Coronavirus Australia live news: 10m Moderna doses to arrive by end of year; NSW records 283 cases
The drugs regulator has given Moderna the green light, Scott Morrison has announced, opening the door for the vaccine to come onto the market from September.
- New NSW region ordered into lockdown
- Moderna gets the green light
- Tamworth locks down, alert for Byron
- Regional Victorian lockdown to end
- Huge AZ stockpile open to young
- Cabbie sends Cairns into lockdown
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic as federal parliament sits in Canberra.
NSW has recorded 283 new virus cases today as Byron Bay and other surrounding areas were ordered into lockdown with new restrictions to come into effect at 6pm.
Regional Victorians will be released from lockdown from 11.59pm on Monday. Daniel Andrews made the ruling after the state recorded 11 new cases today.
Sarah Elks, Michael McKenna 11.30pm: Polls guide Palaszczuk’s Covid path
Annastacia Palaszczuk has relied on secretive monthly polling of Queenslanders to help her decide on the scope and duration of Covid-19 restrictions since just after the pandemic began.
Despite insisting border closures and lockdowns are based solely on health advice, Ms Palaszczuk’s office is receiving “waves” of focus group and polling research intended “to shape the government’s approach” and messaging for its strategy.
Under the ongoing polling, Queenslanders have been asked about their views on the economic impacts of lockdowns versus health risks, the triggers that should ease restrictions and the merit of border closures.
Joseph Lam11pm: Palaszczuk warns Queenslanders
Annastacia Palaszczuk has issued a strong message to Queenslanders after a new case of Covid-19 plunged the state’s far north into lockdown.
“Things we did last year are no longer good enough against Delta,” the Queensland Premier wrote in a series of tweets.
“The Delta strain is merciless and quick. Its rapid escalation has brought misery and death across New South Wales and seen the return to lockdown in Victoria.
“It is also sweeping the world including in the United States.”
Ms Palaszscuk’s message arrived after Cairns and Yarrabah finished their first whole day of a snap three-day lockdown.
“The discovery of a Cairns taxi driver who tested positive has shown us how fragile our freedoms are and why we cannot be complacent,” Ms Palaszscuk wrote.
“We need to keep our defences up.”
And please get vaccinated.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 9, 2021
Things we did last year are no longer good enough against Delta.
We have upped our game by expanding the need for masks to include high school students and teachers.
Geoff Chambers, Simon Benson 10.30pm: Most Aussies are very keen to get on the jab
Only 11 per cent of adult Australian voters say they will flatly refuse to get jabbed, suggesting the country will be able to meet the Morrison government’s vaccination target of 70 per cent vaccine coverage by December if supply is maintained.
The result of the special Newspoll coincides with the announcement of a major boost for the national cabinet’s four phase plan to reopen the country, with the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Monday approving the use of Moderna vaccines alongside the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs.
Scott Morrison said the approval would add 10 million doses to the vaccine pile between September and December, helping to edge the country closer to achieving between 70 and 80 per cent vaccine coverage by Christmas.
Charlie Peel 9.45pm:Far north outbreak sparks Cape fear
A Covid-19 outbreak in the far north regional hub of Cairns has sparked alarm throughout Cape York and increased the urgency of the vaccine rollout on the peninsula.
The five-month vaccine rollout in Torres Strait fell short of targets, with vaccine hesitancy fuelled partly by misinformation spread on social media and mixed messaging about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This week, the focus shifted to Cape York, where anyone over the age of 16 will be given a chance to receive a vaccine during scheduled visits by health workers in the next few months.
Yoni Bashan9pm: Bosses flag return to work for the jabbed
The nation’s peak business advocacy groups have called on the NSW government to allow vaccinated people to return to work once immunisation targets reach at least 50 per cent, a move they say will preserve jobs and livelihoods being routed by lockdowns.
The hospitality industry is calling for outdoor dining with limited indoor services to be restored, while the state’s leading business lobby is advocating for an industry-by-industry relaxation approach that would ease in line with vaccination targets.
NSW recorded one death and 283 fresh cases of the virus in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, of which 106 people were known to be active in the community during their infectious period. The isolation status of another 71 cases remains under investigation.
Officials began placing numerous regional areas into lockdown to keep ahead of exposure sites emerging in some locations. The Tamworth region, in the state’s northeast, was placed into a week-long lockdown after a Covid-positive woman travelled to the area from Newcastle.
By late Monday afternoon, the NSW government also announced that the Byron Bay, Ballina, Lismore and the Richmond Valley local government areas, all located in the state’s far north, would be placed in a similar lockdown because of a Covid-positive case identified in the region.
Joseph Lam8.15pm: ACT hinders entry from Tamworth, Byron Bay
Anyone who has recently entered the ACT from either Tamworth or Byron Bay must immediately go into isolation according to new rules introduced by the territory.
ACT Health on Monday updated its advice for the local government areas of Byron Bay Shire, Ballina Shire, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tamworth after NSW enforced a snap lockdown on these areas.
The new rules apply to the LGA of Tamworth from August 5 and the remaining LGAs from July 31.
Returning ACT residents will be required to apply for an exemption 72 hours before they return.
“Exemptions will only be approved in highly exceptional circumstances,” ACT Health said.
“Even if an exemption is approved, people receiving an exemption will be required to quarantine.”
Those without appropriate accommodation will go into hotel quarantine at their own cost.
Patrick Commins7.30pm:Job recruitment off the boil
Sydney’s lockdown has triggered a 10 per cent decline in recruitment activity in NSW, as the number of new jobs advertised online fell 3 per cent nationally in July.
The National Skills Commission reported 7200 fewer job ads in the month – the second consecutive national decline after a post-recession surge that pushed recruitment activity to a 12-year high in May.
With Greater Sydney residents under stay-at-home orders for all of July, the commission’s Internet Vacancy Index revealed NSW employers advertised for 70,400 new roles in July, or 8100 fewer than in June.
Joseph Lam6.48pm: Tamworth lockdown a ‘wake-up’ call: mayor
As Tamworth was thrusted into a snap seven-day lockdown on Monday, local mayor Col Murray says the move came as a “wakeup call” for his regional city.
“This is a wake-up call for us. This is only a precautionary lockdown, we don’t actually have a confirmed positive case in the city, but this is a very, very strong and timely message that we need to take this situation into our own hands and be responsible citizens and protect those around us by getting vaccinated,” Mr Murray told ABC News.
If Tamworth was struck by an outbreak, Mr Murray said he believed his city has the resources to get by.
“We’ve got some great health services; we’re very fortunate with the staff at the regional hospital here in Tamworth,” he said.
“We’ve got great staff and with all our services that are providing that testing, it is a pretty demanding project that they’re undertaking to get the numbers of testing so there would be quite a few thousand today who were tested.”
However the city had room for improvement when it comes to vaccinations, Mr Murray said.
“(It’s) probably not quite as great as we’d like it to be,” he said.“I think there has been a bit of complacency about and I’m advised by the doctor’s surgeries today that there are still appointments available over the next few days.”
Brian Knowlton6.30pm:US Covid-19 death rate soars 89pc in two weeks
With the US recording its highest daily Covid case load in six months, a top public health official has warned that the country is “failing” in its battle to keep the coronavirus in check.
A surge of the highly transmissible Delta variant has brought a slew of bad news in the US, which already has the highest reported death toll worldwide from Covid-19 at more than 616,000.
Total daily new cases have soared to 118,000, their highest since February; deaths are up 89 per cent over the past two weeks, even while slightly declining around the world; and children’s hospitals in states such as Florida are being overwhelmed as young people are increasingly affected.
Rodger Shanahan6.15pm:New man in Tehran aims for supreme power
A new Iranian president was inaugurated last week. The conservative Ebrahim Raisi comes into office with a less than powerful popular mandate. Having received just 38 per cent of the vote in his failed 2017 election run, the most notable statistic from his comprehensive victory in an uninspiring field of candidates was not his share of the votes, but the fact that only 48 per cent of Iranian voters cast votes. It was the lowest turnout ever in a presidential election in Iran.
The challenges facing Raisi in his new role are immense.
While the supreme leader is the real centre of power in the Islamic Republic, the president retains responsibility for the day-to-day running of domestic political issues such as the economy, health and resources. And each of those areas present enormous challenges.
Iran has suffered more than 90,000 deaths from Covid-19 and last Monday it recorded a new record of more than 37,000 new cases in a single day. According to the World Bank the Iranian economy contracted by 12 per cent in the past two years and the official unemployment rate is just below 10 per cent.
Joseph Lam5.10pm:Byron Shire, Lismore plunge into snap lockdown
Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina and the Northern Rivers will go into a snap lockdown from 6pm on Monday after a man in his 50s tested positive for Covid-19.
NSW Health announced the case, who is being treated at Lismore Base Hospital, earlier on Monday during the state’s daily Covid-19 update, however Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant at the time said the case was still under investigation.
âš ï¸STAY-AT-HOME ORDER FOR QUEENSLAND AREAS OF CONCERNâš ï¸ pic.twitter.com/2hmhZc9kC4
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 9, 2021
The snap lockdown is set to last seven days and residents in those areas will be subject to stay-at-home orders. The rules will also be extended to those who have visited any of the regions since July 31.
Under the new rules visitors will not be allowed in homes and children will not be permitted to attend school.
NSW Health has also introduced stay-at-home orders for anyone who has visited the Queensland LGAs of Cairns and Yarrabah. The state also lifted stay-at-home orders for those who have visited Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Noose, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Sunshine Coast.
Max Maddison4.37pm:PM denies NSW is going it alone on reopening plan
Scott Morrison says NSW aren’t going it alone, despite Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s plan to begin easing restrictions once six million people in the state are vaccinated.
The Prime Minister said there was considerable “misunderstanding” about Ms Berejiklian’s announcement, which wouldn’t see the country’s most populous state move to Phase B of the roadmap reopening.
“What the Premier is referring to is how New South Wales might seek to manage their suppression phase measures of restrictions in that phase,” Mr Morrison told a press conference on Monday afternoon.
“That is what she is referring to. So I think these two issues have been at cross purposes and hopefully that clarifies it very clearly”
READ MORE:Liberals revolt against Gladys Berejiklian over mandatory vaccines for workers
Max Maddison4.18pm:Moderna gets the green light
The drugs regulator has given Moderna the green light, Scott Morrison has announced, opening the door for the vaccine to come onto the market from September.
The mRNA vaccination will become the third jab in the Morrison government’s arsenal, and with ten million doses becoming available this year, the nation’s vaccination rollout will be bolstered. One million doses will become available in September, with another three million in October, November and December.
“This is very important. Australia has one of the best records in the world when it comes to the administration of vaccines. We don’t cut corners when it comes to vaccines,” Mr Morrison told a press conference on Monday afternoon.
“We’ll have it in our hands and we will have the jabs in our arms starting next month. This is our plan to ensure that we get Australia to where we need to get to this year.”
READ MORE:Delta fallout drives Scott Morrison’s ratings to new low
Erin Lyons3.50pm:‘Too sick to talk’: Sydney’s Covid horror
A Sydney doctor said some Covid patients in intensive care are “too sick to talk”.
Dr Richard Totaro from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital painted the frightening picture at Monday’s Covid press conference, where the NSW Premier announced 283 new infections.
“Unfortunately once patients come to my ICU they are too sick to be talking to us,” Dr Totaro said.
“They’re on ventilators, they’re feeling really sick.”
Dr Totaro said it was not uncommon to see all age groups in ICU with Covid but said they all usually have one thing in common - they aren’t vaccinated.
“The remarkable thing about this disease is in people who aren’t vaccinated … just how progressive and relentless, the deterioration can be,” Dr Totaro said.
“We’ve had people who are physically fit and well and who don’t have underlying conditions (in ICU).”
Dr Totaro also reiterated what state authorities keep saying, that getting vaccinated is the best protection against the virus given no one on a ventilator has had two doses of any Covid vaccine.
“If people get themselves vaccinated they’re helping themselves, because you’ll stop yourself getting sick,” he said.
“You’re (then) going to stop the people around you, your family, your loved ones, the people that you live with and work with from getting sick because they won’t get it from you.
“The higher vaccination rates we have, the less people that are getting sick.”
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant confirmed 283 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Monday, including a man who travelled to Byron Bay.
Dr Chant said investigations were underway after the man, who is in his 50s, travelled from Sydney in late July.
“He is currently being re-interviewed and we are also arranging urgent testing of his two household contacts,” she said.
Dr Chant said the man had no recorded QR code check-ins during his infectious period.
“This matter is under investigation (and the man) hasn’t received any punishment,” she said.
“The gentleman himself is actually in hospital and we are interviewing those (close) to him.”
Another infectious person had also travelled from Newcastle to Tamworth.
NSW Health issued an alert on Monday detailing that 349 Covid-19 cases were in hospital with 67 people in intensive care, 29 of whom require ventilators.
READ MORE:ICUs preparing to ramp up ahead of Covid-19 ‘worst-case scenario’
Rachel Baxendale3.22pm:‘No ring of steel for Melbourne, but Sydney needs one’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he will not be imposing a “ring of steel” around Melbourne, despite repeatedly urging Gladys Berejiklian to do so around Sydney, arguing there is “no comparison” between the two cities.
During Victoria’s “second wave” in 2020, Mr Andrews imposed roadblocks on major roads out of Melbourne in a bid to stop the virus spreading to regional Victoria, where restrictions were lighter than in the city.
Asked whether he would reimpose the measure during the state’s sixth lockdown, having announced that stay-at-home rules will ease for 1.6m regional Victorians from 11.59pm, Mr Andrews said: “I don’t believe so.”
“There is no comparison between Melbourne and Sydney. I have a border to defend between Victoria and New South Wales and I’m not going to shut half the police stations in Melbourne to do something that Victoria Police and the public health team don’t think we need to do,” the Premier said.
“There is 50, 60 active cases versus 5000 in New South Wales. That is where a ring of steel should be put on.
“There should be a ring of steel around Sydney and then we wouldn’t have to be defending our border as much as we are.
“But that is the decision of the New South Wales government. We just push on and do everything we can to keep the virus out.”
When Victoria’s ‘ring of steel’ was imposed around Greater Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire on July 7, 2020, there were seven active cases of Covid-19 elsewhere in regional Victoria.
By August 2, when Greater Melbourne went into Stage Four lockdown and regional Victoria Stage Three, regional Victoria had 355 active cases, the vast majority of which were sparked by essential workers, who would have been commuting to the regions regardless of whether they were required to stop at “ring of steel” roadblocks.
The statewide number of active cases increased from 772 to 7227 over the same period, meaning there was a 50-fold increase in case numbers in the regions, compared with a less than 10-fold increase statewide.
Asked last month what evidence he had that Victoria’s ‘ring of steel’ had actually worked, Mr Andrews said: “Hundreds of cases instead of thousands.”
Rachel Baxendale3.13pm:15,000 young Victorians rush to book AZ shots
Since Victoria opened AstraZeneca vaccines to 18 to 39-year-olds at state-run hubs from Monday, more than 15,000 have made appointments, with some sites already booked out for all of August the Andrews government looking at making more sites available.
Sunday also saw the opening of Australia’s first ever drive-through vaccination hub at Melton in Melbourne’s outer northwest.
During the “soft launch” on Sunday, 34 cars visited, with another 180 booked in on Monday and more than 1900 in coming days.
“It’ll be really good to see how that starts to build momentum and we’ll of course watch that with great interest,” Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said.
Mr Weimar said there were 60,000 people booked in to receive Pfizer vaccinations at Victorian state-run hubs this week, with 5,000 first dose appointments still available for those eligible.
“We’ve made 20,000 appointments available next week and 27,000 appointments available for the week after, so we are putting again some more Pfizer appointments into the system as fast as we get the vaccine from our colleagues in the commonwealth.”
Rachel Baxendale3.09pm:Shopping centre worries Victorian health authorities
Victorian health authorities say they remain concerned over coronavirus exposures at a western suburbs shopping centre.
So far 14 cases have been linked to the CS Square shopping centre in Caroline Springs, with 400 close contacts identified, about two thirds of whom have tested negative.
“If you were in Caroline Springs Shopping Centre between 27 July and 5 August, we need you to go and get tested immediately,” Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said.
“We’re quite concerned after a number of positive cases we’ve now identified from different stores associated with different movements in the shopping centre.”
Other Victorian clusters linked to the latest outbreaks include four cases at the Newport Football Club, Seven within a Newport family cluster, and 23 cases among students, staff and households associated with al-Taqwa College.
There are now 12,738 primary close contacts linked to the latest outbreaks, almost 9000 of whom are linked to schools.
Five people are in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, one or whom is in ICU but not on a ventilator.
Of the school outbreaks:
- There are 155 close contacts associated with Warringa Park Special School in Hoppers Crossing, 88 per cent of whom have tested negative;
- There are 2,600 close contacts associated with Al-Taqwa College in Truganina, 87 per cent of whom have tested negative;
- There are 1,934 close contacts associated with Heathdale Christian College in Werribee, 83 per cent of whom have tested negative;
- There are 1,567 close contacts associated with the Islamic College of Melbourne, 75 per cent of whom have tested negative;
- There are 755 close contacts association with Mt Alexander College in Flemington, 50 per cent of whom have returned a negative result;
Max Maddison3.02pm: ‘Not how QT works’: Speaker rebukes PM
Scott Morrison has received another dressing down from the Speaker Tony Smith, as he declares “this is not how question time works”.
Mr Smith, he Liberal MP for Casey, took issue with the Prime Minister after he repeatedly ignored his rulings about turning questions on government policy into attacks on the Leader of the Opposition during question time on August 5.
Mr Morrison drew the ire of his Liberal colleague again, after he used a question about his government’s three-stage reopening roadmap as a platform to attack the opposition.
“When he’s asked a question that doesn’t ask about alternatives, that he’s quite specific in its nature, having answered it and been very relevant to it, which he was up until that point, in the remaining time he does not have the option to launch a political attack,” Mr Smith said.
“You can talk about the national plan but if you’re going to insist on asking questions, I may well let them answer them. But that is not how question time works … I’m not going to keep making the same ruling and be ignored.”
READ MORE: Mr Smith goes to town on leaders’ stoush
Max Maddison2.37pm: We have no issue with incentives, just bad ideas: PM
Scott Morrison says he’ll only rule out “bad ideas”, after Labor attempted to pursue him over an alleged deal with TabCorp to offer a vaccination incentive program.
The Morrison government has ridiculed Labor’s $6 billion vaccination incentive program for being “unnecessary” and “insulting” to Australians. The opposition, however, have continually highlighted apparent contradictions in the federal government’s staunch opposition to cash incentives.
Anthony Albanese opened question time on Monday by asking whether the Prime Minister had engaged TabCorp to conduct a lottery which would offer an incentive for more Australian to get vaccinated. Mr Morrison quickly rubbished the speculation.
“What we’ll rule out is bad ideas, Mr Speake,” Mr Morrison said on Monday afternoon. “Of course, the government has got no issues with incentives, Mr Speaker. What we have a problem with is bad policy. That’s the problem that we have.”
“I can confirm that we are not proceeding with any arrangement like that with Tabcorp.”
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Ellie Dudley 1.36pm: Mystery Hunter, New England cases remain unlinked
Half of today’s Covid-19 cases detected in the Hunter New England region of NSW are still under investigation.
NSW recorded 283 new cases of the virus on Monday, six of which were detected in the region in the northeast of the state.
Two of the cases have been linked to the University of Newcastle cluster, and one to Maitland Christian School where another known outbreak had occurred.
Investigations continue into how a man in his 20s from Maitland, a man in his 40s from Medowie and a man in his 40s Newcastle caught the virus.
Ellie Dudley1.22pm:Tasmanians must check in on all transport
Tasmania will require all residents who travel by any form of transport to check in via a QR code.
Premier Peter Gutwein announced in a press conference that from 6pm Friday, August 13, all transport services – including ubers and taxis – would be required to have a QR code check-in system.
“We will introduce that now, also buses will be considered as well and other forms of transport,” Mr Gutwein said.
The new mandate comes after a Covid-19 infected man from NSW travelled to Launceston and took a taxi before leaving the state.
The 31-year-old made his own choice to leave hotel quarantine and return home before receiving a positive test result.
He did not have a valid permit to enter Tasmania and was fined $1,000 by NSW Police.
READ MORE: Virgin fare sale sidesteps border closures
Rachel Baxendale12.41pm: ‘No decision’ on Melbourne lockdown ending
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says “no decision has been made” as to whether the state will remain in lockdown beyond Thursday night, when the initially flagged seven days expire.
Since the first cases emerged last Wednesday, 60 cases have been linked to the Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong-Derrimut outbreaks, 56 of which remain active as some were no longer infectious by the time they were tested.
A single case in Monday’s numbers is the first of those 60 to have in quarantine throughout their infectious period.
Mr Andrews said the aim of not having any infectious cases in the community was “top of the list” of requirements for the lockdown to be lifted.
“That is always at the top of the list. Not case numbers but whether people have been out there potentially spreading the virus unknowingly, or whether they have been tucked away and are not a risk to public health,” he said.
“We could have even quite a large number of cases but if they’ve all been at home isolating from others then they are not a risk public health. Even one person being out in the community infectious, given how wildly this thing spreads, it is a real challenge for us.
“We will monitor this every hour and we will not have this lockdown on any longer than it needs to be. I can’t tell you what I will be announcing on Wednesday or Thursday because it is not Wednesday or Thursday.
“I can simply say to you that no decision has been made as to what happens after 8pm Thursday and that decision will not be made today or tomorrow, but as close to that time as possible so we have the most complete picture and the most recent data. That is the way it has always been done.
“As soon as we can give people clarity about what next week looks like we absolutely will.”
READ MORE:ABC changes social media rules for staff
Ellie Dudley 11.54am:Berejiklian to ease restrictions at 50pc vaccinated
Gladys Berejiklian says having half NSW’s population vaccinated will allow for a greater easing of restrictions.
The national cabinet has agreed 70 per cent of eligible people must be vaccinated before the country begins to open up which puts Ms Berejiklian at odds with the other state premiers.
“I can’t control what other state premiers and chief ministers do, and they’ve demonstrated their propensity to close borders to us all throughout this pandemic,” she said.
“The responsibilities of the NSW government is to ensure the health and safety and well being of our eight million citizens, but please know the NSW Government has also seen ourselves as part of our nation as part of Australia.”
Ms Berejiklian said she “respects the national cabinet process”, but will look to ease restrictions earlier than what was outlined in the Doherty report governing national decisions.
“We know there’s expectations on each state to meet the standards in that report,” she said.
“NSW will do that but please know that once we hit 50-60, lockdown plus some easing is very different to what the Doherty report says must happen at 70 per cent.”
READ MORE: Vaccination levels pave way back to work
Rachel Baxendale11.48am:Where Victorian infections came from
Of Victoria’s 11 new community-acquired cases on Monday, seven have been linked to the Caroline Springs CS Square shopping centre in Melbourne’s outer west.
These include five household members linked to a real estate agency in the shopping centre, a household member of a Jolly Miller cafe staff member, and a customer at the Spectacle Hub optometrists.
Of the remaining four cases, two include the coach and a teammate of a previously disclosed case at the Newport AFL footy club, one is a household member of a previously disclosed Newport case, and the other is an Al-Taqwa College student.
READ MORE: Victoria’s West Gate tunnel in doubt
Ellie Dudley11.45am:Canada ‘points way’ to freedom via vaccination
NSW Gladys Berejiklian says her government is taking a “targeted approach” to vaccinations, hinting that hopes of restrictions easing depends on the jab rates of southwestern and western Sydney.
“Obviously we’re keen to see if vaccination rates go up across the state,” she said.
“We will have greater confidence in opening up things if those vaccination rates in area of concern increases... because that decreases the chances of the virus spreading the way it is.”
Ms Berejiklian said there was “strong evidence” from Canada that a targeted vaccination program will work in having “residents live more freely.”
Ellie Dudley11.27am:Pressure increasing on NSW hospitals, ICU
Hospitalisations in NSW are continuing to spike, with up to 349 Covid-19 cases seeking medical help.
Some 67 people are being treated in intensive care, 29 of whom require ventilation. A woman in her 90s has died with her death being recorded in today’s figures.
Richard Totaro, an ICU doctor treating Covid-19 patients in Sydney’s inner west, says he is seeing many people who are “physically fit and well” requiring immediate care.
Despite hospitalisations surging across the state, Dr Totaro said the health system was “managing” but it’s “tough”.
“The nurses in particular who are at the bedside for hours at a time.. it’s very tough, very hard work and constant vigilance around themselves and keeping themselves safe and protected,” he said, speaking at NSW’s Covid-19 press conference.
“We’ve seen people who don’t have underlying conditions.”
Dr Totaro called on NSW residents to be vaccinated as soon as possible to help protect the community.
“You’re going to stop yourself from getting sick,” he said.
“You’re going to help the people around you from getting sick and you’re going to help the whole community by keeping those around you safe and helping us open up so we can have the lives we had before.”
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said no one in the ICU had received both doses of Covid-19.
“When it comes to the ICU, it’s not so much the number of cases who have been admitted to look at, it’s the number of cases we have who aren’t vaccinated,” she said.
“It’s a relief to us that both vaccines are holding up really well, and demonstrating keeping people out of hospital and out of harm’s way.”
The infected man who travelled from Sydney to Byron is currently being treated in hospital, chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
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Rachel Baxendale 11.22am: Regional Victoria set to be released from lockdown
Regional Victorians will be released from lockdown from 11.59pm on Monday, after Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledged that there had been no cases outside Melbourne since the state’s sixth lockdown was imposed on Thursday.
The decision comes after Mr Andrews cited two wastewater detections in Wangaratta to justify making the lockdown statewide last week.
Less than 24 hours later, the government was forced to concede that there had only been one Wangaratta wastewater detection, and the first was more than a week old.
“This is very positive news and speaks to the fact that we do have a degree of containment around these cases, there is a degree of localisation to these cases,” Mr Andrews said on Monday.
“Pleasingly we haven’t seen cases in regional Victoria over these last four or five days.”
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said authorities had “always said that restrictions shouldn’t be in place for a moment longer than is required”.
There were no cases and very few close contacts in regional Victoria when the statewide lockdown was imposed on Thursday.
“There’s always a judgement involved in that decision-making but it is my judgement that regional Victoria’s gotten to that point where we can ease restrictions,” Professor Sutton said.
“We always look at a number of factors, the risk but also the consequences of making these changes.
“We saw consequences play out with a really a super-spreading event at the MCG where people come from across the state of Victoria and then return home, that’s a particular risk.
“We haven’t really had those events in this most recent outbreak. Therefore, there are no cases in regional Victoria.”
There was one wastewater Covid detection in Wangaratta, in Victoria’s northeast, on July 30, but a second detection cited by Mr Andrews in announcing the statewide lockdown never occurred.
Health authorities confirmed on Saturday there had been more recent detections in Benalla, also in Victoria’s northeast, between August 4-6, and Healesville, closer to Melbourne.
“We have seen some waste water detections in the regions, but they might be reflective of a time when we were still free to move about the state,” Professor Sutton said.
“We follow those waste water detections over time. There have been no new unexpected waste water detects in the last couple of days which is a positive sign, but we’ll keep an eye on that.”
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Ellie Dudley11.01am:NSW records 283 new virus cases
NSW has recorded 283 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 as infections across the state continue to spread.
At least 64 cases were active in the community for the entirety of their infectious period.
An unvaccinated woman in her 90s died overnight. She was in palliative care.
A record 133,000 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
NSW recorded 283 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 9, 2021
One hundred and six cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 42 were in isolation for part of their infectious period. pic.twitter.com/fvZUnwpJ4F
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned that residents around both Tamworth and Byron Bay need to be on alert as infectious cases are believed to have travelled to those areas.
The northeast regional town of Tamworth will be locked down for seven days after an infected Newcastle resident visited last week.
A number of new exposure sites in Tamworth appeared overnight, but no cases have been detected in the area yet, Ms Berejiklian said.
“The person went from Newcastle to Tamworth and visited a number of locations,” the NSW Premier said.
She said the area would be “locked down for one week starting from 5pm today” despite there being “no cases yet.”
Ms Berejiklian also issued a warning to people in Byron Bay, on NSW’s far north coast, to be tested if symptoms arise, after a positive case had been in the area.
The case that visited Byron Bay was a man in his 50s who had travelled from Sydney, chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
“Investigations are underway to determine his source of infection,” she said. “He did travel from Sydney towards the end of July, he is being reinterviewed and we are arranging urgent testing of his two household contacts.”
Dr Chant said the Byron area should remain poised for new exposure sites to be revealed after the man was infectious in the community “for a while.”
“I should have also mentioned that we do need to get testing numbers in the Byron community up,” she said.
“Unfortunately this gentleman was infectious in the community for a while, he had symptoms for quite a few days.”
Rachel Baxendale10.37am:Andrews, Sutton to give Covid update at 11am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, chief health officer Brett Sutton and Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar are due to address the media at 11am.
The press conference comes as Victoria recorded 11 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Sunday night, bringing the total for the outbreaks which prompted the state’s sixth lockdown to 63.
Richard Ferguson10.26am: Armidale lockdown keeps Joyce from parliament
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce will not attend parliament in-person after he got caught in the Armidale Covid-19 lockdown.
Mr Joyce returned to his New England electorate last Thursday after a week of sittings in Canberra.
The ACT government declared on Friday a quarantine order for anyone who had been in the Armidale local government area from Thursday
A spokesman for Mr Joyce said he will participate fully in parliament and question time via video-link.
Charlie Peel10.17am: Cairns taxi driver case linked to marine pilot
A taxi driver infected with Covid-19 in Queensland’s far north likely picked up the virus from a marine pilot who he came into contact with.
The driver’s diagnosis on Sunday led to Cairns being put into lockdown as the southeast corner emerged from its week-long lockdown.
Authorities on Monday were able to link the taxi driver to the marine pilot, who had been diagnosed with the virus last week.
“They have actually linked the taxi driver with the marine pilot,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
“So the marine pilot actually travelled in that person’s taxis.
“A lot of contact tracing is now happening of course with those exposure sites but it is great to know that linkage has been done so honestly, great work by our Queensland Health staff.”
READ MORE: Infected cabbie triggers fresh lockdown
Charlie Peel10.12am:SE Queensland records four new local virus cases
Queensland has recorded four new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, all linked to the cluster in Brisbane’s inner-west.
Monday 9 August – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 9, 2021
4 new locally acquired cases, detected in home quarantine.
1 new overseas acquired case, detected in hotel quarantine.#covid19pic.twitter.com/x42BCWyVkV
“This is fantastic news, and the sort of news we want to wake up to,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
The outbreak linked to schools around the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly sparked a lockdown of 11 local government areas in the state’s southeast.
The three-day lockdown was extended by five days and ended on Sunday afternoon, although tight restrictions remain in place.
Schools have reopened on Monday, with teachers and staff ordered to wear masks and high school students also to wear masks.
Brisbane’s Convention and Exhibition centre will be set-up as a mass vaccination centre from Wednesday, with anyone over 16 able to receive a vaccine.
Ms Palaszczuk said the centre would provide Pfizer vaccines for anyone aged 16 to 59, with those in priority categories given first access to the vaccine.
“We are getting a sneak preview today and thank you to the staff for being so quick in setting it all up with Queensland Health,” Ms Palaszczuk said from the makeshift centre on Monday.
“So what we do know is … that Pfizer is going to be coming on fast over the next couple of weeks, so from Wednesday, this convention centre will be open from 8.30am till 4.30pm and we are now asking people, if you are between 16 and 59, you can now register on the Queensland Health website.”
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said anyone who wanted to receive a vaccine needed to register online.
READ MORE: Transurban’s tollroads empty in lockdowns
Eli Greenblat 9.53am: Brickworks shuts kilns, warns of worse to come
The nation’s biggest brickmaker, Brickworks, says the most severe restrictions on its business since the pandemic began have slashed bricks sales, caused bottlenecks at its warehouses and forced it to shut down production at a number of brick kilns.
It also says it’s facing the stalling of its own key infrastructure projects, with one new site in outer Sydney built but unable to be commissioned as key technical staff remain stuck overseas and unable to enter Australia.
Brickworks is one of the first major industrial and manufacturing companies to show the stress of the current Covid-19 lockdowns, as parts of the economy begin to seize up.
Brickworks said shutdowns of construction sites in Sydney in June and July had slashed brick distribution by as much as 80 per cent and although the building sector was given permission for a partial recommencement brick sales remained at only 50 per cent of pre-lockdown levels.
The brickmaker said it had been forced to trigger a shutdown process, with production at two of its five brick kilns in New South Wales curtailed, representing 30 per cent of total production capacity.
As part of the multi-day shutdown process, kilns at Punchbowl and Horsley Park plant 3 were taken offline over the weekend. Plant 1 at Horsley Park, Bowral and the 2nd kiln at plant 3 remain operational, with significant production volume being transported south to meet the continued strong demand in Victoria, Brickworks said.
READ the full story here
Remy Varga9.47am:Man charged over lockdown protest
A man, 48, has been charged with assaulting a police officer after protests against Victoria’s sixth lockdown turned violent last week.
Victoria Police charged the Southbank resident on Sunday night with assaulting a police officer causing injury, affray, riotous behaviour and breaching the Chief Health Officer directions.
He was bailed to appear before Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Detectives also interviewed a 24-year-old woman from Footscray on Sunday night in relation to discharging a missile, riotous behaviour and breaching the Chief Health Officer directions.
She was released and is expected to be charged on summons.
When Victoria’s sixth lockdown was announced last Thursday, hundreds of protesters flooded Melbourne’s CBD in defiance of the public health order.
Victoria Police arrested 15 people as some protesters clashed with officers while others let off flares.
READ MORE: Steve Waterson – Covid hasn’t done this, witless politicians have
Ellie Dudley9.42am: Premiers, health leaders set to deliver virus updates
State premiers and health authorities across Australia will front the media this morning to provide updates on their respective Covid-19 outbreaks.
Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will hold a press conference at 10am alongside the state’s health minister Yvetter D’Ath and chief health officer Jeannette Young.
Queensland’s southeast was removed from lockdown on Sunday, while Cairns and Yarrabah in the state’s far north were put under stay at home orders.
The new restrictions were put in place after an infected taxi driver was active in the community for up to 10 days.
The lockdown is expected to last for three days.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will provide an update at 11am, after the state recorded 262 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Sunday.
The Penrith local government area was listed as a new area of concern and is now subject to the higher restrictions that apply to high-risk LGAs in southwest and western Sydney as case numbers surge.
Victorian authorities are expected to provide their state’s update this morning, but are yet to set a time.
The southern state recorded 11 new cases of the virus on Monday, which have all been linked to existing infections.
Only one of the 11 cases was in quarantine throughout their infectious period.
READ MORE: Ticky Fullerton – How big data is being used to tame Covid
Ellie Dudley9.12am:Melbourne hospital added to exposure list
A women’s and children’s hospital in St Albans in northwest Melbourne has been listed amongst Victoria’s latest exposure sites.
The Maternity Assessment Centre at the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Furlong Road was added to the growing list of Victoria’s venues of concern on Sunday night.
Anyone who attended the centre from 8.15am to 2.45pm on Friday August 6 has been classified as a close contact – tier one – and must isolate immediately for 14 days, get tested, and notify the department of health.
Dorevitch Pathology on the ground floor of the hospital has also been listed as a tier one site.
Anyone who was at the lab between 9.05am to 9.50am is ordered to get tested, isolate for 14 days and notify the department of health.
The whole of the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital has been listed as a tier three exposure site from 8.15am to 2.45pm Friday August 6.
Those who were at the hospital at that time are required to monitor themselves for symptoms and get tested if they appear.
The full list of the state’s exposure sites is available on the health department website.
READ MORE:Optimism rises from ashes of pandemic
Erin Lyons9.06am: Infected mum’s visit sparks hospital scare
A hospital in Sydney’s north has had a Covid scare after an infected woman turned up at the establishment in an attempt to visit her sick son.
Patients waiting in the emergency room of the Northern Beaches Hospital have potentially been exposed to the virus.
The woman, believed to be the mother of a critically ill Belrose man in his 30s who also has Covid, tried to visit on Saturday night.
It is believed she failed to declare her Covid risk and spent five minutes inside.
Anyone in the waiting room at the time were being contacted by health authorities.
A statement from the hospital said the man was transferred to the hospital on Saturday night and treated in a negative pressure room by staff in full personal protective equipment.
“The man was intubated in the ED and transferred to a negative pressure room in the Intensive Care Unit,” a spokeswoman said.
“A family member of the man, who is also Covid-19 positive, later presented to the ED and was in the waiting area for approximately five minutes.
“Once staff became aware of the risk, they were immediately taken to an isolation area.”
The spokeswoman said anyone who turns up at the hospital is screened before they can enter, which includes being asked a number of questions to determine their Covid risk. – NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Gottliebsen – Fallout from Victorian Covid deaths to escalate
Rachel Baxendale8.26am:Victoria records 11 new virus cases
Victoria has recorded 11 new locally acquired cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to midnight on Sunday.
Reported yesterday: 11 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 8, 2021
- 17,101 vaccine doses were administered
- 38,987 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/BFELr5herD
All have been linked to known outbreaks, but only one of the 11 was in quarantine throughout their infectious period.
No source of acquisition has yet been confirmed for either of Victoria’s two latest community outbreaks.
The first cases to emerge from each outbreak last week were a teacher in her 20s from Hobsons Bay who works at Al-Taqwa College, and a Maribyrnong man who works at a warehouse in Derrimut – all in Melbourne’s west.
Authorities continue to investigate whether the warehouse worker’s cluster may have been sparked by illegal contact with a family who were in home isolation having recently returned from hotel quarantine in NSW.
Monday’s 11 cases follow 11 on Sunday, an outbreak peak of 29 on Saturday, six each on Friday and Thursday, short-lived celebrations of zero on Wednesday and four on Tuesday.
There have now been 283 community acquired cases since two incursions from NSW sparked Victoria’s fifth lockdown last month, and 63 cases since the most recent outbreaks sparked a sixth lockdown on Thursday.
There are currently 103 active cases, including up to six active cases acquired overseas.
As of Sunday, there were six people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, including one in intensive care.
The latest cases come after 38,987 tests were processed on Sunday, compared with 38,179 on Saturday, 43,618 tests on Friday 29,631 on Thursday, 27,279 on Wednesday, 30,117 on Tuesday and 22,217 on Monday and 21,417 last Sunday.
Victoria’s testing record is 59,355 tests on July 20.
Max Maddison8.12am:Every life saved in lockdown costs $330m: Canavan
Nationals senator Matt Canavan has called for a cost-benefit analysis of ongoing lockdowns, as he says there’s a public “addiction” with trying to get to zero cases.
On the back of his own “rough estimates”, which found every life saved during the Sydney lockdown has cost taxpayers $330 million, Senator Canavan said the country had never adopted such a “costly policy without even a modicum of looking at what those costs”.
Senator Canavan said he wasn’t advocating for state governments to “let it rip”, allowing the virus to roam free in the community, but he said there needed to be a bigger conversation about the costs on lower-socio economic workers who were unable to put food on the table during lockdowns.
“We should have some sensible restrictions on movements, on how business is conducted. But we are imposing such a strict policy, which means those people without choice and flexibility ... paid the biggest burden,” he told ABC’s Radio National on Monday morning.
He added he didn’t agree with mandatory vaccinations, saying jabs wouldn’t prevent the spread of the virus, but would “completely destroy coherence and respect within our society”.
“I just don’t think it’s necessary. It’s pretty serious to mandate someone to have a medical procedure,” he said.
“Why would we impose such a strict limitation on someone’s personal rights, where it’s not going to deliver the outcome I think the people want. It’s not going to deliver zero Covid.”
READ MORE:PM’s Newspoll ratings slump to Delta low
Ellie Dudley7.57am: Lockdown may be ‘nail in coffin’ for Cairns
Cairns mayor Bob Manning says the city’s latest lockdown could be the nail in the coffin for tourism operators in the state’s far north.
Cairns and Yarrabah were plunged into a three-day lockdown on Sunday after a taxi driver infected with Covid-19 was infectious in the community for up to 10 days.
Mr Manning said he was “hoping and praying” the lockdown will end on time, or else risk many businesses closing.
“We have had a tough couple of years with tourism and as you appreciate no doubt, the importance of tourism for us and the importance of tourism to Australia,” he told Sunrise.
“A lot of people who will not be operating next year, unfortunately.”
Mr Manning said the state and federal governments would need to “come to the table again soon” to discuss the economic outlook of the area.
READ MORE: Olympics offer hope for China
Max Maddison 7.50am:Doubts that unused US vaccines will come our way
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has shot down hopes Australia could tap into 26 million unused vaccines in the US which were about to expire, as he concedes much of the country will be cut-off to NSW until the end of the year.
The Australian reported on Friday that the Morrison government had made urgent appeals to the Biden administration to access the jabs. Senator Birmingham said “approaches were always being made”, but cautioned demand for vaccines remained “highly competitive”.
“We’re always looking for opportunities in terms of potentially bringing forward or adding to the vaccine supply but it is still a hugely competitive global situation,” Senator Birmingham told Sky News on Monday morning.
“I can assure you that approaches are being made continuously.”
With vaccination rates climbing, Senator Birmingham wouldn’t write-off interstate travel from NSW before Christmas, but warned he wasn’t optimistic.
“We can safely assume that other states will remain with close borders to New South Wales for much of the rest of this year,” he said. “I’m not going to get too far ahead, I’m very hopeful that we will.”
READ MORE: Banks warned over debt frenzy
Ellie Dudley 7.37am: Changed AstraZeneca advice ‘slowed rollout’
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has blamed past unprecedented difficulties for Australia’s slower-than-expected vaccination rollout.
Just over 43 per cent of eligible Australians have received their first dose of the vaccine, while 22 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Despite criticisms that an early supply of the Pfizer vaccine would have placed those numbers much higher by now, Senator Birmingham defended the government and claimed hurdles got in the way.
“If we hadn’t changed advice along the way with AstraZeneca, that would have made a difference by now,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“If the 3.4 million doses expected at the start of the year had turned up, that would have made a difference by now too.
“We can all run on the ifs of hindsight but we don’t get to live in hindsight. We live in the here and now and that’s why making sure we get the deliveries we have contracted, knowing, as I said before, that Australia remains, despite all our current difficulties, a world leader in the management of Covid and has still saved an estimated 30,000 lives.”
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is set to sign off on the Moderna vaccine for use in Australia as early as this week.
Senator Birmingham said Australia was only now receiving Moderna as it is “a young pharmaceutical company.”
“Moderna is on track to receive all of the approvals to sell in Australia and then also for the shipments to start coming into Australia,” he said.
“It’s important for people to appreciate this, in pharmaceutical company terms, is quite a new company that has had quite a task to scale up in terms of global demand for their vaccine.”
READ MORE: Liberals revolt over mandatory jabs
Ellie Dudley7.30am:‘We’re simply saying take your doctor’s advice’
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has condemned the actions of Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young in advising young people away from the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Dr Young has come under fire from interstate and federal authorities over her stance on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which she has said should not be used by anyone under 40 and only by those under 60 after speaking to their doctor.
Mr Littleproud blasted Dr Young’s comments, and said the vaccine was “clearly safe.”
“We’ve even got some chief health officers, particularly Queensland, not advising people to take it,” he told Channel 9’s Today.
“We’re simply saying to people take your advice off your doctor.
“We are behind the rest of the world in terms of the numbers because we didn’t ask to put your arm out until we knew what we were putting in it. That’s what we can give you confidence in now.”
Mr Littleproud said the Covid-19 pandemic had exposed the cracks in the Federation and put Premiers against one another.
He said it could lead to some states, namely Queensland, trailing behind as the country opens up.
“The reality is, unless we get them to agree, you’re going to isolate some parts of this country,” he said.
“We need the premiers to come together, otherwise the practical reality is, if they open up at 50 per cent, our mob in Queensland will say, ‘Thanks, you can stay where you are’.”
READ MORE: Red tape, unions scare off compulsory Covid jabs
Ellie Dudley7am:Tamworth exposure sites revealed by NSW Health
New exposure sites have been declared in Tamworth, in northeast NSW, as contact tracers scramble to chase positive infections of Covid-19 in the state’s regions.
Armidale, an hour north of Tamworth, was plunged into a seven day lockdown on Saturday, after two cases were recorded, with a third detected on Sunday.
A total of 20 new cases of Covid-19 have now been found in the Hunter New England local health districts.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 8, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern in Newcastle, Tamworth and Sydney’s west which are associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/uJbnY7lZn1
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result.
■ Tamworth: Inland Cafe, 407 Peel Street, Thursday August 5 9.15am to 10am;
■ Tamworth: Tudor Hotel, 327 Peel Street, Thursday August 5 11am to 11.40am;
■ Erskine Park: Wok Crazy, 24/184 Swallow Drive, Monday August 2 6.10pm to 6.45pm;
■ St Marys: Commbank, 106 Queen Street, Thursday August 5 5.40pm to 5.50pm;
■ Cooks Hill: Mr Rice Takeaway, 133 Darby Street, Wednesday 4 August 3pm to 3.20pm; and
■ The Junction: Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant, 50 Glebe Road, Saturday July 31 all day, Sunday August 1 all day, Monday August 2 all day, Tuesday August 3 all day, Wednesday August 4 all day, Thursday August 5 all day.
NSW Health has added new venues to the ever-growing list of casual contacts, including another two from Tamworth in a Gloria Jeans coffee shop and the Super Vape store.
The details of these, along with 566 other potential exposure locations, can be found on the NSW government website.
COVID-19 testing clinics operating in Dubbo:
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 8, 2021
Dubbo Showground Pop-up Clinic, Cnr Fitzroy and Wingewarra Street Dubbo: 8am-4pm 7 days
Dubbo Manera Plaza Walk-In Clinic, 77 Myall Street, Dubbo: 8am-4.30pm 7 days week
More info 👉🽠https://t.co/DtrfDlTOqtpic.twitter.com/h6pf3oMG88
READ MORE:Pfizer fizzer sends jab hopefuls home in disgust
Ellie Dudley6.40am:Year 12 vaccinations begin in NSW today
NSW will ramp up its vaccination drive in Sydney today as Qudos Bank Arena opens to vaccinate year 12 students.
Up to 24,000 jabs of the Pfizer vaccine will be administered to students so they can complete their exams in person.
The centre will then open to the general public.
The rollout to students has been marred by technical glitches that have seen students waiting on the site for hours unable to book a vaccine.
Victoria will also ramp up its vaccination rollout today, with AstraZeneca available to over-18s at state hubs and Australia’s first drive-through vaccination centre opening to the public.
READ MORE: Booking system glitches threaten Year 12 rollout
Ellie Dudley6.30am:Another week in Australia, another lockdown to manage
Almost 13 million Australians will start the week in lockdown as the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc across the country.
NSW recorded 262 new cases of the virus on Sunday, forcing residents in the Penrith local government area in western Sydney to be subject to tougher restrictions.
A woman in her 80s also died overnight. She was a resident of a Summer Hill aged care home where a known outbreak of the virus occurred.
The suburbs of Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair, and St Mary’s ill be forced to follow the strict protocol that currently governs eight surrounding LGAs.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 8, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern in Newcastle, Tamworth and Sydney’s west which are associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/uJbnY7lZn1
Lockdown ended in Queensland for 11 local government areas in the state’s southeast on Sunday, but an infected taxi driver triggered a snap three-day lockdown in Cairns.
The state has recorded nine new cases of Covid-19, with concern emerging over the taxi driver, who was infectious in the community for 10 days.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the areas of Cairns and Yarribah would be locked down in a similar fashion to the state’s most recent lock down in the southeast.
“From 4pm today, for the next three days, Cairns and Yaribah will go into a lockdown. It is essentially a lockdown that the 11 LGAs went to, but they will be allowed to have up to two visitors to come and visit their homes,” she said.
Lockdown will end in Queensland for 11 local government areas in the state’s south east at 4pm today, but an infected taxi driver has triggered a snap lockdown in Cairns. https://t.co/8VezIirHwb
— The Australian (@australian) August 8, 2021
Ms Palaszczuk issued an urgent call for testing in the area, saying she was “very concerned.”
Seven of Sunday’s cases are locally acquired and linked to the Indooroopilly cluster. Another case on the Gold Coast is still under investigation.
Victoria recorded 11 new local cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, from more than 38,000 tests.
The number had dropped from a high of 29 cases on Saturday, but all cases were out in the community for the entirety of their infectious period.
The state is currently fighting a seven day lockdown to keep the virus at bay for the sixth time.
Reported yesterday: 11 new local cases and 2 new cases acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 7, 2021
- 17,360 vaccine doses were administered
- 38,179 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/um9ZSa7MjF
READ MORE: Vaccination levels pave way back to work
Rebecca Urban5am:‘Victorian lockdown is working’, but when will it end?
The Victorian Premier has refused to be drawn on whether the state’s sixth lockdown would be extended beyond a week, despite declaring the latest restrictions were working to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
There were signs on Sunday that the state was close to getting its latest outbreak under control, with all 11 reported cases linked and residents of a Flemington public housing tower returning 200 negative tests so far.
Premier Daniel Andrews said it was pleasing that all new cases were linked but it was too soon to rule whether the lockdown would end on Thursday as scheduled.
He said it was still concerning that the two cases that started these latest clusters – a teacher from the Hobsons Bay local government area and a Maribyrnong factory worker – could not be sourced.
“Eleven cases is certainly better than a higher number, and the fact they’re all linked is good – the lockdown is working,” Mr Andrews said.
“If we hadn’t locked down … we’re talking about an altogether different situation and potentially being locked in until everybody is vaccinated.
“That’s what’s happening in NSW and we don’t want that here.”
Read the full story, by Rebecca Urban and Angelica Snowden, here.
Richard Ferguson4.45am:Huge AstraZeneca stockpile open to young
Fresh data obtained by The Australian has revealed that weak demand for AstraZeneca has prevented NSW and Victoria from making substantial drawdowns on their assigned AZ allocations, with both states amassing a combined stockpile of more than one million unused doses since March.
Of the more than 911,000 AstraZeneca doses allocated to NSW, the Berejiklian government has ordered only 167,000, leaving a surplus of 734,000 doses available to be dispatched.
At the start of this month Victoria’s unused pile of AstraZeneca vaccines stood at more than 240,000, with thousands more available for dispatch from the federal government.
The Victorian government announced on Sunday it would throw open access to 200,000 doses of AstraZeneca for people aged 18-to-39 at nine vaccination hubs in a bid to lift Melbourne out of its sixth Covid-19 lockdown.
Read the full story, by Richard Ferguson and Rebecca Urban, here.
Jessica Wang4.30am:Infected cabbie sends North Qld city into lockdown
The Far North Queensland city of Cairns and the Indigenous community in Yarrabah have been put into lockdown after an unexpected positive case.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she “was very concerned” after a taxi driver was infectious in the community for 10 days and said more testing had to be done.
The lockdown began at 4pm yesterday and was scheduled to last for three days. However residents will be able to have to visitors into their homes.
Ms Palaszczuk also said her government would be looking into creating a business support package and will request Prime Minister Scott Morrison to declare the city a hot spot.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said it was imperative for the community to come out and get tested and said there was a “real risk” the virus has already spread.
It’s believed the taxi driver worker from July 31 to August 4 and visited several venues which will be listed later today. Contact tracers are now combing through taxi records, with Ms Young thanking the man for coming forward.
Read the full story here.
RBA leaves all options on the table in inflation fight
Despite keeping interest rates on hold at its September meeting, the RBA left the door open for additional tightening in its efforts to tame inflation, minutes show.
‘You should stand condemned’: Dutton refuses to back PM’s Oct 7 motion
In an impassioned address responding to the PM's motion condemning the Oct 7 attacks, Peter Dutton accused Anthony Albanese of 'trying to please all people' after repeated attempts to reach a bipartisan position broke down.