PoliticsNow: Death ‘likely linked’ to AstraZeneca vaccine; home quarantine ‘next sensible step’: PM
The Therapeutic Goods Administration says there is a likely link between the death of a 48-year-old Central Coast woman and the AstraZeneca vaccine she was administered.
- AstraZeneca vaccine benefits outweigh risk: CMO
- ‘States must get real’ about travel risks
- Home quarantine hope for Aussies abroad
- PM reveals overseas travel plan
- NSW probe into post-jab death
- Jobs growth still key: Frydenberg
Welcome to PoliticsNow, our live coverage of the latest headlines from Canberra as well as news on the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employers have backed Scott Morrison’s plan for vaccinated Australians to be able to travel overseas and quarantine at home but warned state and territory leaders must “radically adjust their risk appetite” to allow these people back into the country.
Earlier, the PM nominated Singapore as the next country for a travel bubble.
Peter Dutton says the move towards home quarantine for vaccinated people abroad could also see returning Australian numbers ramped up.
Jess Malcolm8.15pm:Death ‘likely linked’ to AstraZeneca vaccine
The Therapeutic Goods Administration says there is a likely link between the death of a 48-year-old Central Coast woman and the AstraZeneca vaccine she was administered.
It is the third case in Australia of a death linked to the shot.
In a statement released late on Friday night, the TGA said its Vaccine Safety Investigation Group (VSIG) had met and concluded that the woman had developed blood clots with a low platelet count, after receiving the vaccine on April 8.
The review also found that her death was complicated by underlying medical conditions, including diabetes and other “atypical” conditions.
“The case was consistent with causal association to immunization although for this patient, anti-PF4 antibodies were absent,” the statement read.
“Despite the atypical clinical features and the negative antibody test, in the absence of an alternative cause for the clinical syndrome, VSIG believed that a causative link to vaccination should be assumed at this time”
“Sadly, this person died in hospital and we extend our sincerest condolences to her family.”
The TGA also confirmed that the woman was vaccinated prior to the federal government decision that the Pfizer vaccine was preferred for patients under 50.
It also noted that the rates of blood clotting related to the vaccine were still very low.
“Have been at least 885,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine administered in Australia to date; so three cases of TTS equates to a frequency of one in 295,000
Some laboratory test results from the review are still pending, and an autopsy will be conducted next week.
Jess Malcolm5.52pm: ‘Use mass vaccination clinics for Pfizer’: AMA
AMA vice president Dr Chris Moy says GPs must be the “bedrock” of the vaccination rollout, but that mass vaccination clinics could be used as a way to administer the Pfizer vaccine to younger people.
Scott Morrison flagged on Tuesday that mass vaccination centres were being envisaged for the fourth quarter of the year, dependent on the supply.
“They are an addition, not a replacement, of the GP rollout,” Dr Moy told ABC news.
“What they will do is probably look at vaccination, if we have an excess AstraZeneca vaccine and also the possibility that they will be better to vaccinate the younger population with Pfizer through mass vaccination clinics because of the increased difficulty of storage and administration of the Pfizer vaccine.”
Dr Moy also called for state and federal governments to work together cooperatively, hosing down criticism that Australia’s vaccination program was slow.
“The AMA’s view is that we are not doing as badly as people think,” he said.
“When you look at the data in terms of where we are in the nation program from where we started, we’ve had the about enfit of vaccinating at-risk populations, those with disabilities and those hard-to-get to populations which means that we have done a lot of the hard work first which is really fantastic.”
Matthew Denholm 5.50pm:Man ‘circulated false affidavit about Tas MP’
Tasmania Police has charged a man for allegedly circulating a false affidavit, in which it was claimed a state government minister had committed child abuse.
In a statement, TasPol said it had on Friday charged a 40 year-old man with wilfully using a false affidavit.
“The arrest follows an investigation by detectives from the Cyber and Child Exploitation Crime Division and Launceston CIB,” the statement said.
“The man was bailed to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on 19 May 2021.”
Adeshola Ore 5.25pm: ‘Unhelpful to jump to vaccine conclusions’: PM
Scott Morrison has urged Australians not to jump to conclusions about the case of a 48-year-old woman who died days after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine.
Federal authorities are currently investigating the case of the NSW woman who developed blood clots after receiving the jab. Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said it was unknown whether her death was related to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Mr Morrison said it would be “unwise” and “unhelpful” to jump to conclusions.
“We just wait for the facts and the advice in these situations,” he said.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration had convened a special expert panel to examine the case and are meeting this afternoon.
Mr Morrison said allowing vaccinated Australians to quarantine at home was the “next sensible step”, but said states would need to “sign off” on the plan.
“Let’s wait for the medical advice before we can set any timetables,” he said
READ MORE: Blood clots more likely with Covid than vaccine
Adeshola Ore5.15pm:Morrison pays tribute to WA cyclone volunteers
Scott Morrison has visited cyclone-hit Kalbarri in Western Australia and paid tribute to volunteers who supported the town.
“Meeting some of those volunteers today, they themselves have had their homes and their businesses destroyed, but there they are, supporting, once again, as we’ve seen on so many occasions, supporting their fellow Australians,” Mr Morrison said.
“My message to the people of Kalbarri today is that Australia is standing with you, as Australia has stood with all of those Australians who have faced such terrible natural disasters.”
The Australian Defence Force are aiding in the clean up efforts after Cyclone Seroja ripped through the popular tourist spot.
The Prime Minister made his first visit to Western Australia in more than 500 days this week.
Jess Malcolm4.40pm:Tourism chief calls for partial re-opening of int’l borders
Australian Tourism Industry Council chief Simon Westaway has called for international borders to be partially reopened to countries with low rates of COVID-19 in a bid to help the struggling tourism sector.
While acknowledging the New Zealand travel bubble is a positive step, Mr Westaway said the federal government should work towards a December reopening date to more countries.
“What we’re seeking to do is partially reopen and let’s do it steadily and safely and efficiently and let’s look at markets that we can have a collaboration with and we think a market like Singapore and other parts of Asia that have very low incidence of the virus, they’re great places to work towards,” Mr Westaway told ABC news.
“The South Pacific as well, obviously it is an outbound market for Australians principally but it is another opportunity to get the travel industry moving again.”
Mr Westaway says Australia could be “left behind” if the rest of the world is able to vaccinate people quickly and re-open their international borders sooner.
“We’ve had a pretty slow, one would say snail’s pace, rollout of the vaccine through the Australian community at this stage and we’re obviously moving very slowly.”
“We don’t really have what the timeframe will look like and as we understand as an industry, or understood as an industry, is that we needed a vaccinated population to really be the catalyst to have our international border steadily, safely, and efficiently reopened.”
READ MORE:Virgin ramps up crew, planes and flights in comeback push
Adeshola Ore4.00pm:AstraZeneca vaccine benefits outweigh clotting risk: CMO
Professor Kelly said the benefits of having the AstraZeneca vaccine outweighed the risks of blood clotting, particularly for people aged over 50.
He said there had been some hesitancy after the federal government changed its health advice last week to state that Pfizer is the recommended vaccine for Australians aged under 50 due to rare blood clotting linked to the AstraZeneca jab.
“We have seen some hesitancy, there has been some indication of that, particularly in the state-run clinics as they are mostly looking at vaccinating health care workers, many of whom would be aged under 50,” Professor Kelly said.
“What I would say to people again, please, the most important thing is to remember about that benefit-risk equation.”
Australia has now delivered 1.42 million doses nationally.
Professor Kelly said it could take 6-12 months to know if booster COVID vaccines are needed.
It comes after Pfizer chief executive said people who receive its COVID shot would likely need a third dose and to receive annual shots.
“There are many unknowns at the moment in terms of the vaccine, one of them is about the duration of effectiveness,” Professor Kelly said.
READ MORE:Covid carries higher blood-clotting risk than Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
Adeshola Ore3.50pm:‘Don’t speculate’, experts examine post-jab death: CMO
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has warned Australians not to speculate about the cause of death of a 48-year-old woman who died days after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine.
Federal authorities are currently investigating the case of the NSW woman who developed blood clots after receiving the jab.
Professor Kelly said Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration had convened a special expert panel to examine the case. He said they would meet this afternoon but may not have a conclusion today because of the complexity of the event.
“It is true that she had the AstraZeneca vaccine a few days before she became ill. Whether those two events are related is a matter for those experts that will be meeting today,” Professor Kelly said.
Agencies3.40pm:Aussie Olympic athletes may jump vaccine queue
Australia is considering allowing its hundreds of Olympic athletes and support staff to jump the queue and get the coronavirus vaccine before heading to the Tokyo Games, a report said Friday.
Earlier this month, the government in Canberra joined a growing number of countries halting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for younger people over fears it can cause serious blood clots.
It slowed the national rollout further, raising fears that the athletes could miss out as rival nations like the United States race ahead with inoculations for their Olympians in the face another wave of infections in Japan.
Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck told broadcaster ABC that the government was in talks over whether to vaccinate Australian athletes and staff as a priority.
“The government is in direct contact with the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) over its proposal to priority vaccinate all Olympic team athletes and support staff,” he said.
The opening ceremony for the Olympics is scheduled for July 23, just over three months away. The AstraZeneca vaccine requires 12 weeks between doses, although the Pfizer one needs just 21 days.
Australia has been one of the world’s most successful countries in containing the spread of Covid-19, with fewer than 30,000 cases and 1,000 deaths in a population of 25 million, and virtually no ongoing community transmission.
But it has fallen far behind the government’s own schedule for vaccinations, with barely a million doses administered so far.
The AOC has previously insisted it does not want to jump the queue, but the slow pace of the rollout has complicated matters with numerous athletes hoping to head overseas next month to fine-tune their preparations.
“(The vaccine) is very important... in terms of looking after the health and wellbeing of athletes, and also giving them the confidence they’ve been vaccinated is very important to their performance,” AOC chief executive Matt Carroll told reporters this week.
IOC president Thomas Bach has said vaccination is not a requirement for athletes competing in Tokyo, but that Olympic officials would encourage participants to get the jab.
Athletes risk being barred from the Olympics if they contract Covid-19, ruining years of training and sacrifice.
AFP
READ MORE: Australian slalom canoeist puts her hand up to receive COVID jab
Jess Malcolm3.20pm:NSW leads race to vaccinate
A total of 1,420,577 vaccines have been administered as part of the federal government vaccination rollout, with 61,272 doses given in the last 24 hours.
The Commonwealth has administered 793,937 with 45,965 given in the past 24 hours up to Wednesday night.
The states and territories have given 626,640 with 15,307 completed in the last 24 hours.
NSW has administered the most with 169,284 followed by Victoria with 158,498, Queensland with 120,458, WA with 74,046, Tasmania with 28,047, South Australia with 44,150, ACT with 19,813, and the Northern Territory with 12,344.
A total of 629,289 have been administered in primary care clinics by the Commonwealth, and 164,648 given in aged and disability facilities.
The figures are part of the new commitment by the commonwealth to release daily numbers in a bid to increase transparency in its rollout.
READ MORE:Investigation into NSW post-jab death
Agencies3.00pm:Virus embrace image wins World Press Photo of the Year
Danish photographer Mads Nissen won the World Press Photo of the Year Award on Thursday with his picture of a Brazilian nursing home resident hugging a healthcare worker after months in Covid isolation.
The photo captures an embrace between a nurse and 85-year-old Rosa Luiza Lunardi after she spent five months isolated in her Sao Paolo nursing home.
The women are separated by a protective plastic sheet to reduce the risk of contagion.
Taken in August 2020, the shot first appeared in the Danish daily Politiken, where Nissen is a staff photographer.
Just announced: the World Press Photo Foundation is proud to present the winner of the World Press Photo of the Year: ‘The First Embrace’ by Mads Nissen (@MadsNissenPhoto), @politiken/@panospictures! Discover the #WPPH2021 winning image: https://t.co/oSu2VbY8m4pic.twitter.com/7oz37vRNBI
— World Press Photo (@WorldPressPhoto) April 15, 2021
“This iconic image of Covid-19 memorialises the most extraordinary moment of our lives, everywhere,” World Press Photo Award jury member Kevin WY Lee said in a statement.
He said the picture showed vulnerability, loss and separation but if “you look at the image long enough, you’ll see wings: a symbol of flight and hope”.
“The First Embrace” won the competition’s main category as well as a prize in the General News - Singles category.
“To me, it’s a story of love and hope in the most difficult times,” Nissen said. It is Nissen’s second World Press win -- he scooped first prize in the 2015 competition for his intimate portrayal of a gay couple in Russia.
More than 74,000 images had been submitted by some 4,300 photographers around the world, and 45 of them had been nominated by the judges, according to the organisers of the Amsterdam-based competition.
The awards ceremony took place online this year due to coronavirus restrictions.
AFP
READ MORE: UN rules on Aussies stranded overseas
Anthony Piovesan2.35pm:How the pandemic changed house hunting
More flexible working from home arrangements amid the COVID-19 pandemic are sparking huge changes in the preferences of Aussiehouse hunters, new NAB data reveals.
A lengthy lockdown of Melbourne’s metropolitan areas last year prompted a surge of people wanting to buy regional properties.
NAB executive, home ownership Andy Kerr said the 2020 pandemic had driven massive change in preferences.
“For many, the great Australian dream is a spacious home with a nice backyard for entertaining, and it’s more affordable in outer suburbs and regional towns than the inner city,” Mr Kerr said.
“As a result, it’s been no surprise to see price growth in regional areas outpacing capital cities.”
The research, which surveyed 330 property professionals – including investors, real estate agents and developers – revealed about nine in 10 saw a study or work area as more important to homebuyers now than it was pre-pandemic.
About 75 per cent of respondents placed great value on good local shopping, restaurants and amenities, while 65 per cent were particular about the size of a property and 63 per cent preferred to buy a house instead of an apartment.
Just more than 50 per cent of people wanted easy access to public transport.
“Lockdowns have reshaped how we live, and with many at home for longer periods, the desire for a little more space has grown,” Mr Kerr said.
“This may mean a larger living room for the kids to play, a dedicated study to separate work from home life or a bigger backyard for the new puppy to run around.”
Australians are also changing how they are purchasing a home, according to the data.
One-third of home lending appointments are now conducted via video, with more than 15,000 appointments booked online since NAB’s home loan appointment booking tool launched in September.
“We know purchasing a home can be a daunting experience, and the rise of video has enabled face-to-face support with a quicker turnaround and greater convenience,” Mr Kerr said.
“We’re seeing some banks overseas report 80 per cent of their appointments via video, so it’s a trend we expect to endure.”
READ MORE:Housing stimulus a $100bn bonanza
Nicholas Jensen2.05pm: No fresh Covid cases in SA, one in hotel quarantine
South Australia has recorded zero local cases of COVID-19, with one case detected in hotel quarantine.
The state currently has nine active cases, all of which were acquired overseas.
SA Health recorded 2743 tests in the last 24 hours.
SA Health administered 1454 vaccinations yesterday, bringing the state’s total to 44,150.
South Australian COVID-19 update 16/4/21. For more information, go to https://t.co/mYnZsGpayo or contact the South Australian COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787. pic.twitter.com/QOrbvLnkuu
— SA Health (@SAHealth) April 16, 2021
Nicholas Jensen1.50pm:Don’t jump to conclusions on post-jab death, AMA warns
Australian Medical Association deputy president Chris Moy has warned people not to “jump to conclusions about links between the death of an Australian woman and the COVID-19 vaccine” after she received the jab three days before her death earlier this month.
“Coincidences happen and it’s important that we and the media do not play doctor in this because what needs to happen is the safety experts need to go through the case and actually determine if there is actually a link,” Dr Moy told Sky News this morning.
“We need to stay calm because otherwise we’re going to be misattributing the causation to the vaccine which can have a material effect on vaccine hesitancy.”
Dr Moy urged Australians to view the risks of blood clotting in a clear context, saying “at least 50 bad blood clots occur in Australia every single day, with somebody who has a pre-existing illness … it’s just as likely that is the cause rather than any association with the vaccine.”
“We can’t have the media and public playing doctor on this … we need expert advice,” he said.
“We just need people to stand back and do it properly otherwise people will remember this and actually forget the retraction later that had anything to do with … people will be left with the anxiety about the vaccine.”
READ MORE:Investigation into post-vaccine death
Nicholas Jensen1.40pm:Sole new COVID case in WA hotel quarantine
Western Australia has reported one new case of COVID-19 overnight, a female in her 40s who is currently completing hotel quarantine after returning from overseas.
WA Health is monitoring 17 active cases, with 368 people tested across the state.
Western Australia has administered 74,046 vaccinations, including 15,372 people who have received both doses.
Yesterday, 1796 people were vaccinated.
Rosie Lewis1.26pm:Employers back PM’s plan for overseas travel
Employers have backed Scott Morrison’s plan for vaccinated Australians to be able to travel overseas and quarantine at home but warned state and territory leaders must “radically adjust their risk appetite” to allow these people back into the country.
The Prime Minister on Thursday revealed his “first goal” to reconnect Australia to the rest of the world would be allowing vaccinated Australians to go overseas “for important purposes” – like work, medical reasons or funerals – and return via home quarantine.
He also said Australia could see 1000 cases a week or more of COVID-19 once the international border was lifted.
Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said Mr Morrison was “right in expressing the commonsense view that we will eventually need to live with the fact that there will be a level of community transmission once our borders more fully open”.
“It makes sense that as a transition measure vaccinated returning travellers should be able to quarantine at home. Practically no one will want to travel overseas if they are forced into hotel quarantine on return,” he said.
“For Australia to reopen, state and territory leaders need to radically adjust their risk appetite to allow vaccinated travellers to arrive and self-quarantine. The states and territories need to accept that a no tolerance of community transmission approach is not sustainable in either the short or the long-term.
“Once the elderly and vulnerable and frontline workers are all protected, and the community vaccination program is well progressed, there is no reason why we should not start to open up to more normal international travel.”
Mr Willox said industry was increasingly frustrated by the inability to travel internationally and getting skilled labour into Australia to fill workforce gaps.
“Community confidence has been battered for more than a year by snap lock downs and over reactions and it is time for state and territory leaders to begin talking now in positive terms about reopening and being more realistic about risks,” he said.
“Regaining the community’s lost confidence is a key strategy in any plan to live with COVID-19. A plan that would see our borders all but closed internationally until well into 2022 is a plan for failure. We risk losing global business opportunities and much needed investment as the world reopens around us.”
READ MORE:Morrison reveals first goal for vaccinated Aussies
Tom Whipple1.18pm:Covid ‘carries higher blood-clot risk than vaccine’
The risk of severe blood clots in the brain from COVID-19 is about eight times greater than the risk associated with taking the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, scientists have found.
The researchers said that the figures, from a database of half a million COVID-19 cases in the US, should help regulators and the public better to understand the “risk-benefit question” when looking at the side effects of vaccines.
The study, published before a peer review, found that about 40 in a million people suffered blood clots in the brain two weeks after a coronavirus infection. Of those, about one in five were fatal. Regulators believe that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is linked to a four to five in a million risk of similar clots.
John Geddes, from Oxford University, said that although this appeared to be a rare side effect of vaccines, it was just one of many caused by the virus.
Adeshola Ore12.45pm:Vaccine target needed before borders open: Marles
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles says the federal government must set a target for what percentage of the population would need to be vaccinated before international borders are opened.
Scott Morrison has flagged his first goal in easing international border restrictions would be to allow vaccinated Australians to go overseas for “important purposes” and stay in home quarantine when they return. Vaccinated Australians abroad would also be able to return home in the same way.
“Vaccinating the country is ultimately the key to getting back to normality but at some point we do need to re-engage with the world,” Mr Marles told Sky News.
“We need to hear from the government, given what’s now played out in relation to AstraZeneca, what it’s plan is to make sure we are vaccinated in a timely way so that Australian can participate in a post-COVID world.”
“We need to have some targets — meaningful, realistic targets.”
Mr Marles said there was confusion about the federal government’s strategy for reopening its international borders.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton said he’d like to see vaccinated Australians living abroad able to return and quarantine at home as quickly as possible.
But Health Minister Greg Hunt has warned that Australia’s borders could remain shut even if the whole population was vaccinated against COVID-19.
READ MORE: PM’s ‘first goal’ for border reopening
Nicholas Jensen12.25pm:Zero new community cases in Qld, five in quarantine
Queensland has recorded no local cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, with five cases detected in hotel quarantine.
There were 7022 test results received across the state in the past 24 hours, with health authorities monitoring 36 active cases.
QLD Health said 2650 vaccinations were administered yesterday, bringing the total number to 120,458.
Queensland #COVID19 update 16/04/21
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) April 16, 2021
Queensland has recorded 5 new cases of COVID-19 today.
All these cases were acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine. pic.twitter.com/ZAfwvonDoM
Nicholas Jensen12.10pm:Miles defends Byron break, welcomes vaccine collaboration
Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles has defended his decision to go on holiday in Byron Bay last week, despite calling on Queenslanders to holiday at home.
“I’ll never regret taking four working days off to spend with my own family, my kids, they, they make great sacrifices to allow me to do this job and I think taking a few days off to spend with them isn’t entirely appropriate,” he said at a press conference in Brisbane.
Mr Miles added that he thought Byron Bay should be in Queensland anyway.
“I don’t think anyone can question my love of Queensland or my love of Queensland beaches … I just took a few days to teach my six year old how to stand up on a surfboard, which he did, and my ten year old how to bodyboard.”
He again defended Queensland’s recent snap lockdown, saying they followed the correct medical advice and the advice of the state’s expert institutions.
And he urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to use the states in the rollout, saying “their knowledge and their local expertise in the rollout of the vaccine is incredibly important to our ability to return to new post pandemic normal”.
“I certainly welcome greater collaboration and communication between the commonwealth, the states and the territories. I think what we’ve seen throughout is that it is the state health systems that are very good at service delivery.
READ MORE: Portrait of a pure political assassin
Nicholas Jensen11.15am:No fresh local NSW cases, seven in hotel quarantine
NSW has recorded no local cases of COVID-19, with seven cases detected in hotel quarantine.
There were 10,415 test results received across the state in the last 24 hours.
Health officials are currently monitoring 58 active cases.
Of those cases, 94 per cent are being treated in non-acute, out-of-hospital care, including returned travellers in the Special Health Accommodation.
One person with COVID-19 is still in ICU for a non-COVID related medical condition.
NSW Health said 4429 vaccinations were administered yesterday, bringing the state total to 169,284.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) April 16, 2021
Seven new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,174.
There were 10,415 tests reported to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/Jcyre9FXFH
Nicholas Jensen10.30am:Double-doughnut day with no new Victorian virus cases
Victoria has recorded no cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.
Victorian health officials received 14,708 test results yesterday and are currently monitoring eight active cases.
Yesterday health officials administered 3265 vaccine doses, bringing the state’s total to 158,498 inoculations.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) April 15, 2021
- 3,265 vaccine doses were administered
- 14,708 test results were received
Got symptoms? Get tested.
More later: https://t.co/2vKbgKHFvv#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/UGcRLjxzrw
Adeshola Ore10.05am:Labor names Laming’s challenger … outside disgraced MP’s office
Anthony Albanese has announced Labor’s candidate for the seat of Bowman, currently held by Andrew Laming, outside the disgraced MP’s electorate office in Brisbane.
The opposition leader announced Indigenous health advocate Donisha Duff as the contender for Mr Laming’s seat, who has been disendorsed by Queensland’s Liberal National Party.
Mr Laming was disendorsed by Queensland’s Liberal National Party after he refused to formally withdraw his nomination to contest the next federal election following a month of controversy over his alleged harassment of women.
READ MORE:Laming disendorsed by Queensland LNP
Nicholas Jensen10.00am:Mumbai critical as hospitals scramble, cases surge
Indian hospitals are scrambling to meet urgent demands for beds and oxygen as COVID-19 infections surge to a new daily record.
Amid an enormous second wave of infections concentrated in the western state of Maharashtra, India’s tally of total infections remains second only to the US, India’s health officials are blaming complacency to aggressive variants and a failure to follow physical distancing regulations.
Maharashtra, capital of Mumbai, enforced a lockdown at midnight on Wednesday, prompting people to stockpile essential items. The state has been the worst affected by the pandemic.
At New Delhi’s main hospital, the country’s largest facility treating COVID-19 patients, two or three patients are reported to be sharing single beds in some wards.
India has recorded a surge of 200,739 infections in the last 24 hours. Health ministry data showed a seventh daily record surge in the last eight days, with 1038 deaths.
Despite injecting the third highest number of vaccine doses worldwide, India has covered only a small part of its 1.4 billion population.
India’s ambassador to Moscow said deliveries of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine are expected to begin before the end of April.
Nicholas Jensen9.42am:China-Taiwan conflict would be ‘disastrous’: Campbell
Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell has urged countries to work together to avoid future conflicts, saying the outbreak of war over Taiwan’s independence would be “disastrous” for the Pacific region.
General Campbell said Australia would continue to promote peaceful dialogue in the region, emphasising conflict must always be “our last resort and diplomacy our first”.
“Australia is very clear that the future of China and Taiwan needs to be a future that is resolved peacefully,” Campbell told the Raisina Dialogue in India in a virtual session.
“Conflict over the island of Taiwan would be a disastrous experience for the peoples of the region and it’s something that we should all work to avoid … There is a pathway to a future through peaceful dialogue, but it’s a hard path and it needs to be worked,” he said.
General Campbell’s remarks come after Taiwan’s government condemned the Chinese military for breaching the defence zone, marking the largest incursion made by China this year.
Former defence minister Christopher Pyne told a conference in Adelaide this week Taiwan represented a “likely flashpoint in the region”, which could see Australia implicated in the conflict. Mr Pyne suggested a war with China is “something you and I may well have to confront in the next five to ten years”.
Asked to respond to Mr Pyne’s comments, General Campbell said it forms “part of a jigsaw of a very complicated strategic environment”.
READ MORE:China fires guns off Taiwanese coast
Anthony Piovesan9.20am:Millions of Aussies on COVID alert
Millions of Melburnians are being urged to monitor for symptoms of the coronavirus after viral fragments were detected in a “large wastewater catchment” that services the city’s northern, western and eastern suburbs.
More than five million people live in Melbourne and about three million of these are residing in those areas.
Traces of COVID-19 have also been detected in another wastewater catchment in Melbourne’s south east.
In a statement, the Department of Health said the “unexpected detections” could be due to a person or persons with the virus being in the early active infectious phase.
Or it could be because they were continuing to shed the virus after the infectious period, they said.
“While it is possible that these detections are due to a visitor or visitors to these areas who are not infectious, a cautious approach is being taken,” the statement read.
People who live in or have visited the following areas should monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested if any develop:
North, west and eastern suburbs from 4 to 12 April. This detection is in a very large catchment that services suburbs stretching from Melbourne’s northwest to the outer northeast.
Cranbourne and surrounding suburbs from 6 to 12 April
These two new detections come after residents in about 16 suburbs were warned earlier in the week about similar wastewater discoveries.
“Coronavirus fragments have been detected in wastewater from the Ringwood area,” the Victorian Department of Health said in a statement just before 6pm on Tuesday.
The east Melbourne suburbs affected include Bayswater, Bayswater North, Boronia, Croydon, Croydon North, Croydon South, Heathmont, Kilsyth, Kilsyth South, Montrose, Ringwood, Ringwood East, Sassafras, The Basin, Tremont and Wantirna.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) April 15, 2021
- 3,265 vaccine doses were administered
- 14,708 test results were received
Got symptoms? Get tested.
More later: https://t.co/2vKbgKHFvv#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/UGcRLjxzrw
Victoria has only recently started accepting international arrivals again, with a new hotel quarantine scheme bolstered in a bid to stop the virus leaking out into the community.
Victoria has been notified of five new cases of coronavirus since Wednesday, all in returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.
There are no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19.
Victoria has recorded no locally acquired cases for 48 straight days.
The five new cases included an international aircrew member aged in their 20s, a woman aged in her 20s, a man aged in his 20s and two young children.
All the new cases arrived on international flights into Melbourne on 12 and 13 April.
There are eight active cases across Victoria, all currently in hotel quarantine.
To find out whether you live in or have visited one of the listed suburbs you can check the map at dhhs.vic.gov.au/wastewater-testing-covid-19
READ MORE:Back in the air and rapidly getting on track
Nicholas Jensen8.50am:Afghanistan a challenge, but important: Payne
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has acknowledged the deaths of 41 members of the ADF, who served in Afghanistan during Australia’s long military engagement in the region, saying it was a challenge but important to contribute.
“There is no doubt it is challenging brokering a peace arrangement between the Taliban and the Afghan government,” Minister Payne told channel seven’s Sunrise program.
“To work with the Afghan government and to work with the United States was very important … and we will continue to work closely with our international counterparts in pursuit of that outcome.”
“We have worked side-by-side with many of the Afghan people during that time, both in a military sense and in a humanitarian sense, and a part of the work that we have done over all of these years is to support the provision of education and the development of young people,” Ms Payne said.
Minister Payne was also asked about the footage of a group of dancers performing in front of high-level dignitaries and ADF personnel earlier this week.
She said it was important the ABC had issued an apology after the national broadcaster doctored footage of the female dancers.
“I know that group of performers take great pride in what they do in the Woolloomooloo community,” Minister Payne said. “They have really been (subject to) extraordinary abuse as a result of this debate.
“I think that goes to the discussion we have about respect and how we deal with each other when we have a difference of opinion,” she said.
“I’m sure Defence will look at the way they commission events … but I don’t want the participants in a performance group like that to have to endure the sorts of things they have endured this week.”
READ MORE:Diggers come home as forever war finally ends
Adeshola Ore8.30am:Home quarantine priority for vaccinated Aussies abroad
Defence Minister Peter Dutton says he wants to see vaccinated Australians be allowed to quarantine at home after overseas travel “sooner rather than later” after Scott Morrison flagged the option as a priority.
The Prime Minister said his first goal in easing international border restrictions would be to allow vaccinated Australians to go overseas for “important purposes” and stay in home quarantine when they return. Vaccinated Australians already abroad would also be able to return home in the same way.
“If people have been properly vaccinated, if they are living in London or the United States or anywhere else in the world and they want to come back home and see family or see their grandparents, bring their newborn back home, then we want to facilitate that as quickly as possible but we just need to do it in a safe way,” Mr Dutton told Channel 9.
“If we are having a situation where people are coming back and bringing the virus back with them then we will see community transmission. So again it is trying to get that balance right.”
Mr Dutton said bringing people home “away from hotel quarantine” would allow the numbers of returning Australians to be ramped up.
READ MORE:UN rules on stranded Aussies
Adeshola Ore8.20am:‘Twerking’ on HMAS Supply ‘wasn’t a good look’
Defence Minister Peter Dutton says a performance of ‘twerking’ dancers during the commissioning of a HMAS Supply vessel “wasn’t a good look”.
The Sydney launch of the new naval ship over the weekend featured scantily-clad female dancers at an event attended by Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell and senior navy officials.
The dance troupe has accused the ABC of failing to apologise to its performers in favour of Governor-General David Hurley. The public broadcaster edited the footage to make it appear that General Hurley witnessed the performance, despite the dance happening before the official ceremony.
‘It wasn’t a good look … it won’t be happening again,” Mr Dutton told Channel 9.
“I’ve made it clear that won’t be happening again.”
READ MORE:Lambie slams HMAS Supply dance decision
Nicholas Jensen8.15am:Vaccine risks ‘slight’ and way out of pandemic: Berejiklian
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged Australians to consider the very low risks associated with COVID-19 vaccinations and get the jab, saying that the rollout offers the best path out of the pandemic.
“I think the vast majority of our citizens know the benefits of taking the vaccine,” she told Nine’s Today program. “They also know the risks and how slight they are. It is important for us to be really well-advised.”
Ms Berejiklian said she had no further information regarding the 48-year-old woman who died days after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.
“All I do know is that the federal authorities are looking into these matters to see if there is a link and, in the meantime, we just extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Ms Berejiklian admitted there was still frustration concerning how the federal and state governments are communicating regarding the vaccine rollout, saying: “We are ready to help provide the vaccine to our citizens. It wasn’t in the plans for the states to do more than what we are currently doing but I think it is important for us to step up and support the vaccine rollout but we can’t really get those supplies … that’s a matter for the commonwealth.”
Ms Berejiklian also responded to questions about the prospect of home quarantine for returning Australians who have been vaccinated.
“These are the kind of issues we will be able to look at (in the National Cabinet) … we will be able to think about it once we know that the majority of our population has the vaccine.”
Ms Berejiklian said she wanted international borders to open as soon as possible, adding “NSW is losing around $1.5 billion every month because of our international border closures”.
READ MORE:Post-jab death investigation
Adeshola Ore8.00am:Job figures point to ‘women-led recovery’: Robert
Employment Minister Stuart Robert has lauded Thursday’s positive job figures as demonstrating Australia’s “women-led” recovery out of the pandemic.
The unemployment rate fell from 5.8 per cent to 5.6 per cent in March, with the economy adding 70,700 jobs. Almost 80 per cent of the new jobs went to women.
“It’s a women-led recovery. It’s wonderful. Not just in terms of the macro, but also youth unemployment dropped by 1.1 per cent — led almost entirely women and girls as well,” Mr Robert told the ABC.
“It is great to see participation up. In fact, women’s participation the highest it’s ever been. And as a nation we should be pretty encouraged by that.”
READ MORE:WA drives jobless rate way down
Nicholas Jensen7.30am:Unemployment figures ‘proof recovery underway’: Frydenberg
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has praised the resilience and pace of Australia’s economic recovery, saying that recent unemployment numbers were “far better than what the market was expecting”.
“It’s another proof point that the economic recovery is underway,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News this morning. “We saw 70,700 new jobs created in the month of March, that’s more than 2000 new jobs every day and 70 per cent of those jobs are going to women, with around half of those jobs going to young people.”
“We’re actually seeing a recovery in the labour market that is more than four times faster than what we saw after the 1990s recession,” he said.
While Mr Frydenberg conceded that the recent unemployment figures do not take into account the end of JobSeeker, he said that stronger consumer and business confidence were positive signs in Australia’s recovery.
Mr Frydenberg said he was confident that the economic recovery will maintain its momentum despite challenges to the vaccine rollout.
“You have to understand that Australia is not in the predicament that the US and the UK and other countries are with respect to the spread of the virus. We’ve been very successful in managing and suppressing the virus today, but that’s not to say there could be challenges around the corner.”
Mr Frydenberg also defended the government’s JobMaker program, saying that, despite low participation rates, “it has worked in conjunction with a whole host of programs and the evidence of the success of our labour market strategy is shown in yesterday’s job numbers.”
“Let’s not forget that Australia was facing an unemployment rate that could have been as high as 15 per cent. That would have been more than 2 million unemployed,” he said.
Mr Frydenberg also responded to questions regarding the opening of international borders, saying that if the government “can find a way to bring more people back into the country, or allow Australians to go overseas for essential business, based on the medical advice, then we will do so”.
“Now that the national cabinet will be meeting more frequently these are the type of issues they’ll no doubt be discussing,” he said.
READ MORE: Jobs growth ‘key to push recovery’
Nicholas Jensen7.30am:Northern Ireland accelerates exit from lockdown
Northern Ireland will open outdoor dining from the end of April and hotels from late May in a bid to accelerate the country’s exit from lockdown, which will see its economy reopen faster than the Republic of Ireland.
“We are now entering brighter and better times,” Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster told the country’s regional assembly.
All retail, outdoor restaurant and bar services and gyms will open on April 30. Indoor dining and hotels will follow in late May if COVID-19 infection rates remain low.
While Ireland has administered COVID-19 vaccine doses to approximately one-fifth of the population, Northern Ireland has vaccinated three-fifths of its population and are looking to open up its economy as rapidly as possible.
However, different restrictions on either side of the Irish border have raised concerns about people crossing to exploit services, which officials warn might undermine public health measures.
New positive steps along our pathway to recovery in Northern Ireland. pic.twitter.com/q7Gy67Qlet
— Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@DUPleader) April 15, 2021
Nicholas Jensen7am:Stranded Aussies win Human Rights case to fly home
The UN Human Rights Committee has ruled that the Australian government must “facilitate and ensure” the prompt return of two Australian men who argued their country had breached international law by preventing their return home because of “arbitrary caps on airline travel”.
The case was brought by two men, Alex and Jason, as part of FreeAndOpenAustralia.org (formerly StrandedAussies.org), which argues the Australian government has breached the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, citing that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his [or her] own country”.
The two men said their return home was an absolute right, which the federal government could not defy by imposing travel caps on airlines or permitting states to dictate quarantine quotas.
Under the UN ruling, the government is also being called on to answer the claim brought on their behalf by Geoffrey Robertson QC, who has argued that Australians have a “right to return to the land of their birth or citizenship”.
Both men have been vaccinated and are willing to undertake the mandatory 14 days quarantine period.
Free and Open Australia’s campaign spokesperson Deb Tellis said it was “an important victory for the rights of all Australian citizens”.
“There are over 40,000 of them of whom almost 5,000 are recognised by DFAT as vulnerable. Today’s decision by the UN is a wakeup call to the government,” she said.
READ MORE:Stranded Aussies pushed aside as overseas arrivals dominated by foreign nationals
Nicholas Jensen6.35am:US government considers COVID-19 booster shots
The US government is considering plans to introduce a COVID-19 booster shot to be administered nine to 12 months after people have received their initial vaccination in a bid to further bolster immunity against the virus.
While the length of immunity afforded by vaccination continues to be studied, US chief science officer David Kessler said booster vaccines could be needed to something that the government needs to explore to ensure ongoing immunity.
“The current thinking is those who are more vulnerable will have to go first,” he said.
It comes as Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a third booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccines within 12 months.
A statement from Pfizer: pic.twitter.com/KRuH6hEOMK
— Pfizer Inc. (@pfizer) April 13, 2021
Initial data has shown that vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer retain most of their effectiveness for at least six months.
Even if that protection lasts far longer than six months, experts have warned that emerging variants of COVID-19 could require regular booster shots similar to annual flu shots.
The US is also undertaking studies into infectious people who have been fully vaccinated.
Of the 77 million people vaccinated in the US, there have been approximately 5800 so-called “breakthrough infections”, which have resisted the vaccine, including 396 people who required hospitalisation and 74 who died.
READ MORE:Canada stares down devastating third wave
Nicholas Jensen6.15am:Clinical tests to determine woman’s cause of death
Federal health officials are continuing to investigate the death of a 48-year-old NSW woman who developed blood clots after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
Preliminary testing by NSW Health could not establish a conclusive link to the vaccination, but the Therapeutic Goods Administration said it is undertaking further clinical tests to understand the cause of the woman’s death.
It is believed the woman lived on the mid north coast and was a diabetic.
Last night the Department of Health released a statement saying it was “seeking further clinical information, including clinical test results from the NSW Health Department”.
“It has not yet been established whether there is any link between the COVID-19 vaccine and the tragic death reported by NSW health officials.”
While it remains unclear what vaccine the woman received, regulators in Australia and overseas have identified a “possible link” between AstraZeneca and a highly rare form of blood clot known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.
The woman was understood to have received the AstraZeneca on April 9 and died five days later in ICU at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Last night a spokesperson from NSW Health said the department would not speculate on or discuss individual cases.
READ MORE:Denmark stops all use of AstraZeneca vaccine
Rosie Lewis5.10am:PM reveals ‘first goal’ for gradual border reopening
Scott Morrison has revealed his “first goal” to reconnect Australia to the rest of the world will be allowing vaccinated Australians to go overseas “for important purposes” – like work, medical reasons or funerals – and return via home quarantine.
Australians already abroad who had been “properly vaccinated” would also be able to come back in the same way, significantly freeing up the hotel quarantine system, but it was unclear what brand of COVID-19 vaccine they would be required to have.
“The first goal I think is to enable Australians who are vaccinated to be able to move and travel, particularly for important purposes. And secondly, for Australian residents and citizens from overseas who have been properly vaccinated, they will be able to come back in that way,” Mr Morrison told a community forum in Perth.
The Prime Minister also nominated Singapore as the next country for a travel bubble and said if Australia was going to manage the coronavirus like the flu, the states could not shut domestic borders or place new restrictions on football games if community transmission returned when the international border reopened.
Read the full story, by Rosie Lewis and Adeshola Ore, here.
Rhiannon Down5am:Investigation into NSW resident’s post-jab death
Federal health authorities are investigating the death of a NSW resident just days after taking a COVID-19 vaccine.
NSW Health said a person had died after receiving the jab and the Therapeutic Goods Administration was investigating.
Health authorities would not reveal the person’s gender and age, though reports said it was a 48-year-old woman from the central coast. It is not known which vaccine was involved.
NSW Health said a causal link between the vaccine had not yet been established.
Read the full story, by Rhiannon Down and Jess Malcolm, here.
Geoff Chambers4.30am:Jobs growth ‘key to push recovery’: Frydenberg
Josh Frydenberg will put jobs growth at the centre of next month’s budget, ahead of immediate fiscal repair, in a bid to continue driving the nation’s employment recovery after Australia’s unemployment rate plunged to 5.6 per cent.
On the back of Australia’s COVID-19 economic recovery, which is fuelling booming property prices, consumer confidence and business conditions, the Treasurer on Thursday told the private sector to “take the baton and run”.
Mr Frydenberg also declared confidence in the nation’s faster than expected economic recovery “despite challenges” with the vaccine rollout.
Ahead of the May 11 budget, Mr Frydenberg said the government remained focused on getting more Australians into jobs before tackling fiscal repair, with about 1.35 million recipients claiming JobSeeker and Youth Allowance payments at the end of February.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics labour market update on Thursday showed the country recorded its sixth consecutive month of jobs growth in March, with employment lifting by 70,700 ahead of the $90bn JobKeeper scheme and coronavirus supplement payments ending last month.
Read the full story here.
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