland, “because these kinds of events leave a long tail of trauma.”
If you, or someone you know, is feeling overwhelmed, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
READ MORE: High Court overturns casuals ruling
Max Maddison1.01pm:Domestic flights ‘limited to vaccinated-only’
Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman says domestic flights may be limited to people who are vaccinated, but warns there’s still a while to go before we get to that point.
Scott Morrison has pushed “freedom exemptions” as the incentives he believes will encourage the necessary uptake of vaccinations to reach the thresholds outlined by the Doherty Institute.
Despite concerns preventing sections of the community from participating in society could push ardent anti-vaxxers further underground, Mr Zimmerman said he didn’t consider restrictions on people who weren’t vaccinated as punitive
“I think that’s something we got to look at but that’s really going to come at the tail end when we see what vaccination rates are like,” Mr Zimmerman told Sky News on Wednesday afternoon.
“My impression is why the Labor proposal for cash inducements is unnecessary and wrong is that most people I talked to really want to get vaccinated, it’s a very small part of the population that is vehemently opposed to vaccines.”
READ MORE:PM open to lottery but not cash splash
Evin Priest 12.55pm:Limit shopping trips to once every three days
NSW residents have been urged to shop only once every three days where possible as supermarkets, grocery stores and fruit shops continue to occupy the state’s list of Covid-19 exposure sites.
A fruit store in Campsie in Sydney’s inner west was on Wednesday listed as a close contact site with an alarming duration of exposure times.
NSW Health’s extensive casual contact list also includes 20 Woolworths stores, five Coles locations, six Aldi stores and three Bunnings outlets as well as a swath of other businesses ranging from chemists to independent grocery stores.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said less trips to the shops were going to be key in reducing locally acquired case numbers across Greater Sydney.
“This is one of the tightest lockdowns we have ever had,” she said on Wednesday.
“Can I just say the mobility data is showing that we are getting down to what Victoria did in the stage 4 lockdown.
“From a public health perspective, I can‘t be clearer, please do not go out and about.
“Please minimise. If you can go shopping every three days, if you are able to do that, please do.” – NCA Newswire
READ MORE:Bad cop, good cop shift a political landmine
Ellie Dudley12.32pm: South Australia records one new local virus case
One new locally acquired coronavirus case has been detected in South Australia in a man in his 20s.
The man has been linked to the Modbury cluster via a family member who tested positive for the virus on July 20.
He has been in quarantine and did not display any symptoms.
SA Premier Steven Marshall said the new case as “a concern”, but said it was “a massive relief” he had been in quarantine.
The state is currently in the process of relaxing the restrictions that were imposed during a seven-day lockdown in July.
READ MORE: NT euthanasia push to hit Senate hurdle
Erin Lyons 12.27pm: Question that Berejiklian refused to answer
Gladys Berejiklian refused to answer one particular question about Sydney’s lockdown after the state recorded another 233 new infections overnight.
The spike in case numbers came just 12 hours after NSW Health added a staggering 174 exposure sites to its alerts list, which featured several Bunnings stores and retail outlets like The Reject Shop and other discount stores.
She was asked why these businesses were still open despite the rise in case numbers.
“Obviously the lockdown rules we have in NSW are some of the harshest our nation has seen,” she argued.
“We need people to remember every time they leave the house that they could have the virus or someone they come into contact with could have the virus.”
“Why is The Reject Shop open?,” a reporter interjected.
Ms Berejiklian argued non-critical retail stores should not be open and that there may be “historic situations” where health has listed a site.
“Why is Bunnings open, it is not open in Queensland?” the reporter asked again.
“Next question,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Bunnings actually is open in Queensland despite the latest outbreak.
A statement on its website says stores are open in Greater Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim. – NCA Newswire
Rachel Baxendale 12.20pm:Fewer than 3000 Victorians remain in quarantine
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar has provided an update on the status of the state’s most recent coronavirus outbreaks, after there were no new community-acquired infections recorded in the 24 hours to midnight on Tuesday.
Following 220 community-acquired cases linked to the two recent NSW incursions, there are now 99 active cases in Victoria, up to seven of which are in overseas arrivals in hotel quarantine.
Only 33 of 400 exposure sites linked to the most recent outbreaks remain active.
Approximately 815,000 Covid-19 tests have been processed since the outbreaks emerged just over three weeks ago.
During that period, 40,000 close contacts have been identified and required to complete a fortnight’s quarantine.
Of these, fewer than 3000 remain in quarantine.
As of Wednesday, there are nine people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, two of whom are in ICU on ventilators.
Victorian health department deputy secretary in charge of vaccination, Naomi Bromley, said 60,000 extra Pfizer appointments would be made available to 40 to 59-year-olds in coming weeks, as a result of the period between first and second doses being extended from three weeks to six.
READ MORE:Geoffrey Blainey – Compared with Spanish flu, we’re doing OK
Ellie Dudley 12.00pm: Apartment blocks identified as high-exposure sites
Apartment buildings have been identified by NSW health authorities as places with high-exposure rates, chief health officer Kerry Chant says.
“We are seeing some cases in apartment buildings and we have seen transmission with the Delta strain, more than we have seen with previous strains in this context,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
“That was why we introduced mask wearing for common areas and why we’re also messaging now to be careful as you move about apartment buildings.
“Please, in apartment buildings, get tested at the earliest possible time. Remain isolated.”
READ MORE:Trading Day – ASX hits record high
Ellie Dudley11.48am:47 infectious in community means peak yet to come
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says NSW case numbers will get worse.
The state recorded 233 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, 47 of which were infectious while in the community.
Ms Berejiklian said due to the large number of infectious people active in society NSW residents should brace for another spike in cases.
“I’m not going to rule out case numbers won’t get worse, I actually think they will get worse,” she said.
“If you look at the number of people infectious in the community, it indicates that perhaps we haven’t reached our peak.”
Ellie Dudley 11.38am:AstraZeneca advice ‘written by experts’
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant has refused to update the messaging encouraging young people getting AstraZeneca, despite accusations the language currently used isn’t strong enough.
The NSW Health website says young people should take up the AstraZeneca vaccine “if they wish to.”
Dr Chant on Wednesday said the directive was written by experts who have considered the situation.
“Their advice is anyone in the context of this outbreak should be considering (the AstraZeneca vaccine) if you’re 18 and over,” she said.
“I have continually urged all age groups to strongly consider vaccination and talk to your immunisation provider.”
Dr Chant said she was “really concerned” about the number of eldery people who haven’t taken the jab.
Ellie Dudley 11.29am: Backtrack on HSC student return to classrooms
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has backtracked on her previous claims that all year 12 HSC students would return to school in mid-August.
On July 28, Ms Berejiklian said year 12 students would recommence face-to-face learning on August 16.
But on Wednesday, she said it is only the “intention” of NSW authorities to have students return on that date, but could not provide a guarantee.
“Our intention still is where (returning on August 16) is necessary that will occur but exactly how often that occurs and in what context is being determined this week,” she said.
“I do want to foreshadow that given where the case numbers are at, especially in those eight local government areas and students won’t be vaccinated until the week of August 9, that we need to make sure we adjust our policies according to what’s happening.”
Ms Berejiklian said “it is likely” there wouldn’t be “a uniform policy” but one that reflects what is happening in their communities.
READ MORE: Border businesses ‘on their knees’
Ellie Dudley11.14am: Man in 20s ‘felt fatigued, died suddenly’
An unvaccinated man in his 20s has died after contracting Covid-19.
The man was from south-west Sydney and died “quite suddenly,” NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
“Obviously our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“But it demonstrates again how this disease is lethal, how it affects people of all ages.”
The 20-year-old man complained of feeling “a little fatigued” and was being checked by health authorities daily, chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
“We are aware that with Covid you can get sudden deaths and I think that is important to understand that your health status can deteriorate and you can have sudden death with COVID infection,” she said.
He died while living with one other person, who had also been diagnosed with Covid-19 and has since been moved to hospital.
The death has been referred to the coroner.
Another death was detected in an unvaccinated woman in her 80s who died at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney’s inner west.
“She tested positive for COVID on July 27th and has been being cared for in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital since then. She was not vaccinated,” chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
There have now been 17 deaths associated with the latest outbreak.
Ellie Dudley11.12am: Urgent search for cases in Hunter, Newcastle
NSW health authorities are desperately tracking down any cases of Covid-19 in the Hunter Valley and Newcastle area, after “very high rates” of the virus were detected in sewerage surveillance.
“The sewerage detected high viral load which suggests there could be undetected cases up around the Newcastle area so we are really keen to have people come forward to get tested,” premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said she was “very concerned” about the sewerage detection from the Shortland, Burwood Beach and Belmont treatment plants.
“These sewage treatment plants servea number of areas and we will put those in on the website but a particular call out for all of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie but particularly Birmingham gardens, Shortland, Maryland, Fletcher, Minmi, Cameron park, Mayfield, Stockton and Fern Bay,” she said.
“It is critical that we can get those testing levels up to really understand as soon as possible whether there are any undiagnosed cases in the area.”
Ellie Dudley11.01am:NSW records 233 new virus cases
NSW has recorded 233 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 as infections in greater Sydney continue to spread.
At least 47 cases were active in the community for the entirety of their infectious period, which Premier Gladys Berejiklian said is “the number we are desperate to see reduced.”
A total of 105,000 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Warnings have been issued for the Newcastle-Hunter area after sewage tests detected virus in the area.
READ MORE: Covid alerts spike across 79 Sydney suburbs
Charlie Peel10.26am: Extra AstraZeneca expected in Queensland next week
The extra 150,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses given to Queensland by the federal government are unlikely to arrive until next week.
Authorities had hoped to give the extra vaccines to pharmacies around Brisbane to deliver into people’s arms this week, however, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said it was unlikely that would happen because there was a delay in transporting the vaccines and necessary consumables such as syringes.
“The commonwealth has got these vaccines already, they offered them a couple of days ago, so we would hope that that 150,000 vaccines can arrive earlier than next week,” Ms D’Ath said.
“We will look at our own AZ supply and if we can redirect that to those 224 pharmacies that have approval now and our consumables, we will do that as well.
“But I don’t think it’s acceptable that they have to wait until next week to wait for the commonwealth to deliver those vaccines and those consumables when they have got it in supply now and we ask them to be delivered as soon as possible because the sooner we start getting these vaccines in people’s arms, the safer those individuals become and the safer our community becomes.”
READ MORE: Life more of a right than refusing the jab
Charlie Peel 10.22am:Ending lockdown by Sunday a challenge, Young says
Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young says the state faces a “big challenge” to stem the spread of the virus around Brisbane to bring an end to the lockdown on Sunday.
Dr Young said it would take extra measures and precautions to achieve and urged people in lockdown to reconsider whether they needed to make online purchases to prevent the need for delivery workers to travel.
“Do you need those people out in the community delivering packages and things?” Dr Young said.
“Maybe just leave them for a week. And click and collect - do you really need that furniture that I know you can go and click and collect which is safer, absolutely, than going into the store, but it still means you’re putting someone else at risk.
“Please, everyone, just think what you could do to just stay at home for the next few days until Sunday because it would be really good if we could lift it.
“That’s a big challenge, though, when I look at other states and how long it’s taken before they could lift their restrictions.
“If we don’t do something really, really, really special in Queensland, we’ll be extending the lockdown.
“So, please, I ask of all of you - try your absolute hardest to stay at home if you possibly can.”
Max Maddison10.18am: Let’s hope PM gets rollout right now: Plibersek
Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek says she “hopes the Prime Minister is right”, because fixing problems in the vaccination rollout are too important “for our country to keep getting it wrong”.
Scott Morrison has laid out a vaccination roadmap for the nation, with hopes of hitting the 70 per cent threshold by the end of the year. But Ms Plibersek cautioned the federal government’s vaccination targets had been missed before.
“It is the same Prime Minister who said that all aged care workers should be vaccinated by Easter, and we have outbreaks in nursing homes in Sydney right now because of partially vaccinated or unvaccinated workers,” Ms Plibersek told Sky News on Wednesday morning.
“We’ve got aged care residents in hospital, we’ve got serious problems. Because the Prime Minister was wrong about that. So, you know I hope he’s right.”
She also defended Labor’s vaccine incentive plan, saying with lockdowns costing the economy $2 billion per week, $6 billion represented “good value for money”.
“Yeah, well he thinks anything that’s not his idea is a bad idea. This is an acknowledgment that if we pay people who’ve already been vaccinated, it’s an acknowledgment that they’ve done the right thing already,” she said.
READ MORE: Paul Kelly – New metric by which PM will win or lose
Charlie Peel 10.14am: Unlinked Cairns case likely caught Covid from ship
The Cairns maritime pilot who tested positive for Covid-19 is believed to have picked up the virus from a ship.
The man works in the state’s far north as a pilot to guide ships through the waters around the Great Barrier Reef.
His positive test on Tuesday prompted the closure of his child’s daycare clinic and sparked concerns that the virus circulating in Brisbane had spread into the north.
However, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said testing showed the man had a different Delta strain to the Brisbane cluster.
“It is not the Delta strain that is circulating in Brisbane and it hasn’t clustered with any other known case of Delta in Queensland,” Dr Young said.
“So now those whole genome sequence experts will go and see whether it clusters with any other case in Australia or overseas.
“But it’s highly likely he’s acquired this infection while he’s been about his work piloting one of those ships.
“So he has very high CT values, extremely high. So that means very little virus.
“His family members who live in the same household as him, his partner and child, are negative, but he did take his child to a child care centre, so that’s why the child care centre his child attends has been closed while they clean it and assess the risk there.”
The new cases recorded on Wednesday were linked to Indooroopilly State High School and Ironside State School.
Dr Young said all of the cases were able to be linked, however there is still a missing link between a family of five, who tested positive last week, and two people who arrived from overseas earlier in July.
Charlie Peel 10.00am:Queensland records 16 new local virus cases
Queensland has recorded 16 new cases of Covid-19, prompting the cancellation of Brisbane’s Ekka public holiday next Wednesday.
There are now 63 cases linked to the cluster around Indooroopilly in Brisbane’s inner west, mostly spreading through school students and their families.
Only two of the new cases did not spend time in the community while infectious.
Chief Health Officer Jeannete Young has said the state’s lockdown of 11 government areas is unlikely to be lifted until there is no community transmission.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the cancelled public holiday would be postponed after August.
A message from Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young 👇 pic.twitter.com/KlLoqoyp1Q
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 3, 2021
The new case of Covid-19 detected in a reef pilot in far north Queensland on Tuesday has been confirmed as the highly-virulent Delta strain and has not been linked to the Brisbane cluster.
“The reef pilot was vaccinated as all of our reef pilots are which is very good but we will be continuing to ramp-up testing in Cairns in order to ensure there’s been no further transmission there,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.
The state’s cluster is now at 63.
It comes as a record 51,000 tests were conducted. The outbreak is the largest since the first wave of the pandemic hit in March 2020.
Ellie Dudley9.50am: Queensland, NSW set to deliver virus updates
Authorities from Queensland and NSW will front the media this morning to provide updates on the evolving Covid-19 situations in their respective states.
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath and chief health officer Jeannette Young will provide an update at 10am.
The state recorded 16 new cases of locally acquired Covid-19 on Wednesday, all of which were linked to the Indooroopilly cluster.
The cluster has grown to 47, as concerns grow about the potential of a new case in far north Queensland.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will hold a press conference at 11am to update the state on the latest Covid-19 numbers.
A total of 199 new community cases were reported for the state on Tuesday.
READ MORE: NSW brings Covid updates to TikTok
Ellie Dudley9.25am:NSW Health revises status of 170 exposure sites
NSW Health has added or updated the advice for more than 170 exposure sites across greater Sydney, but just one has been identified as a close contact location.
The state health department regularly issues updates throughout the day on new venues where the virus has potentially spread.
But on Tuesday evening an email issued to journalists simply said “a number of new casual contact venues” had been identified, and provided a link back to the health website.
The World of Fruit shop in Campsie is the one site which has been updated to “close contact” status.
Previously, the shop in sydney’s south west was identified as an exposure site for a brief window in late July.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 3, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new casual contact venues associated with confirmed cases of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/nVjHAO74T9
Now, anyone who attended the location at 244 Beamish Street between 3pm and 4pm on Monday July 19; 6am to 7pm on Tuesday July 20; 5am to 7pm on Wednesday July 21; and 5am to 7pm on Sunday July 25 must immediately be tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the test result.
All of the 533 potential exposure sites can be viewed on the NSW Health website.
READ MORE: Beijing ‘covered up’ Wuhan lab virus leak
Ellie Dudley 9.14am:Covid case forces unit block lockdown
A unit complex in south-west Sydney has been locked down after a number of residents tested positive for Covid-19.
Police attended the building on Warby Street in Campbelltown at 8.00pm on Tuesday night and subsequently locked it down.
It has not been confirmed how many people have contracted the virus.
The incident follows similar occurrences in apartment complexes in Bondi Junction and Blacktown.
READ MORE: Premier revises her target yet again
Ellie Dudley8.53am:Radio star uses profit motive for jab appeal
KIIS FM news presenter Brooklyn Ross has posted a six-minute video encouraging Australians to get vaccinated and decrease vaccine hesitancy towards the AstraZeneca jab.
The video began by addressing concerns among young Australians regarding changing health advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Ross said the updated ATAGI advice was due to the escalating Covid-19 situation across Australia.
“Any adult can go and get AstraZeneca in Sydney and that changed because of Delta,” he said.
“Cases just keep going up. 14 people are dead in a month. If you catch this strain there is a one in 300 chance you’ll die.”
Ross said ATAGI encouraged all NSW residents to “strongly consider” getting the AstraZeneca vaccine, because it “beats the hell out of getting Covid.”
The video pointed out the profit differences between AstraZeneca, which is not-for-profit, and Pfizer which is privately owned.
“AstraZeneca is a viral vector vaccine, the type of vaccine that has been protecting people for years and has a lot of experience.”
“Pfizer and Moderna are both mRNA vaccines which are good but it is technology that hadn’t been used before Covid.”
Mr Ross also said AstraZeneca is the “Aussie choice” as it is made in Melbourne, whereas the Pfizer vaccine is imported.
Australians are more likely to develop blood clots from a flight, cigarettes or the contraceptive pill than they are from the AstraZeneca vaccine, Ross said.
READ MORE:It’s worth giving incentives a shot
Rachel Baxendale8.47am: Victoria records a ‘donut day’ with zero cases
Victoria has recorded zero new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to midnight on Tuesday.
The “donut day” represents the first 24 hour period without any community transmissions since two incursions from NSW prompted the state’s fifth lockdown last month.
Wednesday’s zero follows four locally-acquired cases on Tuesday, two on Monday, four on Sunday, two on Saturday, three on Friday, seven on Thursday, and an outbreak peak of 26 on Thursday July 22.
Only two of the 22 cases over the past seven days had not been in quarantine for the duration of their infectious period.
This includes a traffic controller in his 20s who tested positive for coronavirus after working at the Moonee Valley Racecourse drive through Covid-19 testing centre.
Investigations are ongoing into how the traffic controller contracted the virus.
Aside from two work colleagues who the man is understood to have infected, all testing centre colleagues have tested negative for the virus.
Victoria’s total number of community acquired cases since two incursions from NSW emerged just over three weeks ago stands at 220.
There are currently 99 active cases, including up to seven active cases acquired overseas.
At least 114 of those infected during the current outbreaks have recovered, and more are expected to do so in coming days.
As of Tuesday, there were 10 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, including three in intensive care, of whom one was on a ventilator.
The latest cases come after 30,117 tests were processed on Tuesday, up from 22,217 on Monday, 21,417 on Sunday and 25,779 on Saturday, but down from 32,760 on Friday, and 35,863 last Wednesday, and well down from the July 20 Victorian record of 59,355.
Max Maddison8.34am:Drive-through clinics for maximum vax convenience
There’s a “really good opportunity” to get 70 per cent of the population fully vaccinated by the end of the year, says Covid-19 vaccination rollout commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen.
The release of modelling by the Doherty Institute on Tuesday laid out the pathway forward for the nation to move back to normality, which would see lockdowns almost entirely scrapped with 70 per cent of the population vaccinated, and society almost operating as it was pre-pandemic at 80 per cent.
Supply issues have hampered the rollout so far, but Lieutenant-General Frewen said he was “very confident” everyone who wanted a first dose would be able to receive one by the end of the year, and if demand remained at current levels, a “good population” would receive both jabs.
“I am not going to tie myself to particular numbers because it really is about the willingness of the public to get vaccinated, but I think we have got a really good opportunity to get to 70 per cent this year,” Lieutenant-General Frewen told ABC Breakfast News on Wednesday morning.
“But as we have seen from international experience, getting above 70 per cent does require concerted effort, so we will work hard to get to 70 per cent this year and if we can get further then that will be great.”
To assist with the rollout, he said that the federal government was looking to bring onboard “every possible place of vaccination”. This included drive-through vaccination clinics being a “potential option”, which he said was part of offering “maximum convenience” for Australians.
READ MORE: Partners on patrol as ADF allies with police
Ellie Dudley8.15am: TikTok to stream Chant, Berejiklian updates live
Social media giant TikTok will from Wednesday live stream the NSW health authorities’ daily Covid-19 update in a bid to have the state’s younger generation informed of pertinent information.
TikTok Australia and New Zealand Global Public Policy Director Brent Thomas said the live stream would provide the NSW community with “useful and credible information.”
“We’re supporting the NSW Government to livestream their daily 11.00am COVID-19 press conferences on TikTok from Wednesday 4 August, bringing important COVID-19 updates to the TikTok community,” Mr Mason said.
“This livestream will be hosted on NSW Health’s new TikTok account, @nswhealth, providing crucial information on COVID-19 case numbers, hot spots, rules and restrictions, vaccination updates and how the community can best stay safe during these tough times.”
In July, NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant conducted a live Q&A on the platform, to chat with Australian influencers and spread safe information about the state’s latest outbreak.
The health updates are already live streamed on Twitter and Facebook.
READ MORE: Why attention is turning to vaccinating younger people
Ellie Dudley8.04am: Treatment hope for those unable to be vaccinated
Infectious disease physicianhas flagged a potential alternative for people who are unable to get the Covid-19 vaccine due to existing health problems.
As Australia strives for a 70 per cent vaccination rate by the end of the year, concerns have arisen for those who are unable to get the jab as it is a risk to their health.
Kirby Institute Therapeutic Vaccine and Research Program head Gail Matthews said there are drugs that would be employed to have these people vaccinated sooner.
“There might be some use there for some of the drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which showed some early promise for treatment to prevent people coming into hospital and getting sick,” Professor Matthews said.
“I think there are some interesting treatments out there that we need to look at carefully.”
Currently, 15.7 per cent of all Australians have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
READ MORE: Covid returns too ground zero – Wuhan in ‘wartime state’
Ellie Dudley 7.42am:‘Don’t blame people of SW Sydney for poor vax rate’
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour has rejected claims his LGA has not pitched in to boost the state’s vaccination effort, after it was revealed the high-risk area had the lowest jab rate in Sydney.
Despite being the epicentre of Sydney’s Delta outbreak, southwest Sydney has the lowest vaccination rate in NSW, with just 33.1 per cent of adults receiving at least one dose and 14.7 per cent fully vaccinated.
But Mr Asfour said the vaccine messaging has been “botched from the start” and his area is not to blame for the low uptake.
“We are getting the message out to get the jabs in arms,” he told Channel 9’s Today.
“Unfortunately, the messaging was botched from the start when the federal government announced all these changes and that’s what caused confusion.
Mr Asfour added “if we had enough supply” from when the roll out began, “we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in today.”
On Monday the federal ALP revealed a plan to give $300 to every Australian who was fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Mr Asfour said the incentive would be “a good thing.”
“We want more people to get the jab,” he said.
“Community leaders are working hard to make sure the message is getting out there. Working with NSW Health, with government, to make sure they know it is safe and that’s what is going to get us out of this lockdown.”
READ MORE: Vaccination rates by area – is yours safe?
Ellie Dudley 7.35am:Police conduct random compliance tests
Queensland Police has ramped up compliance efforts across the state, with random breath testing-style checks on cars to make sure people are not breaching public health orders.
Deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the plan had “commenced already” and will operate at an increased capacity if needed.
“We’ve been running what we’ve called RBT reception centres across the state overnight and we’ll ramp it up if we need to,” he told Channel 9’s Today.
Queensland individuals will be fined up to $1000 if found to not be complying with public health orders, and businesses $6000.
A fine for not wearing a mask is $236.
“The message is not “can I go out?” But “should I go out?” Mr Gollschewski said.
“Don’t go out. Stay at home and only go out if you’re absolutely permitted to do so.”
READ MORE: Regional exodus from big smoke
Ellie Dudley6.30am:‘Impossible to avoid all deaths country reopens’
Australians must choose between a potential spike in deaths or remaining in lockdown “forever”, Director of the Doherty Institute’s Epidemiology department Jodie McVernon says.
Modelling from the Doherty Institute is guiding Prime Minister Scott Morrison in presenting his roadmap out of the pandemic.
Mr Morrison has promised Australia will begin to live lockdown-free once 70 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and will ease border restrictions at 80 per cent.
But Professor Vernon said it would be impossible to avoid deaths entirely as the country reopens.
“The reality is we can’t avoid COVID forever,” she told ABC Radio National.
“We cannot keep our borders shut. We’ve had very strong border controls. We’ve gone so well, all the way up to this stage and we’re seeing so many countries around the world that have gone so well now struggling with Delta.”
“Covid certainly for the near term, this is not something that’s going away, we can’t hide and hope it comes and goes past.
“So we do have to have a really mature approach to thinking about how we’re going to move forward as a society in a way that doesn’t require lock downs.”
READ MORE: Under 40s, peak transmitters of Delta strain, shifted to vaccination fast track
Ellie Dudley6am:Queensland Opposition demand clarity amid retail rule confusion
Queensland’s opposition leader David Crisafulli has called on the state government to increase the “clarity” surrounding current restrictions, amid confusion of retailers unsure whether they should remain open.
Eleven LGAs in south east Queensland will live under strict stay-at-home orders until 4pm on Sunday at the earliest.
Asked on Tuesday whether stores like JB Hi-Fi and Cotton On should be open during lockdown, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said: “No, they’re not essential to me, I would hope that they’ve heard that message, and they make a decision that has contributed to our success”.
“If you’ve got a question whether you’re an essential worker, then you’re probably not,” she said.
But large retailers in the area have remained open during the period as it has not been mandated that they close their doors.
Mr Crisafulli said the instructions were unclear, and called on the state government to draw harder lines.
“This is a classic case that retailers are saying if you’re not telling me I have to be closed, I owe it to my staff to be open,” he said.
“The individual also has to take some responsibility and the individual has to make an assessment - is it essential for me to leave?
“So, you know, I get that, but it’s also up to the government to be clear in your message and you can’t hang business out to dry for that uncertainty and then fill in that void.”
Mr Crisafulli promised his government would share health advice with the population if elected into office.
READ MORE: Reluctant Jeannette Young flags AstraZeneca rethink
Geoff Chambers5am:Vaccine focus turns to ‘peak young transmitters’
A revised vaccine strategy will fast-track jabs for adults under 40, considered the “peak transmitters” of the Delta strain, while nearly halving coronavirus deaths and hospitalisations under a 70 per cent inoculation target.
New health modelling guiding Australia’s post-pandemic recovery shows the retention of high-level testing, tracing and quarantine measures is critical to improving national health outcomes, while Treasury analysis shows that achievement of higher vaccination rates can reduce the cost of lockdowns by more than $400m a week.
After unveiling the vaccine thresholds needed to guide Australia through national cabinet’s four-phase reopening plan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday new Doherty Institute modelling showed that deaths, hospitalisations and infection rates would be on par with the flu once Australia achieved a vaccination rate of 80 per cent.
The Doherty report, which recommends low-level social restrictions throughout the four-step reopening plan, found “rapid epidemic growth is expected at 50 and 60 per cent vaccine coverage” before transmission substantially reduces by the 70 and 80 per cent targets.
Mr Morrison said the focus of governments and health officials would shift when Australia moved out of the current suppression phase, with the second and third stages of the national cabinet strategy envisaging a “change in what we’re managing”.
Lieutenant-General John Frewen, commander of the national vaccine rollout, said on Tuesday he had developed a plan to get younger cohorts vaccinated sooner with Australians aged 30-39 brought forward to this month and the 16-29 age group from October.
“That is absolutely able to be accommodated within the campaign plan and we’re looking to bring on 30 to 39s, which is the next-highest priority as one of the key transmissibility groups from the end of this month, start of September,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the shift to vaccinate all adults had progressed from an initial focus on inoculating the “most vulnerable in the community”, with the modelling showing deaths and hospitalisations would be nearly halved under a strategy to vaccinate all adults as opposed to focusing on the oldest Australians first.
Modelling of the “all adults” vaccination strategy shows that 3084 people would be admitted to intensive care and 1984 people would die in the first 180 days of a major breakout, assuming a 70 per cent vaccination rate and only basic restrictions and tracing capabilities.
Read the full story, by Geoff Chambers and Richard Ferguson, here.
Stephen Rice4.45am:Police vow no mercy on anti-vaccination violence
Australia’s counter-terrorism chief has vowed to crack down on activists who incite violent resistance to vaccination and lockdowns, amid a surge of online death threats against political leaders and chief health officers.
Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Scott Lee told The Australian he was deeply concerned by the “escalation in the online environment” as the impacts of Covid-19 were felt in lockdowns and on people’s mental health.
“We are looking at the online environment very closely and where we see commentary cross the threshold that goes to the potential for a commitment to violence or violent acts, that’s where we’ll take action,” he said.
Authorities fear online conspiracy theories are becoming real-world terror threats in the wake of Monday’s arrest of a Perth man for impersonating a police officer, following an investigation into a fake video purporting to show AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw plotting to overthrow the federal government.
On Monday, The Australian revealed the video was circulating in online conspiracy circles and had been watched more than 100,000 times, with police concerned unbalanced individuals might act on it.
The video claims to record the commissioner detailing how political leaders will be arrested and removed from office, with “the last resort to pull a handgun on someone”.
Read the full story here.
Greg Brown4.30am:PM open to jab lottery, but not a cash splash
Scott Morrison has lashed Anthony Albanese’s proposal to pay people to get Covid-19 jabs as a “vote of no confidence in Australians”, but left the door open to implementing a vaccine lottery.
The Prime Minister said Labor’s proposal to give $300 to everyone who was fully vaccinated by December 1 was a “bubble without a thought”.
“It says to them that their health concerns that they might have about a vaccine can be paid off. And I don’t think that’s the view of Australians,” Mr Morrison said on Tuesday.
“I think doing it for themselves, their family, their communities and for their country is what motivates them to do this.”
However, Mr Morrison said the government would “look at” proposals for a vaccine lottery if an increased uptake was needed, arguing there was a “big difference” between a lottery and Mr Albanese’s cash handout policy.
“The fiscal difference is pretty huge … and we’ve had lots of private offers of how things like that might work,” Mr Morrison said.
“But the primary reason why Australians are going to do this is because Australians know that it’s good for them, their family and their country.”
Read the full story here.
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