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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Matilda Boseley (now) and Justine Landis-Hanley (earlier)

PM confirms extra doses of Pfizer vaccine – as it happened

Sunday Covid-19 news summary

With that, we might leave you for the night.

I’ll see you bright and early on the blog Monday morning to kick start the next week of news.

Here is a wrap of all the important things that have happened today.

  • NSW recorded 141 new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases, 38 of which were infectious while in the community. The state also sadly recorded two deaths overnight: a woman in her 70s, and a woman in her 30s with no pre-existing conditions.
  • The federal government has rejected calls from NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet to reinstate Jobkeeper for those struggling under lockdown.
  • NSW Police have set up a strike force to help identify all of the anti-lockdown protestors in Sydney yesterday. Police have already charged two men for allegedly striking police horses during the protests.
  • NSW Police also confrimed a penalty notice has been issued to Jon-Bernard Kairouz (a NSW TikTok creator who rose to prominence last week for leaking the state’s Covid-19 numbers early, five days in a row) after he uploaded a video appearing to show himself speaking at Saturday anti-lockdown protest.
  • The federal government has secured 85 million doses of Pfizer to be delivered in 2022 and 2023, to provide every Australian with access to a vaccine booster shot.
  • 38% of Australians aged 16 and over have had one Covid-19 dose; 16% have had two doses and are fully vaccinated.
  • Victoria recorded 11 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, all of whom where in isolation during their infectious period. Premier Daniel Andrews said it was too soon to say whether the state’s lockdown would be lifted on Tuesday night.
  • SA recorded three new Covid-19 cases, all of which were in isolation. The state looks on track to lift the lockdown on Tuesday night as planned.
  • QLD and ACT recorded no new locally acquired cases overnight.
  • And in better news, Australia scored our first three medals at the Tokyo Olympics. The women’s 4x100 metres freestyle relay team took out the gold and won a world record time. Brendon Smith also won bronze in the men’s 400m individual medley, while Jack McLoughlin claimed silver in the men’s 400m freestyle.

Updated

Okay, here are the numbers on all the arrests and penalty notices to come out of the Syndey anti-lockdown protest so far.

NSW police say they have received more than 5,500 reports from members of the public, with 63 people arrested.

Thirty-five people – aged between 18 and 69 - were charged with various offences, including assault police officer in execution of duty, resist officer in execution of duty, wilfully obstruct officer in execution of duty and not comply with noticed direction...

Of these, 20 were refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court today [Sunday 25 July 2021].

Fifteen were granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre and Newtown Local Courts at a later date.

Police say at least 90 penalty notices have been issued for breaches of the public health orders.

Investigators are following up every report and have issued two court attendance notice and [penalty notices] to 16 people today.

Scott Morrison has sought to defend government MP George Christensen for anti-lockdown activism in Queensland, stating Australians have “free speech” and can attend rallies where public health orders allow, while condemning rally-goers in Sydney as “selfish”.

In addition to attending a lawful rally in Mackay, Christensen has appeared to endorse the rally in locked-down Melbourne, arguing on social media that civil disobedience was “moral” and “the only response to laws that restrict freedom”.

Christensen is one of a number of rightwing politicians seeking to capitalise on social unrest generated by lockdowns responding to the Delta strain outbreak 18 months into the global Covid-19 pandemic and months before the entire Australian population will be offered a vaccine by the end of 2021.

Former Liberal MP turned independent, Craig Kelly, addressed the Brisbane protest, which did not breach health orders, by telephone while One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts recorded a video message blasting the social impacts of lockdowns.

You can read the full report below:

NSW Health has issued an updated list of venues of concern.

'TikTok guy' Jon-Bernard Kairouz issued penalty infringement notice over protest appearance

NSW police confirmed they have issued a penalty notice to Jon-Bernard Kairouz, a NSW TikTok creator who rose to prominence last week for leaking the state’s Covid-19 numbers early five days in a row, after he uploaded a video of himself speaking at Saturday’s anti-lockdown protest.

Updated

Hmmmm, The West Australian newspaper is reporting that yet another cargo ship, floating off the coast of WA, is suspected of having Covid-19 positive crew members.

The Darya Krishna, currently sailing off Kalbarri in the state’s midwest, has reported four out of 20 staff with flu-like symptoms, premier Mark McGowan said.

Apparently one [crew member] is very unwell which complicates matters. I don’t want risk, I don’t think West Australians want risk. I prefer this ship just sail, that’s our preferred option.

Obviously Indonesia is going through a very tough time. When the ships are in a place like Indonesia they shouldn’t be going ashore. What we need [is] the shipping companies to step up.

It is reportedly suspected crew members may have caught the virus when they docked in the Indonesian port of Batam.

I’ll bring you more as soon as I can.

Updated

OK this isn’t Australian news, but I think you will want to hear it nonetheless.

An unvaccinated snow leopard* at the San Diego Zoo has contracted Covid-19.

Caretakers noticed that Ramil, a nine-year-old male snow leopard, had a cough and runny nose on Thursday. Later, two separate tests of his stool confirmed the presence of the coronavirus, the zoo said in a statement on Friday.

Ramil is not showing additional symptoms, the zoo said, but because he shares an enclosure with a female snow leopard and two Amur leopards, the staff are assuming they have been exposed. As a result, the animals were quarantined and their exhibit was closed.

It is unclear how Ramil got infected.

*Honestly, I wasn’t aware there were vaccinated snow leopards.

You can read the full story below:

Updated

Key stats from today's NSW press conference

Okay, for those who missed the NSW press conference this morning, here are all the top-line numbers courtesy of AAP.

(Number in brackets refer to changes from Saturday.)

  • New locally acquired cases: 141 (-22)
  • Infectious while in the community (partly or fully): At least 62 (-9)
  • In hotel quarantine: 0 (0)
  • In hospital: 141 (+2)
  • In intensive care: 43 (+6)
  • Ventilated: 18 (+1)
  • Tests conducted: 102,233
  • Total cases for outbreak: 2,081

NSW Health also recorded two Covid-related deaths in the early hours of Sunday morning. They will be included in Monday’s figures.

Updated

Updated

We already knew this, but here is the official tweet from SA Health with today’s numbers.

The state reported three new Covid-19 cases today, but the premier says that because they were all in “strict quarantine” the state is still on track to end its lockdown on Tuesday.

Updated

Good afternoon everyone, it’s Matilda Boseley back again to take you through the rest of this Sunday’s news.

If there is something you reckon I’ve missed or think should be in the blog but isn’t, shoot me a message on Twitter @MatildaBoseley or email me at matilda.boseley@theguardian.com

Updated

Sunday Covid-19 news summary

Well folks, it’s been a big day of news and my time on the blog today is coming to a close.

But before I go, I want to quickly recap some of the biggest news stories of the day:

  • The federal government has rejected calls from NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet to reinstate jobkeeper for those struggling under lockdown.
  • The federal government has secured 85 million doses of Pfizer to be delivered in 2022 and 2023, to provide every Australian with access to a vaccine booster shot.
  • 38% of Australians aged 16 and over have had one Covid-19 dose; 16% have had two doses and are fully vaccinated.
  • Victoria recorded 11 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, all of whom were in isolation during their infectious period. Premier Daniel Andrews said it was too soon to say whether the state’s lockdown would be lifted on Tuesday night.
  • SA recorded three new Covid-19 cases, all of which were in isolation. The state looks on track to lift the lockdown on Tuesday night as planned.
  • QLD and ACT recorded no new locally acquired cases overnight.

Thanks so much for joining me. This is Justine Landis-Hanley signing off. I’ll be handing over to my colleague, the amazing Matilda Boseley.

Updated

One of the questions being asked most often of the NSW government is: when will the lockdown end?

It is scheduled to go until this Friday, 31 July. But with daily new case numbers having eclipsed 100 several time this past week, it’s unclear whether restrictions will end in just a few days.

If anything, the current in Sydney may take months to recede, according to Guardian Australia analysis of Covid-19 waves across the OECD.

Of the 80 outbreaks examined, the Guardian found it took more than 80 days on average to go from the peak to the end of the wave.

And the Sydney outbreak may not have peaked, with the NSW premier warning that case numbers are likely to keep rising.

Updated

All this Covid-19 news can be a bit draining. So here is some heartwarming content to switch things up a little.

It’s snowing in Tasmania today! And people have been taking to social media to share photos and videos of glorious sky powder, including the Guardian Australia’s very own Adam Morton and First Dog on the Moon.

Just look at this snow!

It’s like a scene from Narnia.

And if frozen ice isn’t your thing, Tasmania is looking as gorgeous as ever post-snow. Look at that rainbow! Idyllic.

The federal government has rejected the NSW treasurer’s calls to bring back jobkeeper, as the state continues to report high Covid-19 case numbers.

Rather, federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg today defended the federal government’s Covid-19 disaster payments.

But, as Paul Karp reports, Scott Morrison has left the door open for further support payments in the future, telling reporters in Canberra the federal government is “very open to consider how we deal with the situation as it further evolves”.

Updated

NSW man tests positive in Queensland after negative result

Now that we are done with ALL. THOSE. PRESS. CONFERENCES let’s dive a bit deeper into a Covid case that is causing concern for the NSW and Queensland governments.

A NSW man who received a negative test result travelled to Queensland, where he has since tested positive.

Even though he had tested negative, the man was still required to self-isolate for a full 14 days, but allegedly didn’t adhere to his self-isolation order and travelled on Virgin Airline’s flight VA1139 from Sydney to Ballina on 14 July.

He then travelled by car to Queensland with the QantasLink flight attendant who tested positive for Covid on Friday. Unfortunately, it was later confirmed that he had been Covid-positive and had received a false-negative test result.

Queensland’s deputy premier Steven Miles.
Queensland’s deputy premier Steven Miles. Photograph: Dan Peled/EPA

Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles said the flight attendant likely caught Covid from the man.

AAP reports:

Both cases were active in and around Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with numerous exposure sites listed by Queensland health.

The sites include Dreamworld and a popular Gold Coast restaurant.
Miles said anyone in Brisbane or Gold Coast with respiratory symptoms should immediately get tested.

“The risk in Brisbane and Gold Coast in particular remains very real and the wearing of masks continues to be incredibly important,” he said.

Queensland’s borders remain closed to NSW, Victoria and South Australia. There were also five cases reported on Sunday in Queensland’s hotel quarantine system.

Updated

The press conference is over and it was ... more of the same?

One interesting thing Morrison talked about that we haven’t addressed yet on the blog, is how the government is going to help people in lockdown, particularly those on income support who aren’t eligible for the government’s Covid-19 disaster payment.

Morrison was asked by NSW treasurer Dominic Perrottet for the federal government to reinstate the jobkeeper payment, published in the Sydney Morning Herald today.

For context, here’s what Perrottet said:

As case numbers escalate or remain stubborn, there will need to be extra financial support from the federal government. We believe that JobKeeper was instrumental in keeping the nexus between workers and businesses. This won’t be forever, but we do need it now because when NSW goes well, the country goes well.”

Morrison defended the government’s existing Covid-19 disaster payment, saying that you can qualify for these payments if you work casual, part-time or full-time. He also argued that the disaster relief payments allow the government to pay those affected workers directly, rather than through jobkeeper.

What the process we’re doing is we have to cut out the middle person on this. And we’re making payments direct. If you lost those hours, and you’re not receiving other social security benefits, and those social security benefits are scaled to your income. So if your other income has fallen back, then the income you get through jobseeker and things like that scales up.

It’s delivering those supports and payments far quicker than we were able to achieve under jobkeeper. And that’s very important.

Morrison added that the federal government is providing $500m a week in support payments for those in NSW lockdown.

A woman exercises on the empty steps in front of the Anzac Memorial at the Pool of Reflection as gyms are closed during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney.
A woman exercises on the empty steps in front of the Anzac Memorial at the Pool of Reflection as gyms are closed during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney. Photograph: Loren Elliott/Reuters

Updated

Morrison was also asked about whether Australia, being a wealthier country, should be talking about booster shots, while poorer countries are still waiting for their first doses.

What is Australia doing to support developing countries trying to get their populations vaccinated against Covid-19?

Morrison says that the 85m booster doses, 60m of which are due to arrive in 2022, is “more than enough for us, particularly as single dose booster shots”.

He says that these “will equip us to lean in even further to the support we’re providing to our Pacific family”.

I just spoke to the new prime minister of Samoa yesterday and congratulated her. We talked about this very issue. There’s more doses of AstraZeneca turning up in Samoa this week. Some 30,000 this week turning up. In Samoa, in Fiji, half a million doses. Almost 1m doses are there supporting that effort...

We’re not just sending this doses, we have teams there helping them to train and distribute.

Samoa’s Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa
Samoa’s prime minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa. Photograph: Anetone Sagaga/AP

Updated

We know Atagi has updated its advice and recommends that people over 18 in greater Sydney should get any vaccine available to them, including AstraZeneca.

Morrison is also asked whether he will now lobby Atagi to broaden its advice to people over 18 across Australia, especially given that a woman in her 30s has died overnight in Sydney after contracting Covid-19.

Morrison was vague, but said:

I’m quite confident that Atagi will continue to assess their advice based on the balance of risk they articulated.

Updated

A lot of questions around the vaccine. Morrison is asked whether the federal government is still standing by its commitment to ensure every Australian is offered a vaccine by the end of this year, given everything that has gone wrong with the rollout?

Morrison says that this still “remains our goal by the end of the year”.

He adds that, in relation to 12- to 15-year-olds, Atagi is now assessing what vaccines can be made available to that age group and “will be providing us further information in mid-August, I understand”.

And also what we discussed on Friday, with the premiers, should we go forward, on what the – depending on what the Atagi advice is – we would be seeking to do that in the most effective way, have asked states to look at school based systems for delivering that, the timing of that is yet to be determined. The commonwealth is looking at ways, at ways that can be achieved.

Updated

Morrison is asked whether other states should be diverting extra Pfizer doses to NSW. Morrison basically says nope.

He says the federal government has already given NSW extra doses but he adds that Australia’s vaccine rollout needs to “work right across the country”.

And we cannot disrupt its implementation around the country that would put other parts of the country at risk. So the suggestion that that could be done and people’s appointments in Melbourne would be cancelled for appointments to be created in another part of the city – sorry, another part of the country – would be very disruptive. It would interrupt the rhythm of the national vaccine program hitting the marks now, where we most recently had 1m doses in six days ...

The Delta variant can present these circumstances in any state or territory in the country. No other state or territory has some special immunity to the Delta variant.

Updated

PM also condemns anti-lockdown protesters

Morrison has been asked what he thinks of the anti-lockdown protests in Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland yesterday. But he’s also been asked what he thinks of Liberal National party backbencher George Christensen’s support of the protests, and the fact that he attended a local protest near his office in Queensland.

Naturally he leaves his Coalition colleague’s behaviour aside for a minute and focuses on the protests.

Let me deal with what we saw in Sydney yesterday. Of course it was selfish. It was also self-defeating. It achieves no purpose. It won’t end the lockdown sooner. It will only risk the lockdowns running further ... There were millions of Sydneysiders who stayed home. They’re the ones who are bringing an end to lockdown sooner ...

But while he thought the behaviour in Sydney was selfish, he didn’t condemn the protests in other states (like Qld, where Christensen attended the protest):

As for other parts of the country that aren’t in lockdown, well, there’s such a thing as free speech. And I’m not about to be imposing those sort of restrictions on people’s free speech. In Queensland there are not lockdowns. And the nature of that event to the best of my knowledge that‘s the one you referred to – was very different to the event in NSW, and to draw a comparison between the two would be – would not be accurate. And in terms of other members who are not in my party room, they can explain their own actions.

So basically, we are going to ignore the fact that Christensen – a Liberal National party member of the Coalition – was explicitly promoting the protests in other states under lockdown. Cool cool.

Queensland police look on during the anti-lockdown rally in Brisbane.
Queensland police look on during the anti-lockdown rally in Brisbane. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Updated

Morrison is now addressing concerns around the supply of Pfizer, especially to NSW. (Remember: the NSW government asked the federal and other state government to divert their Pfizer doses to it to deal with the state’s growing Covid-19 outbreak.)

Morrison says the federal government provided NSW with 50,000 extra doses of Pfizer on Friday.

Let me clarify the situation: on the week commencing 5 July, the week in which the premier contacted me, NSW, both GPs and the state distribution centres, were receiving 147,720 doses of Pfizer per week.

The week commencing next week, they will be receiving 90,000 more than that. That does not include the additional 50,000 which I extended to the premier on Friday, or the additional 150,000 they have already received, over and above their previous allocations.

Their allocations going forward into next week is 90,000 more Pfizer each week than it was back in the week commencing 5 July. And in the weeks following, it goes up to 110,000 above what it was back in the beginning of July and the week commencing 5 July.

So that is a significant increase that we’ve seen since the early part of this month to where we are now.

There’s the 50,000 extra last Friday, on top of allocations, that was the 150,000 additional that was provided after the premier’s call to me on 7 July, and the Pfizer allocations now ramping up by a further 90,000 on what they were getting earlier and that’s predominantly been distributed through the GP network which has been doing the lion’s share of vaccinations all around the country.

Updated

Morrison has welcomed the updated advice from Atagi which is now recommending anyone over the age of 18 in greater Sydney get any available vaccine, including AstraZeneca.

‘This is on the basis of the increasing risk of Covid-19 and ongoing constraints of Pfizer supplies ... People in areas where outbreaks are occurring can receive the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine four to eight weeks after the first dose, rather than the usual 12 doses to bring forward optimal protection.’ And so having those vaccines is incredibly important. I welcome that advice.

There are some 1.3m AstraZeneca vaccines that are available. They’re in the fridge, they’re ready to go, and we particularly need to see them getting into state-based distribution systems in NSW.

Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at the Lodge in Canberra. Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPA

Updated

More details on Australia’s vaccine rollout:

  • 62% of people over 50 have had one dose of the vaccine, and 22% have had both doses.
  • 77% of people over 70 have had their first dose, and 37% have had both.

Morrison adds that in the past six days, Australia has administered 1m doses:

So we are now able to deliver those million doses under a seven-day period, and that’s really hitting the mark we hoped to be hitting with the rate of vaccination now.

We hope to have higher overall levels of vaccination now, as I indicated earlier this week, but the vaccination rates we’re achieving on a weekly and daily basis are certainly the marks we hoped to be hitting this time of the year, and that means we’ll continue to make up ground.

Updated

38% of Australians aged 16 and over have had one Covid-19 shot

Scott Morrison is updating Australia’s vaccine levels.

He says that there was a record 100,000 vaccine doses delivered on Saturday, which brings the total to 11.14m doses administered (that’s single doses, not the total number of people who are fully vaccinated because remember you need two doses to be vaccinated).

Morrison says 38% of the population has had at least one dose; 16% have had two doses and are fully vaccinated.

Correction: my colleague Nick Evershed has pointed out that it’s 38% of people over the age of 16 who have had a Covid-19 shot.

Updated

Prime minister Scott Morrison is reiterating today’s announcement that the federal government has secured 85m extra doses of Pfizer to provide all Australians with booster vaccines over the next two years.

Morrison says booster shots are important to ensure “we can live with Covid-19 going forward”.

The securing of the 85m doses is another important development; it’s a shot in the arm for Australians in the vaccine program. The vaccine program is really starting to hit its marks now and beyond. We can go into next year with greater confidence. The supplies will be provided over the course of the year, to meet any of those booster requirements as we’re advised we need to put in place.

Updated

Hello, it’s Justine Landis-Hanley here taking the blog back after a quick break.

Thanks so much to my colleague and overall legend Matilda Boseley for keeping us all up to date on the news over lunch!

We are just waiting for prime minister Scott Morrison to address reporters at a press conference slated for 1.15pm.

Updated

Prime minister to speak shortly

We are just standing by now for prime minister Scott Morrison to step up for a press conference, no doubt to discuss the newly signed deal for additional 85m doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be delivered in 2022-23.

Morrison said earlier the deal will provide every Australian with access to a booster vaccine, if required.

Updated

Here is Jonathan Howcroft’s coverage on the Guardian Olympic live blog of that record-breaking swim:

The Australian team celebrate after winning the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final.
The Australian team celebrate after winning the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final. Photograph: Valdrin Xhemaj/EPA

Take a bow Bronte Campbell, Meg Harris, Emma McKeon, and Cate Campbell. The Aussies started as favourites and boy did they deliver. The world record marker was pushed from go to woah as the gold caps swam a race of their own, obliterating their rivals, touching under 3.30.00 for the first time in women’s swimming history. That was a monumental swim.

Canada came from nowhere to pick up silver, and Team USA took bronze. Great Britain finished fifth.

You can read more live coverage here:

Updated

Australia breaks women’s 4x100m freestyle relay world record

WORLD RECORD!

Australia has just broken the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. I’ll bring you more details in a second.

Updated

Oh, not that surprising but the ACT has recorded no Covid-19 cases once again.

Now there is plenty of bad news today, but the silver lining is Australia has just scored our first two medals at the Toyko Olympics. I mean they aren’t gold, but I’ll take it!

Silver medallist Jay Litherland of the US, gold medallist Chase Kalisz of the US and bronze medallist Brendon Smith on the podium.
Silver medallist Jay Litherland of the US, gold medallist Chase Kalisz of the US and bronze medallist Brendon Smith on the podium. Photograph: Joe Giddens/EPA

Here is Kieran Pender reporting from the Games:

Australia’s swim team has made a strong start to its Olympic medal campaign, with 21-year-old Brendon Smith winning bronze in the men’s 400m individual medley and Jack McLoughlin claiming silver in the men’s 400m freestyle in the opening finals of the Tokyo 2020 meet on Sunday morning.

Heading into the meet, Smith was seen as only an outside medal prospect – his qualifying time at Australia’s swim trials last month was barely in the top 10 fastest times this year. But the Victorian asserted his dominance with the fastest time in the heats on Saturday night. In the final less than 24 hours later, Smith was unable to stay with American pair Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland, but held off fast-finishing rivals to clinch third.

After a slow start in the butterfly leg, Smith moved through the field in the backstroke laps to touch the wall in third at the transition. Despite losing ground in the breaststroke, dropping back to last place, a powerful freestyle leg was enough to lift the Australian on to the podium. It is the first time in almost four decades that an Australian man has earned a medal in an individual medley.

You can read the full story below:

Updated

Afternoon everyone, it’s Matilda Boseley with you here on the blog for the next little while.

Jeroen Weimar has run through where the 11 new cases can be traced back to:

  • Four are linked to Ms Frankie’s restaurant in Cremorne (three are diners who were there that night, and one is a household contact).
  • Three are associated with Trinity Grammar (one of whom is a student).
  • One case is at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, one case is associated with the West Gate Tunnel construction site, one is at Young and Jackson’s, and one is at AAMI park (and ALL those are household close contacts of other cases previously identified from those locations).

But Weimar says the most significant activity for Victoria health today is the Lacrosse apartment building.

[There are] 312 apartments there in that apartment building over 21 floors. Yesterday we were able to test 214 of the residents over around eight of the floors and my thanks to all of the residents for coming out yesterday and getting tested. There’s a dedicated testing team on site and today we have four testing teams on site on a cold and windy day outside of that building. We know that we already have 32 negative results for the people who were on the floor – the same floor as the apartment where the positive case was.

We will continue testing all of the remaining residents of the apartment building today. We are treating it as a tier 1 exposure site.

Updated

Daniel Andrews is being pushed on exactly when Victorians can expect to learn if lockdown will lift as planned on Tuesday, especially after Saturday’s protest.

I think we are going to be in a position to receive very detailed public health advice on what we can do on Tuesday ... and it is my hope that we are able to ease some of the restrictions that we are living under.

We will deal with the most complete data that we have. That is why we always wait till as late in the cycle as we can … to see what comes out of yesterday’s protest.

I hope nothing comes out of that. [But] they might not get tested, and that is why we will not remain in lockdown indefinitely until something does [or does] not happen out of the protest yesterday.

Updated

Victorian testing commander Jeroen Weimar has confirmed seven people in Victoria have been hospitalised, two are in the ICU and one requires a ventilator.

Andrews also said that we are seeing people test positive for Covid-19 on day 13 or day 14 after coming into contact with the virus, “so this is a very live issue, a very challenging issue”.

Updated

Daniel Andrews slams anti-lockdown protesters

Andrews has condemned the lockdown protesters.

To those yesterday who very selfishly protested, that is not the behaviour we want to see … There were some fines, there were arrests made, but we do not want to see people out and about selfishly putting their point of view ahead of the health and wellbeing of others.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but you are not entitled to put other people in danger. That is what yesterday was about; ultimately, selfish behaviour puts many other people in real danger.

The premier suggested any significant spread of Covid from an event like that could lead to lockdowns being extended.

A demonstrator holds up a sign mocking Daniel Andrews during the Melbourne protest on Saturday.
A demonstrator holds up a sign mocking Daniel Andrews during the Melbourne protest on Saturday. Photograph: Mikko Robles/Speed Media/Rex/Shutterstock

I just hope that it does not have an impact on cases, that it does not have an impact on this sort of rules that we all have to live under …

But we cannot vaccinate against selfishness. These people should be ashamed, absolutely ashamed. It is just wrong. If you want to protest, protest against the virus ... Do the right thing and let’s get this together, without selfishly putting other people in harm’s way. I’ve said enough about those people they do not deserve more attention than that, but Victoria police are doing their work and I will leave them to update you.

Updated

Too soon to tell if Victorian lockdown will end on Tuesday

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says it’s too early to announce if the state’s lockdown will lift on Tuesday.

The state recorded 11 cases overnight, but all were in quarantine throughout their entire infectious period and all have been linked to existing outbreaks.

Andrews:

We came into this outbreak with less than 10% of people who were positive having spent their time locked away. Because we have made difficult decisions to lock the state down, we have seen a number steadily grow because of limited movement, and can I say, people have done an amazing job ...

In broader terms, the strategy is working, but it is still too early for me to be able to tell Victorians what will happen at midnight on Tuesday ... There is still a couple of days to go, and as we know we saw with an apartment block yesterday things can change; it is fast-moving and can be quite dynamic ... At this stage, things are going well.

Updated

NOW turning to the press conference that took place (simultaneously, grr) in Victoria...

One journalist has raised concerns that South Australia will only lift restrictions for the hospitality industry to level 4 outsider dining in the middle of winter, and whether that will be viable for cafes, hotels and restaurants. Would financial assistance will be provided to these businesses?

Marshall:

We would love to get hospitality up and running as quickly as possible. We won’t be able to go back to 75% occupancy on day one, but what you will see is a graduation of lifting though restrictions and we will do that as quickly and safely as we possibly can.

But he warned against journalists speculating about what restrictions will look like in the state after Tuesday.

The transition committee is asked to look at three things: the health, economic and wellbeing aspects. This is a committee chaired by the chief executive of department of premier and cabinet Nick Reid. He takes all of these things into consideration before they form a collective view of what those restrictions should be.

Updated

Marshall says the transition committee will meet later today and again tomorrow to discuss lifting lockdown.

We would obviously like to provide as much warning as possible to people with regards to the lifting of the lockdown, but at this stage we are on track to lift that lockdown as of Tuesday night.

But it isn’t clear that all restrictions will completely disappear in SA on Tuesday night.

We are looking at a range of scenarios, but our primary focus is to make sure we can get as many people back to work as safely as possible. And I emphasise ‘as safely as possible’. The last thing we need in South Australia is a situation where we have to go back into a lockdown situation. We don’t want to lift the restrictions too quickly and then have a relapse in South Australia ...

I can’t see us going back to three per four square metres in the short term here in South Australia ... But we do want to get people back, we want them back on construction sites, we want them back in their hotels, in their cafes, in their restaurants ... We want retail opening up and we want to do that as safely as we possibly can, so the transition committee will meet today, meet again tomorrow, and more to report in the coming days.

Updated

South Australia has a new record of testing numbers in the past 24 hours: 23,719.

A man walks his dog through the drive-through testing at Victoria Park, Adelaide.
A man walks his dog through the drive-through testing at Victoria Park, Adelaide. Photograph: Morgan Sette/AAP

Marshall says: “it is very clear to me that South Australians are taking this lockdown order very, very seriously.”

Updated

SA on track to lift lockdown on Tuesday

South Australian premier Steven Marshall is giving an update on his state’s Covid-19 situation.

South Australia has recorded three new cases, all of whom were in strict home quarantine.

Marshall says the state is on track to lift the lockdown as planned on Tuesday night.

Updated

OK, phew. That was big.

And just to make this morning extra busy, South Australia and Victoria both started press conferences while the NSW press conference was happening.

So let’s pivot to what is being said in both those states.

And to help me do that, I have pulled my colleague and blog queen Matilda Boseley on.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian is asked whether she was surprised that the other states knocked back her request for Pfizer doses to be diverted to NSW, given that last month NSW didn’t give its Pfizer doses to Victoria when the state was going through lockdown.

Oh great. Time for more interstate fighting.

Berejikian said:

Well, the bottom line is that here in New South Wales we have the highest population. We’ve done the lion’s share in bringing home Australians overseas on behalf of all of the other states and we have also advocated to keep our internal Australian borders open.

NSW has carried a lot during the past 18 months. I appreciate what the other states have said, I appreciate what the federal government has said, but I say this: ‘We will always do what’s in the best interests of our citizens.’

Updated

42 of the 43 people in ICU are unvaccinated

Important update: NSW health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty has clarified that of the 43 people in ICU with Covid-19, only one has had any dose of the vaccine. The remaining 42 have not been vaccinated.

I’ve updated the previous post to reflect this.

Updated

Someone has asked the question on all of our minds: given the high case numbers, what is going to happen after July 31, the day when this lockdown is - technically - supposed to finish.

Berejiklian isn’t announcing a lockdown extension just let, but it doesn’t sound like all restrictions are going to be lifted on Friday.

Obviously over the next few days the New South Wales Government will be doing critical planning on what life beyond 311 July looks like. I want to stress to our citizens that we will always strive to get the right balance.

Our first priority is to keep the community safe and healthy, but our priority is to provide any level of freedom we can where and when it is appropriate. We will be looking at all of those issues but please know that had we not made the difficult decisions we did in the last few weeks, we literally would have had thousands and thousands of cases today and more deaths.

Although yesterday’s protesters were doing the wrong thing, one reporter said a handful of people “do feel let down... feel like they have no other choice”. Berejiklian is asked whether she feels the federal government should restart jobkeeper.

Berejiklian:

“I appreciate that some people are feeling frustrated, but that is no reason, absolutely no reason, for those actions yesterday. No excuse, I’m sorry.”

But she also made it sound as though NSW shouldn’t hold its breath for any more financial support from the federal government, adding: “We fought really hard to get the financial support that we have available, and not only for individuals who are doing it tough, but also for businesses who are doing it tough, and also in those five local government areas in particular who were providing local support through their community leaders, in addition to the financial support that is already available.”

Berejiklian did add though, that:

We are having conversations with the federal government on an ongoing basis, let me assure you of that. We are working hard behind the scenes but also making sure that whatever additional support we provide is targeted to make sure that people don’t feel left behind, aren’t left behind, and that nobody falls through the cracks, but I also want to stress that if you are concerned about your wellbeing, if you are concerned about not understanding where you can go to help, obviously ServiceNSW is available 24/7, but also contact a community leader or somebody you trust.

Updated

Berejiklian is asked whether it is time to exempt vaccinated people from lockdowns in the hope that that will persuade more people to get vaccinated quickly “because they want that freedom as well”?

The answer: no, or at least, not yet.

She says the government won’t be able to consider easing restrictions for vaccinated people until “a larger proportion of the population is vaccinated”.

Because we don’t have those higher rates of vaccination, that would still be too great a threat on everybody else who hasn’t been vaccinated, and not everybody yet has had the opportunity to be offered the vaccine, and that health advice has now recently changed.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian warns that yesterday’s protests could result in a spike in Covid cases.

I think that’s why all of us were absolutely disgusted and disappointed yesterday, because we know that events like that can cause those super-spreading events, and please know that all of the sacrifices we’ve made over the last three or four weeks in particular have resulted in us being able to stabilise the growth in cases. We don’t want a setback, and yesterday could have been a setback. Time will tell.

But I’m just so utterly disgusted, disappointed and heartbroken that people don’t consider the safety and wellbeing of their fellow citizens. Each of those people who illegally protested, I’m sure, have significant loved ones. How would they feel if they went home in their day-to-day life and gave the disease to their loved ones?

And as we’ve seen tragically overnight, this strain of Delta is not discriminating on age, on circumstance, on where you live. This is a horribly cruel disease, and that is why our response has been so strong against it. But we need people to not only do the right thing, but not openly, openly threaten the health and safety of the broader community.

I hope it won’t be a setback, but it could be.

Updated

Worboys says yesterday’s protests did not take police by surprise: “I’m well aware that the police executive and indeed all the intelligence around that – we have been working on that for weeks, weeks now, well over two weeks that I can recall.”

Updated

NSW police issue 510 infringement notices

NSW police deputy commissioner Gary Worboys says police have issued 510 infringement notices in the past 24 hours, “the vast majority of those to people whose behaviour yesterday in and around Sydney could only be described as violent, filthy behaviour, risky behaviour, that police will continue to investigate”.

Worboys says a strike force has been set up to identify all the protesters: “So I expect over the next few days and perhaps weeks that that number of penalty infringement notices will continue to be high.”

He says that at 1pm the police minister and deputy will provide further information.

Updated

McAnulty says NSW health is particularly concerned about a gathering of people in Pendle Hill.

This is a grieving family who came together to support each other. We know that at least 50 people were at that gathering, and we’ve now got 28 cases associated with that gathering, so we have been working with community leaders in that area to make sure that people in that gathering are isolated and getting tested.

It is so important to come forward for testing, but it [shows] just how dangerous it is to come together from different families. Don’t visit another family; don’t visit another household. Don’t let anyone from your extended family who doesn’t live with you come into your household. It is so important ... It’s just not safe to do so.

Updated

There are 141 Covid cases in hospital. Of these, 43 people are in intensive care, and 18 needing ventilation.

Dr Jeremy McAnulty says the virus is affecting people of all ages – from those in their 20s to those in their 70s.
Dr Jeremy McAnulty says the virus is affecting people of all ages – from those in their 20s to those in their 70s. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

McAnulty says that of the people in intensive care, “one is in their teens, seven are in their 20s, three in their 30s, 14 are in their 50s, and 12 are in their 60s, and six are in their 70s”.

“So this is affecting people of all ages with very serious disease... One person has just received one dose of vaccine,” he says.

McAnulty has since clarified that of the 43 people in intensive care, 42 of them have not had any dose of the vaccine.

Updated

Woman in her 30s dies of Covid

As I mentioned earlier, NSW has recorded two deaths overnight. These include a woman in her late 30s from the Sydney CBD area, and a woman in her 70s from south-west Sydney.

“These are very tragic events and our sympathy goes out to their family, friends and loved ones,” McAnulty said.

Updated

NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty is providing the Covid-19 health update.

  • NSW has recorded 141 locally acquired cases, up until 8pm yesterday.
  • Of the 141 locally acquired cases, 87 are linked to other cases in the cluster and 54 remain under investigation.
  • There are no new overseas acquired cases.
  • There are now 2,081 cases associated with this outbreak since 16 June.
  • NSW has seen a record number of more than 102,000 tests across the state up until 8pm yesterday.

Updated

NSW premier 'absolutely disgusted' by Saturday's protests

Berejiklian says she is “absolutely disgusted” by yesterday’s anti-lockdown protests.

It broke my heart. Millions and millions of people across our state are doing the right thing, and it just broke my heart that people had such a disregard for their fellow citizens.

I just ask everybody to think about that. Each of those people who protested illegally, I’m sure have loved ones. They are going to go home and risk passing that virus on to the most closest people to them.

Berejiklian reassures that the government is acting on the advice of experts.

I know there are a lot of experts out there, legitimate experts and so-called experts, but please know the NSW government is relying on the best medical advice we have in our nation ... I personally, on behalf of the government, say we will always make decisions in the best interests of our citizens to keep everybody safe and to get us through this outbreak.

Updated

Berejiklian says the government is “doing all we can” to increase vaccination rates in the five local government areas most affected by the outbreak.

Berejiklian says measures include:

Providing vaccines through local pharmacists, through GPs and through our NSW health hubs. Please come forward to get vaccinated. For your sake and the sake of those closest to you. That is what will get us through this outbreak combined with the restrictions that we will put in place or have in place.

Updated

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says she wants to make two points this morning.

First, she is urging everyone who can to come forward and get vaccinated.

As you know, the health advice has changed in the last few days, so everybody is welcome to come forward and get the AstraZeneca vaccine, and please know that whether it is through your GP, through a local pharmacist or through obviously the NSW health hubs, please come forward and get vaccinated ...

One thing we also know with this cruel Delta strain which is what we are dealing with, is that even one dose of the vaccine not only gives you personal protection, but it also reduces your chances of passing the disease on to others. And that’s why during the Delta outbreak, higher vaccination rates, even of the first dose, slow the spread down. It won’t stop the spread alone, but it will definitely, definitely slow the spread down.

Instead of infecting your own household, you may only infect a few people, or instead of everyone infecting your entire workplace, you may only infect a few people if you have at least one dose of the vaccine. That is why it is so important to have the combination of restrictions and also higher vaccination rates.

Updated

NSW records 141 new cases

NSW has recorded 141 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. Of those, 38 cases were infectious while in the community.

The state has also recorded two deaths overnight: a woman in her 70s, but also a woman in her 30s with no pre-existing conditions.

Updated

South Australian authorities are also due to give a Covid-19 update at 11.30am AEST (11am SA time).

But first, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is stepping up to the mic.

Updated

Queensland has recorded no new locally acquired cases overnight.

It has recorded five new cases in hotel quarantine, which were acquired overseas. This brings the total number of active cases in Qld to 26.

Updated

For those who don’t watch the daily news press conferences, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant is doing a live Q&A on TikTok TONIGHT at 7pm AEST.

The goal of the Q&A is to “inform and educate” listeners about Covid-19, lockdown rules across NSW, and the importance of getting vaccinated.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is due to give a Covid update at 11am AEST.

My first press conference of the day. I’m wolfing down a piece of toast for sustenance. Stay tuned.

The morning after the night before. Sydney on Sunday morning.
The morning after the night before. Sydney on Sunday morning. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

While most state and federal government leaders have condemned yesterday’s anti-lockdown protests, Liberal National party backbencher George Christensen has gone far, FAR in the other direction.

He took to his Facebook page yesterday to not only voice his support for the protests, but encourage his followers to attend.

Liberal National party federal member for Dawson George Christensen says: ‘Civil disobedience eventually becomes the only response to laws that restrict freedom.’
Liberal National party federal member for Dawson George Christensen says: ‘Civil disobedience eventually becomes the only response to laws that restrict freedom.’ Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

In one post reflecting on the Melbourne protests, he wrote:

Civil disobedience eventually becomes the only response to laws that restrict freedom. That is what we’ve seen in Melbourne today.

In another post, Christensen shared photos of himself attending a local “freedom” protest in Bluewater Quay, and complained that “hardly any media were in sight”.

I put “freedom” in quote marks because having thousands of unmasked people in close proximity during a Covid outbreak is a pretty effective way of helping to spread the virus and keeping people in lockdown.

So here you go, George. I’m covering it.

Updated

Nobel laureate Prof Peter Doherty has weighed in on whether other states should divert their Pfizer vaccines to NSW to help curb the growing outbreak as discussed on the ABC’s Insiders this morning.

Doherty cautioned that any vaccine won’t have an effect for at least two to four weeks, suggesting that vaccines shouldn’t be used in place of stricter, more effective lockdowns.

Prof Peter Doherty says no vaccine will have an effect for between two and four weeks.
Prof Peter Doherty says no vaccine will have an effect for between two and four weeks. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

To put this into context: NSW’s lockdown has, so far, Not. Been. Going. Well.

Not only are case numbers growing (163 yesterday), but many of these cases are still in the community during their infectious period (45 yesterday).

The Australian Medical Association president Omar Korshid also warned on Friday that current lockdown measures are “simply not strong enough” to contain the Delta variant in NSW.

Updated

The Chris O’Brien Lifehouse cancer treatment centre at the RPA hospital in Camperdown, Sydney, has been declared a Covid exposure site.

Anyone who visited it on 20 July is considered a close contact and needs to get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

More than 100 exposure sites have been added in NSW overnight.

Updated

In other news, UK journalist and former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan has revealed he has Covid-19. He believes he caught the virus at Wembley during the Euro 2020 final, which took place on Sunday 11 July.

Morgan is fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

He told the Mail On Sunday that he thought the event would be Covid-safe, but that that hope “disintegrated”.

“It was turning into an unregulated free-for-all,” he said.

Updated

Australia secures 85m extra Pfizer doses for 2022 -23

The government has announced it has secured an additional 85m doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be delivered in 2022 and 2023.

Prime minister Scott Morrison says the deal will provide every Australian with access to a booster vaccine, if required.

Morrison says:

This will ensure individuals, families and communities have certainty about their continued protection against the evolving threat of Covid-19 over the next two years. We have turned the corner in Australia’s vaccine program and this is another milestone on our pathway back to a normal life.

Updated

Ohhhhh, things just got JUICY.

David Speers has asked Bill Shorten whether he is hoping to take out the top spot once again and become leader of the Labor party (and, someday, prime minister?).

Shorten flat-out denied the story which was printed in the Australian yesterday.

No. I thought it was a boring article. I think Anthony [Albanese] can win the next election. I think Labor is competitive, but as we’ve seen from the last election, it’s always a two-horse race.

Speers pressed on, asking whether Labor was being bold enough on the policy front.

Shorten, surpise surprise, said: “Yes.”

Yes, we are announcing our policies. I do believe we are doing what needs to be done to present us as an alternative government.

I accept at the last election that we put out all our policies – that was the theory, put them all out – but they were subject to debate and I accept that some of them didn’t find support in parts of Australia. I think Labor is doing the right thing ... but not necessarily putting every proposition out months and months ahead of an election.

Updated

David Speers has asked how many people in Australia need to be vaccinated “before we hit the finish line”.

Shorten says about 80%:

Well, a lot more than now, and to be more specific – the Doherty Institute is trying to come up with that number, but a lot of experts I talk to say somewhere around 80% is the ideal of people 12 and over.

Asked why some Australians aren’t getting vaccinated, Shorten says:

I think actually the Australian people are being underestimated by the political class. There are some people who want to go off the grid and don’t want to be vaccinated, that’s their call, but I think there is a whole proportion of people who have heard mixed messaging about the AZ, which is a shame. I think if people are told we can beat Covid, we can live with a minimal risk if you get vaccinated.

I don’t think Australians are hesitant. Our scientists are the best in the world. Our health teams are exhausted but they are really knocking it out of the park. The people are doing the right thing. We need to be an ambitious country again.

Updated

Shorten lays blame for what’s happening in NSW squarely on the federal government’s vaccine rollout.

If the feds had done their day job, we wouldn’t be having this balkanisation of the federation of Australia.

But he concedes that if there are unallocated vaccine doses in other states, they should be diverted to NSW.

Shorten also welcomed Atagi’s decision to recommend anyone over the age of 18 in greater Sydney get any available vaccine, including AstraZeneca.

The reality is, from what has changed from me reading what Atagi is saying is they weren’t so pushing AZ when there were no cases in Australia, but there are, so as the facts change – and looking at the available supply of vaccines we’ve got – that’s what we’ve got to do. The solution is there. It’s getting more people vaccinated. AZ will do the job.

Updated

Bill Shorten on ABC's Insiders

Bill Shorten is speaking to David Speers on ABC’s Insiders this morning.

Asked whether other states should provide NSW with doses of the Pfizer vaccine, Shorten said:

Well part of me thinks that we shouldn’t be in this mess at all – Sydney,Melbourne, or anywhere, if we had a proper vaccine rollout ...

Having said all that, the failure of ego politics in Sydney, the failure of the vaccine rollout, I think – actually, I’m just sick of Australia – that we have become the United Nations of Australia. I’m sick of the fact that we have eight mini countries. I think in Victoria and the rest of Australia, if there are unsubscribed, unscheduled vaccines, Sydney is where the trouble is, so – like, we are Australians first, we are cheering our team on in Tokyo, but here we are in the Hunger Games, and I think people are over the squabbling.

Updated

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has called on the federal government to reinstate the JobKeeper payment, as the state struggles with rising Covid-19 case numbers, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The federal government has already extended a Covid-19 Disaster Payment to eligible workers in NSW.

But Perrottet said:

As case numbers escalate or remain stubborn, there will need to be extra financial support from the federal government. We believe that JobKeeper was instrumental in keeping the nexus between workers and businesses. This won’t be forever, but we do need it now because when NSW goes well, the country goes well.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce have confirmed to the paper that discussions are being had about greater financial assistance for Greater Sydney, depending on how the current outbreak continues.

But they warned that there were no immediate plans to boost assistance.

Updated

NSW health authorities added more than 100 locations to the list of public exposure sites in Sydney and regional NSW overnight.

They include Virgin Flight VA1139 on 14 July from Sydney to Ballina, arriving at 11.45am.

Anybody who was on this flight is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days from the data of exposure, regardless of the test result. They must also call NSW Health on 1800 943 553.

There are also a number of other exposure sites associated with the case:

  • Campsie Centre, 14-28 Amy Street, Campsie.
  • Haldon Street, Lakemba.

Health authorities have warned that anyone who has visited either of those locations in the past 14 days must be vigilant for symptoms, given the high number of exposure sites associated with them.

Updated

We’ve heard a lot about the anti-lockdown protests in Sydney and Melbourne yesterday, but thousands of protesters also took to the streets in Brisbane.

Police estimate a whopping 7,500 people gathered in the Botanic Gardens and marched through the city as part of the “freedom rally”.

The anti-lockdown protest rally in Brisbane on Saturday.
The anti-lockdown protest rally in Brisbane on Saturday.
Photograph: Darren England/EPA

Many weren’t wearing masks but under current restrictions in Brisbane, you aren’t required to wear one outside as long as physical distancing is maintained.

Queensland police told the ABC that police “will be reviewing all available footage of today’s events to determine if any clear breaches have occurred”.

Updated

Men charged with allegedly striking police horse at Sydney protest

Two men have been charged after allegedly striking police horses during yesterday’s anti-lockdown protests in Sydney.

A 33-year-old man has been charged with affray, join or continue in unlawful assembly, commit an act of cruelty upon an animal, and not comply with noticed direction re 7/8/9 – COVID-19.

Protesters throw plastic bottles and pot plants at mounted police at Sydney Town Hall on Saturday.
Protesters throw plastic bottles and pot plants at mounted police at Sydney Town Hall on Saturday. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

A 36-year-old man has been arrested and charged with assault officer in execution of duty, commit an act of cruelty upon an animal, not comply with noticed direction re 7/8/9 – COVID-19.

Both men have been refused bail and will appear today at Parramatta local court.

Updated

Victoria records 11 new cases

Victoria has recorded 11 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, all of whom where in quarantine during their infectious period, according to the state’s health department.

All cases are linked to the current outbreak.

Updated

Good morning! It’s Justine Landis-Hanley here, bringing you the news today.

To kick off, let’s recap the biggest stories from yesterday and a few overnight developments.

  • NSW recorded 163 new cases yesterday, its highest daily case number of this outbreak.
  • More than 3,500 anti-lockdown protesters flooded the streets of Sydney’s CBD and clashed with authorities yesterday. And more than 1,000 protesters also took to the streets of Melbourne’s CBD to protest the latest lockdowns.
  • A NSW police strike force consisting of 22 detectives is working to identify the state’s anti-lockdown protesters. Police minister David Elliott says the strike force will examine CCTV footage from surrounding buildings, as well as social media footage that has been gathered overnight.
  • So far, 57 people associated with the protest have been arrested, 34 of whom have been charged.
  • More than 100 sites have been added to the list of exposure venues on the NSWhealth website overnight.
  • In light of growing case numbers, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi) now recommends that anyone over the age of 18 in greater Sydney should consider getting any available vaccine, including AstraZeneca.

Updated

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