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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Matilda Boseley (earlier)

Victoria to receive ‘surge’ of Pfizer, Moderna vaccine doses as 392 cases recorded – as it happened

People walk along Flinders Street in Melbourne on Sunday as Victoria reported 392 new locally acquired Covid cases.
People walk along Flinders Street in Melbourne on Sunday as Victoria reported 392 new locally acquired Covid cases. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AAP

What we learned, Sunday 12 September

That’s where I will leave you for today. Here’s a wrap of what we learned:

Updated

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has taken to twitter to slam the Berejiklian government for calling an end to the 11am daily press conferences.

There are once again zero locally acquired cases recorded in Western Australia, but there is one new case, in an international arrival, a traveller who came back from the UK via Singapore.

Aboriginal leaders have told the Guardian the outbreak in Wilcannia was both foreseeable and preventable, and they fear they still don’t have the support they need.

They spoke to Calla Wahlquist, and it is well worth a read:

Good afternoon again all, and another thanks to Matilda for her work today. There is still news making the rounds, so lets get stuck in.

Well, I’m off and handing you back over to the amazing Mostafa Rachwani.

See you all tomorrow!

And here are the latest Australia wide vaccination numbers from the federal government.

Federal health minister Greg Hunt has also fronted the media, talking about the Moderna vaccine deal, and particularly the extra 417,219 vaccines going to Victoria.

We know it’s a challenging time, as a Victorian I understand this, and I see this, and so this is about hope, and support and protection to Victoria.

GPs in the state will get an extra 127,680 Pfizer doses over and above their expected allocation, while 180,786 Moderna will be allocated for pharmacies focused in the north-west of Melbourne. Another 108,000 will go to state clinics.

Hunt also rejected suggestions he could have pursued Pfizer more aggressively for a deal last year, saying that Australia had secured the maximum quantity available.

There are no scenarios under which there would have been any different outcome...

Pfizer has categorically rejected the position put forward by the Labor party.

He said his office was engaged with the company directly from March.

They understandably had to prioritise those countries of origin of manufacture who were also fighting death.

Updated

In case anyone was wondering, here is the Victorian premier learning that his state would be receiving 400,000 extra doses of vaccines as part of a three-week blitz from the federal government.

Both press conferences were on at the same time, and it seems Andrews wasn’t totally delighted that he hadn’t got a phone call from Morrison ahead of time.

Cases of Covid-19 continue to spread across regional NSW particularly on the coasts north and south of greater Sydney while a handful of other regions enjoy a second day of freedom, reports Gina Rushton from AAP.

At least 115 of the 1,262 cases reported on Sunday were detected in regional local health districts including 53 in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region, 33 on the Central Coast and seven in the Hunter New England area.

There were 14 new cases in western NSW, nine of which were in Dubbo, where local MP Dugald Saunders said around 2,800 tests had been conducted in the previous 24 hours.

Saunders said there was a “little ray of sunshine” coming on Monday when up to five fully vaccinated residents across the state outside of the government areas of concern will be allowed to gather outdoors.

This is not an opportunity to meet in large groups and hug and kiss and carry on...

This is a chance for families and friends to socialise in a responsible way.

There were five cases in the far west local health district where Broken Hill mayor Darriea Turley has urged residents to get vaccinated and stay home while speaking to ABC News on Sunday.

I’m really worried about what will happen in the next couple of weeks and what is the big picture and I think good public health policy needs to shine through.

There were also three Covid-19 cases reported on the mid-north coast.

Updated

We touched on it before during the press conference but there has been a lot of discussion in NSW about the crowds of people gathering on Bondi beach over this this gloriously sunny weekend.

When asked to respond to images of people flocking to Sydney’s eastern sands, NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said it caused her “some concern” but said the reality was outdoor environments were “probably the safest” if people were social distancing.

I realise that many people who are living in south-western Sydney and western Sydney don’t have access to that because of the restrictions. So for me, it causes me some concern because clearly, I’m asking a lot of the people of south-western Sydney and western Sydney.

However, we do have to understand...in reality outdoor environments, if people are keeping away from each other, are probably the safest environments.

I would like to see that people are really respectful and they are adhering to the public health orders as they move about. If they are walking along the beach. But I would not want crowds, people engaging, people socialising – that is not what we need at this moment.

Updated

Andy Knight is broke, and there is no end to lockdown in sight.

On a day when the ACT chief minister announced another two dozen Covid cases, Knight went down to the shops thinking he had $28 to his name. But the ATM showed minus three dollars.

“Some pending payments suddenly came through at the wrong time for me,” he says.

It wasn’t always like this. One of the big, cruel ironies of Australia’s pandemic is that for people like Knight, 57, in some ways life may never have been better than last year.

That’s not to say that it was easy. Not by any stretch. It was still very, very tough.

You can read the full story below:

The WA government is urging parents to book their teenagers in for a Covid-19 vaccine this week as the state allows Pfizer jabs for residents aged 12 to 15, reports Gina Rushton from AAP.

All Western Australians aged 12 years and over will be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine from Monday as the state passes 1.9m vaccinations.

Health minister Roger Cook said parents and guardians could go to the Roll Up for WA website to make a booking at a state-run vaccination clinic or make an appointment with a GP from 8.30am on Monday.

I’m sure many parents of children in this age group are very keen to get their kids vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as they can.

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show there are almost 133,000 Western Australians aged 12 to 15.

Children in WA aged 12 to 15 years old with specific medical conditions, who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or who live in remote communities, are already eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

Premier Mark McGowan encouraged everyone to get vaccinated as it was “our best chance out of this pandemic”.

More than 57% of Western Australians have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine but that rate needs to be rising.

WA Health reported one new Covid-19 case in hotel quarantine on Sunday.

The new infection, in a returned traveller from the UK, brings to three the state’s number of active cases in hotel quarantine.

Updated

In case you are curious about what the new Victorian opposition leader shadow cabinet will look like:

If you want to get up to date on all the Victorian Liberal drama you can check out this article below:

Updated

Bondi’s famous Sculpture by the Sea exhibition has been postponed for the second year in a row, due to the growing Covid-19 outbreak in NSW, reports Tiffanie Turnbull, from AAP.

Event organisers say the spectacle won’t proceed in October as planned, but dates in 2022 are being considered.

The annual event that features a series of sculptures along the 2km Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk attracts thousands of keen locals and tourists.

On Sunday, Sculpture by the Sea director David Handley said:

We know the Covid lockdown is very difficult for many and had hoped to delay the exhibition for a month or so to give us every chance of going ahead this spring, however events have overtaken us...

We hope the inconvenience and tragedy of Covid will soon be behind all of us and look forward to presenting Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi in the future for everyone to enjoy.

Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi Beach on 25 October 2019 in Sydney.
Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi Beach on 25 October 2019 in Sydney. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

The organisers are working with the government, sponsors and donors to provide financial support for the more than 100 artists whose work was selected for the exhibit.

The federal government has pledged $2m to the not-for-profit organisation over the next two years, with $500,000 to be pocketed by the artists at both the Bondi exhibit and its sister event at Cottesloe in Perth.

The artists, from every state and territory in Australia, put their creativity, heart and soul into their sculptures and the collective financial support of $500,000 for artists at this extremely challenging time is of immense, almost incalculable importance.

A handful of artists have also been given sponsor-funded scholarships, with Marina DeBris awarded this year’s $30,000 Helen Lempriere Scholarship.

Four years after wooing crowds with her critically acclaimed and popular work Inconvenience Store in 2017, DeBris will use the money to create a sculpture from objects washed up on Sydney beaches – to be titled Just a Drop in the Ocean – to raise awareness about marine pollution.

Updated

So it warrants asking how exactly we went from Covid zero around the country to a situation with escalating outbreaks being fought with a vaccine rollout.

It is in this moment it makes for good reading to go over one of the initial issues that’s burst back on to the news cycle: Australia’s supply of Pfizer vaccine.

Here, Tory Shepard dives into how Australia bungled its Pfizer Covid deal:

Updated

New Zealand records 20 new cases

Some stability next door, as New Zealand records 20 new cases, all of which were detected in Auckland.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said that restrictions on the city would remain for now, with any changes to be announced tomorrow.

Police check travel documentation at the a Covid checkpoint between Auckland and Northland on 8 September.
Police check travel documentation at the a Covid checkpoint between Auckland and Northland on 8 September. Photograph: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Updated

The prime minister is also asked his views about vaccine mandates for teachers. He says the government has only supported mandatory vaccination in “very specific circumstances” that had been recommended by health officials, naming aged care as an example, where about 90% have had a first dose.

He said his “simple advice” was that everyone should get vaccinated.

Everyone should be getting vaccinated. That’s the best thing for Australia. Now, we’re not imposing it, we’re not mandating it. It’s your choice. It’s your health, but I do know this, that when we get to the end of October, and certainly more likely before that, everyone will have had that opportunity.

Your health is up to you – the opportunity to be vaccinated which protects you, your family, your community, that will be there for you. And, and so once that has been done. The country has to move on.

The country has to make decisions, and we have got to ensure that Australians can get back to living their lives again, which is what the national plan is all about.

He also backed the idea of turning the MCG into a mass vaccination hub on grand final eve, saying there was sufficient supplies for this to happen if the Victorian government pursued it.

Updated

Good afternoon everyone, and a quick thanks to Matilda for once again expertly guiding us through the morning’s revolving door of press conferences. There is still much going on, so let’s dive in.

Updated

With that I shall pass you over to the amazing Mostafa Rachwani who will be your blog buddy for the next little while.

Victorian press conference:

In the wake of the PM’s announcement of Victoria receiving extra doses from the latest Moderna haul, premier Daniel Andrews has said he’d like to see equal split of the doses.

He said he wanted to see about a quarter go to Victoria:

I think a pro rata share would be good, so 26%, something along those lines.

I think we’ll very soon see some announcements about some additional doses coming from the commonwealth government. It would be my intention, through these pop-ups and other decisions we’ll make, to push them into the north and west where we have the highest number of cases. I won’t so much go off the speculation in one of the papers today. I will wait for the prime minister to pick up the phone and tell us.

That’s what we’re owed, that’s the fair and equitable outcome.

Andrews reiterated that he believed Victoria deserved reparations from the federal government:

A pro rata allocation is critically important and if you’re behind, then there needs to be a catch-up, there needs to be a make-good, there needs to be a square-up for the fact that when some doses that should have come to us went elsewhere.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media in Melbourne, Sunday, 12 September 2021.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media in Melbourne, Sunday, 12 September 2021. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AAP

Updated

Morrison says he wants the states to be ready to “scale up” home quarantine arrangements to allow international travel to resume – and to lift the cap on returning travellers – once vaccination rates reach 80%.

The opening up of travel for Australians who are fully vaccinated is contingent upon us reaching the 80% of vaccination targets – now we’re fast approaching that.

The other thing that is necessary though, is that we need home quarantine in place.

For Australians who are fully vaccinated, to travel overseas, and return home, they need to be able to quarantine at home. That way you can lift the caps...

Australians who are overseas who have been vaccinated with vaccines that are recognised by the TGA, if they can quarantine at home, well these caps, we can say goodbye to, for vaccinated travellers.

The only thing that will prevent that is not having a home quarantine program in place.

Updated

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has begun a press conference in Sydney, spruiking a government deal that has secured an extra 1m Moderna doses from the European Union.

He is promoting the idea of a “family jab”, saying anyone between the age of 12 and 59 will be able to access the vaccine from pharmacies, with a “surge” of supply coming over the next two months.

We need the whole country to continue to press forward, because the goals are in sight...

They are in very clear sight, and they are achievable and they are within reach.

Prime minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at Kirribilli House on Sunday, 12 September 2021.
Prime minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at Kirribilli House on Sunday, 12 September 2021. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

The government will also direct extra supplies of Pfizer and Moderna to Victoria, focused on hotspots in the city’s north, with an extra 400,000 doses allocated to the state.

This comes after the Victorian premier, Dan Andrews, called for the federal government to “make good” on its vaccine supplies after more were directed to NSW at the beginning of its outbreak.

“It goes where it is needed,” Morrison said.

He said the government was expecting 11m mRNA coming in October, but now this amount would be coming in September.

“We have caught up the ground,” Morrison said.

Updated

Victorian press conference:

Daniel Andrews has welcomed the state’s vaccine uptake, saying Victoria was ahead of its 70% first dose target predictions. 65.5% of the state has received their first dose, with health authorities predicting it would reach 70% by 23 September.

We said four and a half weeks ago that we wanted to do a million doses over five weeks, and we’re going to beat that by a couple of days.

I think we’re going to be ahead of 23 September, for the 70%.

So I don’t think it’s hesitancy … people are absolutely keen to get vaccinated. But if we can make it even more convenient for them by taking the program to them, then that just means we’ll get the numbers up quicker.

Updated

Victorian press conference:

We’re discussing schools at the Victorian presser now, with the premier asked if the pop-ups were informed by the need to reopen schools:

We want to have schools reopen by the end of the year, but our aim is to have kids vaccinated by the end of the school year. So, year 12s, it was very important to have as many of them through their first dose as possible, to make exams as safe as possible.

But, the program of trying to vaccinate our kids is … not absolutely linked to reopening schools. For instance, we have prep, grade 1 and grade 2, year 12s back at school in regional Victoria, and we’ve not yet been able to vaccinate them all. They’re aligned, but it’s not hard and fast.

Updated

Let’s hear a little more from the prime minister about those extra doses headed for Victoria (following the almighty fury from the Victorian premier after it was revealed NSW has been receiving more than their fair share of Pfizer).

These additional Moderna doses, of course, come in addition to the 4m [Pfizer doses] we were able to secure in the arrangement with the United Kingdom with the swap there, and the 1m [Pfizer doses] we were able to secure from Poland and the direct purchase arrangement we had there, and of course the 500,000 in the swap arrangement we had with Singapore.

Now these additional doses will also provide a role in providing additional support for Victoria. Victoria is currently dealing with the continued surge in cases just like we saw in New South Wales some time ago.

Later the day the minister of health and General Frewen will be standing up and outlining the arrangements for the surge of the mRNA vaccine support for Victoria as they deal with the outbreak, residents in particular in Melbourne’s north and west will benefit from additional vaccines and rapid expansion the vaccination sites across the region, as part of a three-week vaccination blitz there in Victoria to deal with the...outbreak there, and to assist these communities and all Victorians.

Updated

Australia secures 1m more Moderna doses from EU, PM says

Here is Morrison, speaking from Kirribilli House in Sydney.

Some good news today. A family sized dose of hope for our vaccination program.

I can confirm today that the federal government has secured an additional 1m Moderna doses from the European Union member states, arriving next weekend and a doubling of our Moderna doses in September.

In addition, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation also known Atagi is now recommending Moderna for everyone 12 years and over, in line with the approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

And that means everyone from 12 to 59 can go along to their community pharmacies where Moderna is being administered..

They’ll be able to go along as a family to their pharmacist, family members, kids, parents, and be able to get that jab at the pharmacy.

Updated

ACT records 15 local Covid-19 cases

The ACT has recorded another 15 local Covid-19 cases overnight.

PM announces 400,000 dose vaccination 'blitz' for Victoria

The prime minister has also been speaking while all of this has been going on.

He says there will be a 400,000 dose “surge” of Pfizer & Moderna for Victoria, which will take the form of a three-week blitz.

Updated

Oh wow! The NSW press conference is already over! The premier’s team called “last question” at 34 minutes, that has to be some sort of record.

Here is how that finished off:

Reporter:

Just to clarify, premier, noting that John Sidoti resigned from the front bench when an investigation into him was announced. If someone is under investigation by the ICAC, can they remain in cabinet or not?

Berejiklian:

Nothing has changed in relation to that matter.

Reporter:

Premier, do you believe that the public has a right to know if their premier or a member of her cabinet is before ICAC.

Berejiklian:

Well, they are matters for the integrity agency, absolutely.

And just like that, she was off!

Updated

Victorian press conference:

Premier Daniel Andrews is asked about apparently empty testing lines around the state, but the premier said the government is overall “pleased” with the numbers:

We’d always want people who are symptomatic to get tested. I’ve got no advice saying we have a problem with our testing in any part of the city or state, but again, just as we’re calling on people to get vaccinated…we are asking people to get tested. We’re very pleased with the overall numbers.

On the pop up clinics, Andrews said the first will be open in the “next few days” but didn’t specify how long they’d be open for:

They’ll be open for a period of time, it’ll probably be a little dependent on how many people book in, what sort of demand there is, but the beauty of this is, as pop-ups, we can open them up for a week, maybe ten days, perhaps even less, if we felt we had exhausted all of those who wanted to get vaccinated...this is now a big push towards 70 and 80%.

Updated

The premier has denied that the reason she will no longer be fronting the daily press conferences is due to a need for her to participate in the state’s ongoing ICAC inquiry into her former partner Daryl Maguire.

She was asked if she is expected to give evidence for this inquiry:

As I said, I don’t have anything to add on that matter. It would be inappropriate to comment on those ongoing investigations and I have nothing further to say.

Reporter:

We are not asking that, we are asking whether you have been called to give evidence at private hearings. That is a yes or no.

Berejiklian:

No, as I said, it is inappropriate to comment on any ongoing matters. And it’s always been the proper way to respond to those questions.

Reporter:

Is the reason we will see you less at the 11am conferences because you have been called to the ICAC?

Berejiklian:

Gosh, I wish you could all be privy to the conversations we all had about the 11am press conferences.

This is all about making sure that we provide good government to the people of New South Wales and the premier of the state should front the people and she needs to make sure that people know when there is a major milestone or a major issue or when I feel I need to be accountable. Some days it could be seven days a week.

Updated

NSW premier promises to still be a 'regular feature' at 11am press conferences

The NSW premier says the next two months will be “the most challenging” the state has ever seen, and it is for that reason that she will no longer be fronting the 11am press conferences every day.

Reporter:

Do you have at all concern about the lack of this set up, which lots of people in the public tune into, is going to send the impression that we’ve reached a turning point in the pandemic that we have not reached yet?

Berejiklian:

Of course but we never said we would change format every day, quite the contrary, we will provide information that is best for the community. And I was very upfront and honest to say that while there would be ample information provided on a daily basis, I will not necessarily be the one providing the information on a daily basis, and that is because, as I have said, I need a clear head. The next two months will be the most challenging our state has seen perhaps ever.

And I need to make sure we are not only making decisions for the next day but for the next week and next month and it’s really important to make sure all of government is prepared for what the next few months bring us and I will still be a regular feature at 11am but not every day and I was very upfront about that, and I’d rather be upfront and tell people than them saying where is the premier today or tomorrow because I need to make sure the government runs, gets back to its usual processes as quickly as possible, just as the community will start to reopen, the government has to get used to not running in crisis.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks during a press conference in Sydney, Sunday, 12 September 2021.
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks during a press conference in Sydney, Sunday, 12 September 2021. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Updated

Here is the premier’s take on the Bondi crowds:

The next couple of months will be the most challenging for us. We know that people are tired after the enormous things we’ve been asking of them that we must stay the course.

So I say to everybody please, don’t start getting complacent now. We know the weather adds to our positivity and what we can look forward to in October.

So it’s so important we all stay the course and stay in there because as we have said and Dr Chant has said the next few months are the most challenging and we are obviously going to see a peak cases at some stage and also going to see a spike in hospitalisation or a peak in hospitalisation during that period.

And what is most important is until we have a safe coverage of double dosed vaccinations, we cannot let down our guard and as much as we would love to be able to think about things that we can offer people between now and then, have to take a very safe and cautious approach.

So that we don’t risk any unnecessary further stress on our already stressed health system.

Updated

NSW press conference:

Back in NSW, Chant has been asked for her opinion on the crowds congregating and enjoying the sun (in fairly close proximity) on eastern beaches.

I realise that many people who are living in south-western Sydney and western Sydney don’t have access to that because of the restrictions so for me, it causes me some concern because clearly, I’m asking a lot of the people of south-western Sydney and western Sydney.

However, we do have to understand, and I have not seen those pictures that I don’t know whether people are maintaining social distancing, but in reality outdoor environments, if people are keeping away from each other, are probably the safest environments.

I would like to see that people are really respectful and they are adhering to the public health orders as they move about. If they are walking along the beach. But I would not want crowds, people engaging, people socialising – that is not what we need at this moment.

We do not need people to be breaking the public health orders as we don’t want many more spot fires. What we want to do is extinguish as many spot fires as we have and I don’t want to be having to put an additional burden on our public health resources in responding to outbreaks in those areas.

Updated

Victoria hopes to bring the vaccine to priority postcodes

At the Victorian press conference, premier Daniel Andrews has announced that he wants his government to be “taking the vaccine” to local communities, saying there will be a series of pop-up vaccination clinics at a 100 “priority” postcodes, as well as in schools:

This will be done in stages, we can’t open all these pop-ups in one day, but there will be significant additional vaccination activity in those 100 postcodes. The first of those are five community based pop-ups, they will be in areas that need it the most, so where cases are and where they are potentially growing, so in Hume, Dandenong and Casey.

There will also be rolled into, this a very significant effort to vaccinate our school kids, and their families as well. We have a commitment to have all our 12-year-olds and up, all our secondary students, to get them through the vaccination program by the end of the school year.

There will be around 70 sites across our public system, where families and students, as well as teachers and staff, will be able to go. These pop-ups are about removing another barrier, and taking the vaccinations to you.

Updated

OK good! It’s time to talk about the end of the daily pressers.

Reporter:

Seeing rising cases in areas that we have not had before outside of those LGAs of concern and we are hopeful we are approaching a peak but we don’t know for sure, so are you concerned from a health perspective that scrapping regular daily press conferences from the most senior levels of government will send the impression to the broader community that we are past the worst of it?

Chant:

I’m committed to engaging with the community and speaking honestly and frankly about my assessment and that of the governments I think we will look at a variety of different ways but clearly, it is important that we continue to provide information to the community in a transparent way and I will participate in those processes.

Updated

The NSW chief health officer doesn’t seem to be as firm as the premier in her belief that this next week will be the peak of the pandemic.

Reporter:

We were previously told this coming week would be the peak in cases, and mid-October would be the peak and hospitalisations. Given, as you mentioned, you had those stabilisations, is that still what we are tracking towards?

Are you still expecting a peak in cases in the coming week and hospitalisations in October?

Chant:

I am still hoping that we peak [this week]. But to some extent, those projections depend how effectively we can control the spread outside the local government areas of concern.

And as I said, our response is what we can do in terms of setting and establishing the public health orders, but it is also very much in the hands of the community in terms of how they are responding. Industry, how they are responding. And how we work across the community to support us getting through this critical phase.

I know I have used that language many, many times. But we have the opportunity to increase rapidly our vaccine coverage, which helps us, but we also need the community to be following the public health advice and the orders at this time. That will give us the greatest hope.

Updated

Chant says there are “little signs of hope of stabilisation” in the south-west and western Sydney, but said numbers are also growing in places like Glebe, Camperdown and Redfern.

I would also just like to highlight some suburbs of concern, while we have had a strong focus on those communities in south-western Sydney and western Sydney, and we are seeing some little signs of hope of stabilisation of the case numbers in those communities, we are in turn seeing increases in cases outside those local government areas of concern, so, in areas like Glebe and Camperdown, Redfern and Waterloo.

We are also seeing some activity, high activity in places like Punchbowl and Monty Park which are in the areas of concern.

My message is, please come forward to get tested and vaccinated. Redfern community centre is a new Covid testing site and it is open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm, and as part of our mobile vaccination program, we have got three Pfizer vaccines now available at various locations including west at Ashfield Leagues, Greenacre library at Zetland, the Morris EMR indoor sports centre at Riverwood, and club Burwood and the National Centre for Indigenous Education at Redfern.

Updated

Chant confirmed cases are now showing up in the most vulnerable groups in the Sydney community.

What we are seeing is, Covid has so effectively sought out vulnerabilities.

That is why it is not about our overall vaccination coverage, it is also about how effectively we have engaged with people who are in challenging circumstances, be they homeless, be they people in social housing, be they the people affected by drug and alcohol and mental health issues, and be they the members of the community living in large households and under difficult circumstances.

It is so critical, and Australia’s healthcare system has been one which has been one of the most equitable in the world, and the challenge for us is to do everything we can to make sure that our vaccine coverage is incredibly high in those groups.

Updated

Man in his 20s dies of Covid-19 in NSW

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant has been asked about the man in his 20s from western Sydney who died at Nepean hospital in the last 24 hours.

That gentleman actually had significant underlying health conditions and was unvaccinated.

But again, I really want to make sure that when we are articulating this, we are doing this for the purposes of communicating to the public.

This is no comment on individuals and whether they have had access to the vaccine or whether those things, so I don’t want to make it about those individuals. But the transparency, I think it is really important that we provide that information, but as I said, please go out and get vaccines.

Updated

NSW to reach 80% first dose vaccination by Wednesday, CHO says

Chant said the state is set to reach a first dose vaccination rate of 80% next week and has called on the NSW public to keeping coming forwards and surpass 90%.

I want to see 80% first dose next week and I am confident we will get there around Tuesday or Wednesday, and then my challenge to the New South Wales community is, get to 90% the following week, and that also works across our most disadvantaged communities to make sure nobody is left behind, as we strive to have the most equitable distribution of vaccine of any country in the world, and that is my aspiration.

Updated

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant:

When we talk about the fact that people are dying whether they are vaccinated or have underlying health conditions, it really is to highlight the fact that there are still many people in the community who are elderly and not vaccinated, who have underlying health conditions.

However, I just want to make the point, that while you are likely to have more severe Covid if you are older and have underlying health conditions, even previously healthy people of all ages can get severe disease and die.

So please, do not be at all complacent.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has flagged “some stabilisation” in the state’s Covid-19 numbers.

As Dr Chant will highlight, there has been some stabilisation in local government areas of concern, which is pleasing. But the most concerning areas where the virus is picking up pace at the moment are a couple of suburbs in south-western Sydney, which Dr Chant will outline, as well as some suburbs in the inner Sydney and in western areas.

Again, while we can look forward to having a much better life, much better freedoms at 70% double dose, we cannot afford to let our guard down. We cannot afford to not keep doing what we’ve been doing, because otherwise we will see to many cases when we open about 70% double dose and that isn’t what we want to see.

Updated

Here are the details of those seven deaths, according to the NSW health department release:

A man in his 20s from western Sydney died at Nepean hospital.

A woman in her 40s from south-western Sydney died at Campbelltown hospital.

A woman in her 50s from south-western Sydney died at St George hospital.

A man in his 50s from western Sydney died at Westmead hospital.

A man in his 70s from south-western Sydney died at Liverpool hospital.

A man in his 80s from south-western Sydney died at Liverpool hospital.

A woman in her 80s from south-western Sydney died at Liverpool hospital.

Updated

NSW records 1,262 local Covid-19 cases and seven deaths

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is speaking now. She has confirmed the state recorded local 1,262 Covid-19 cases.

Seven people infected with Covid-19 have also died.

Updated

Victorian health authorities have issued an urgent warning to pregnant women in the state to get vaccinated, after Monash hospital had an influx of pregnant women admitted with Covid-19 in the past week.

On the day the state recorded 450 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19, Ryan Hodges – the program director of women’s and newborn, and the director of obstetric services, at Monash – told reporters staff there were “very worried” by the number of pregnant women who had been admitted in the past week who were very sick with Covid-19 and risked having their babies born prematurely.

There were seven women admitted to Monash with Covid-19. Hodges said Covid-19 infections meant the patient was five times more likely to need to go to Monash. Once there, there was a one-in-three chance they would need oxygen therapy, a one-in-seven chance they would be in intensive care, a one-in-two chance they would need emergency delivery of the baby, a one-in-two chance of caesarean section, and a one-in-four chance the baby would need to be born prematurely.

You can read the full report below:

Updated

Well, the morning really is filling up!

Of course, that will be at the same time as the final NSW daily press conference, with premier Gladys Berejiklian. (This won’t be the last press conference, just the last time that it’s guaranteed to be on every day.)

But don’t worry, we will be bringing you the big updates from both NSW and Victoria here on the blog. Buckle in!

Updated

We are expecting to hear from the Victoria premier at 11am (AEST) today for the state’s daily Covid-19 update.

South Australian premier Steven Marshall has thrown his full support behind the national Covid-19 recovery plan, indicating state lockdowns and lockouts will become a thing of the past before Christmas, reports Colin Brinsden from AAP.

The plan that sees restrictions start to ease at vaccination rates of 70 and 80% has caused some consternation among some states, but not SA.

Marshall told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program:

Once we get to double dose 80% vaccination across South Australia we will certainly move away from state lockdowns...

I think we will get to the double dose vaccination well before Christmas here in South Australia.

Double dose vaccinations for people aged over 16 in SA are currently running at a fraction above 40%.

He said he was not seeing much hesitancy to getting vaccinated compared to a couple of months ago.

There is a lot of time to go until we get to that position, but we do know that as we increase our vaccination rate we reduce that transmission rate, we reduce hospitalisation...

It is going to be a tough period over the next three or four months.

He also expects to move away from state lockouts, and more towards LGA and exposure site exclusions rather than whole of state.

The premier expects businesses may insist on people being vaccinated, but that is not something that will be endorsed by governments unless it is agreed at the national cabinet level.

Federal trade and tourism minister Dan Tehan welcomed Marshall’s backing of the national plan, telling Sky News:

That’s wonderful news, in particular for our domestic tourism industry.

Updated

Victoria’s regional train services have been suspended today after more than 180 drivers and operational staff were placed in isolation following four positive coronavirus tests among workers, AAP reports.

The department of transport released a statement late on Saturday evening, stating:

Out of an abundance of caution we are suspending all trains on Sunday to limit the spread and to keep everyone safe...

Replacing trains with coaches will allow for services to continue to operate, give passengers certainty for Monday and help contain the outbreak.

Coaches will operate to an hourly frequency across most lines and not the scheduled Sunday train timetable.

Updated

Queensland CHO 'genuinely hopeful' that latest outbreak has been contained

The Queensland chief health officer is discussing the Covid-19 positive people who legally crossed the NSW/Queensland border this week, leading to a family of five becoming infected.

She said she is “genuinely hopeful” that this latest outbreak, which involves one family across two households, including a 13-year-old schoolgirl, has been contained.

They came across the border with appropriate passes...

I sincerely hope that we have [caught all the cases] and it’s because Queenslanders have just done everything right, yet again.

We’ve got the school closed, because if you remember in previous outbreaks the school kids had a weekend, while there were infections out in the community and that caused all of the issues, whereas this time, we’ve got to the school while there were only during the school week.

So we’ve managed to quarantine those 1,000 families. So this is quite a different situation from previous outbreaks. I don’t know that we can say we’ve dodged it yet, but I’m hopeful, I’m genuinely hopeful.

Updated

OK back to Queensland.

The deputy premier, Steven Miles and health minister Yvette D’Ath is up now at the Redcliffe KiteFest in Brisbane, and the latter is wearing a very fun red hat.

They have confirmed a truck driver from NSW who has now tested positive for Covid drove through Brisbane while infectious on 7 and 8 September, and while there are some exposure sites to be listed, chief health officer Jeanette Young is not overly concerned.

Updated

Well, what would a Sunday morning be without some classic Labor faction in fighting!

Plibersek, the senior Labor leader has been asked about accusations levelled at Labor senator Kristina Keneally that her bid to move to the lower house has come at the expense of a promising local candidate, Tu Le, who better represents the multicultural electorate.

And well, Plibersek has opted to avoid addressing the key racial issues by discussing female representation in parliament, which is...well, not really what we are talking about, is it?

I’m a glass half-full person. Aren’t we lucky in the Labor party to have three fantastic women, all who want to be in parliament representing the Labor party?

We’ve got Deb O’Neil and Kristina Keneally who have done such great work, both of them n the Senate, and we’ve got Tu Le...

I will give you this message for Tu Le: I really hope that she sticks with it because her work standing up for exploited migrant workers, her connection to the Vietnamese community and the Buddhist community, that is exactly the sort of experience Labor wants to see in our federal parliament. We have a very diverse parliamentary group. We’ve got people from all different racial, religious, ethnic backgrounds.

Updated

No new local Covid-19 cases in Queensland

Wow! Would you look at that! No new local Covid-19 cases in Queensland!

The Labor frontbencher has been asked for her thoughts on last week’s federal woman’s safety summit.

Plibersek:

I think there were some excellent contributions from a range of really good speakers. The criticism that I and many others have is so much of this stuff we already know.

We know what we need to do to keep women safer and we are not doing testimony just the week before the summit, this government voted against measures that would have prevented sexual harassment in the workplace, measures that were recommended by the sex discrimination commissioner...

We’ve already said we back 10 days paid domestic violence leave. The government won’t agree to that, despite the fact that a lot of businesses already do it and the Business Council of Australia agrees that we should do it.

We know so much of what has to happen. We’ve got to stop talking about it and actually do it.

Updated

Plibersek:

I think it’s really important that frontline workers get vaccinated and the real problem here is we have thousands of frontline workers, including teachers and school staff who are desperate to get vaccinated haven’t had the opportunity to do so.

Insiders host David Speers:

So should it be mandatory?

Plibersek:

Well, first of all, before we talk about mandatory, let’s talk about the people who are desperate to get vaccinated who can’t because this prime minister has failed to do enough deals with enough companies to get enough jabs into enough people’s arms. People want to get vaccinated and they can’t, so let’s get them vaccinated first.

Updated

Plibersek says she is concerned about NSW’s hospital capacity, coming into (what the premier believes will be) the peak week of the outbreak.

Well, we are already hearing stories about people dying at home, instead of going to hospital. We are hearing stories about ambulances ramping in emergency, queuing up to get patients into emergency. It is troubling when we know how the hospital system is already under a lot of pressure.

So, absolutely, Labor supports reopening as soon as it’s safe to do so. We know people have had a gutful of the lockdowns, we understand that, but the premier needs to be more transparent about any competing advice she is being given, and the prime minister needs to actually play a role as a national leader and perhaps finally get the vaccine rollout and a national quarantine system properly operating.

Updated

Plibersek:

Once again, we’ve got a prime minister who is urging states to open up, lift all restrictions, get on with it, but is not prepared to take any responsibility for his role here.

I mean, the reason we are in this second lockdown is because Scott Morrison failed on the vaccine rollout and quarantine.

We did so well at the beginning of the pandemic. We didn’t use that as an opportunity to get people vaccinated, to get a national quarantine system operating. That’s why almost half the country is in this lockdown right now, or has other restrictions placed upon it.

Updated

Federal opposition frontbencher Tanya Plibersek has called for the NSW premier to release the modelling concerning the state’s outbreak, implying she might not be following health advice to the letter.

Plibersek is speaking with the ABC Insiders program now:

I know people are desperate for New South Wales to reopen...I would be much more confident about the 70% target if it was clear that the premier was getting health advice that backed it and that it was clear that those other things that the Doherty modelling talks about, like tracking, tracing, the capacity of our hospital system to cope with the number of sick people – if those things were taken care of.

But we are not going to get answers to those questions because the premier has suspended parliament and cancelled the daily press briefings that she was giving...

I just think it has been clear from the reporting this week that the health advice that the premier is getting might not be enthusiastic about opening up at 70%.

Updated

Federal health minister Greg Hunt has released Australia’s latest vaccine campaign, where residents are encouraged to think about all the things they can do once they are vaccinated.

There’s another sunny day expected in NSW, with a max of 29 degrees for the city.

This has raised concerns that residents could once again flock to the beaches, as they did yesterday, potentially creating worrying crowds as the state continues to record high cases.

Police in NSW will be patrolling beaches to enforce social distancing rules, but it’s worth noting that just yesterday the NSW health minister voiced support for relaxing outdoor recreation rules for fully vaccinated adults.

Bondi beach crowds on Saturday, 11 September 2021.
Bondi beach crowds on Saturday, 11 September 2021. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

Updated

A woman has been found dead in an abandoned house in Melbourne’s outer east, prompting a homicide investigation, AAP reports.

The body was discovered at the Ringwood house late on Saturday night, with police setting up a crime scene.

She is yet to be formally identified.

Updated

OK, we are expecting to hear from the Queensland leadership at 9.30am AEST today.

Updated

On 30 June 2020, Victoria’s Covid cases were doubling. Within a week the state would be in its second lockdown.

That same day Pfizer wrote to the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, with a clear sense of urgency, wanting to discuss a vaccination deal.

Act fast, they hinted – other nations are signing deals.

Almost four months and hundreds of deaths later, Victoria’s lockdown ended. Two more weeks after that, Australia finally signed the Pfizer contract.

Several stumbles have hampered Australia’s vaccination efforts. A local effort from the University of Queensland had to be dumped after false positive HIV results were found. Rare AstraZeneca side effects saw its use – and its popularity – curtailed. Moderna and Novavax are still on their way.

You can read the full story below:

Updated

Victoria records 392 local Covid-19 cases

Victoria’s numbers are out, and they have recorded 392 local Covid-19 cases.

So far just 107 have been linked to known outbreaks.

Updated

Good morning all, and wow, aren’t you up early on a Sunday morning. It’s Matilda Boseley here, taking you through the weekend’s news.

Unfortunately, it’s bad news to start off with, as Australia’s local Covid-19 case numbers look set to break records for a third consecutive day, after more than 2,000 infections were reported in the previous 24 hours.

NSW makes up the lion’s share of this, with 1,599 cases but Victoria’s numbers are also rising with 450 logged on Saturday. The ACT recorded 15 and, usually Covid-19 free Queensland had five.

Speaking of Queensland, we are watching the state closely today, with premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday stating there wasn’t yet a need for lockdowns, but she warned on Saturday authorities would monitor the situation over the next 24 to 48 hours.

So far the outbreaks have been confined to one family, but today’s numbers will likely be vital to deciding what the state will do next.

Now, despite NSW’s record high case numbers, health minister Brad Hazzard has voiced his support for the possibility of easing some outdoor activity restrictions before the state reaches its milestone goal of 70% of the over 16 population vaccinated.

Yesterday he said:

I think we need to be looking at, as the [vaccine] numbers go up, what are the freedoms, what other normality we can bring back into our lives...

Fresh air we know is the safest place to be at the present time.

The minister was asked if he would be in favour of increasing the number of fully vaccinated people allowed to attend a picnic from five to 10.

I’m totally supportive of that, if I could just get some time to work with the team I would be doing it.

We will be keeping an eye out for all of that and more, but for now, why don’t we jump into the day.

Updated

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