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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Ben Smee (now) and Josh Taylor (earlier)

Atagi changes vaccine advice for Sydney – as it happened

Protesters march along Broadway and George St towards Sydney Town Hall during the ‘World Wide Rally For Freedom’ anti-lockdown rally at Hyde Park in Sydney.
Protesters march along Broadway and George St towards Sydney Town Hall during the ‘World Wide Rally For Freedom’ anti-lockdown rally at Hyde Park in Sydney. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

And this is where we are going to leave the blog for today. It’s been breathless. Again.

  • New South Wales recorded a highest-ever total of 163 cases, amid concerns that spread continues between households despite lockdown restrictions.
  • Anti-lockdown protests occurred across the country. In Sydney 57 people were arrested and New South Wales police have formed a taskforce to identify and charge all 3,500 estimated attendees.
  • The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation issued new advice for residents of greater Sydney, urging those aged 18 to 60 to “seriously consider” any available vaccine, including AstraZeneca. The evolving outbreak in Sydney prompted the new advice.
  • Victorian authorities say they are “on track” to potentially end their lockdown, after recording 12 new cases.
  • The federal government will direct additional Pfizer vaccine supply to New South Wales, after the state unsuccessfully called on others to donate supply to help quell the Sydney outbreak.

We’ll be back to do this all again tomorrow. Thanks for following.

Updated

The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has issued a statement on today’s protest. She says:

I am utterly disgusted by the illegal protesters in the city today whose selfish actions have compromised the safety of us all.

The protesters have shown utter contempt for their fellow citizens who are currently doing it tough.

I want to thank the brave police officers who put their safety on the line to ensure the protest action ceased.

This type of activity during lockdown will not be tolerated and the full force of the law will be brought against anyone who engages in this type of illegal activity.

Updated

The work of NSW police to identify today’s protesters is going to be made much easier by the lack of masks.

After forming a strike force to round up anti-lockdown protesters, the NSW police have released some pretty ugly footage and images from today in Sydney.

Just ugh.

David Elliott says no one is more frustrated about the lockdown than the state government.

It was just a whole lot of halfwits.

What they’re going to do is go back to their communities ... and spread the disease again. You don’t have to be Einstein to work out that a stay at home order is designed to stop [the virus] going from one person to the next

If we don’t see a spike in the areas these protesters came from in the next week I’ll be very, very surprised.

This is an example today of a few individuals wanting to incite violence and they’ll be pinged for it. I reckon we’re going to get a good proportion of those 3,500 fined and hopefully through the courts as well.

When we talk about a super spreader event, today was the biggest case study I’ve seen since the beginning of the pandemic.

NSW police minister David Elliott has also called on everyone at today’s protests to get tested for Covid.

Updated

Police say they will have 22 detectives dedicated to identifying protesters and have called for anyone with footage to send it in. They’re already trawling social media.

NSW police minister says he wants '3,500 infringement notices' after protest

The New South Wales police minister, David Elliott, is announcing the formation of a police strike force to identify and track down each of the estimated 3,500 protesters who marched through Sydney today.

Already, 57 people have been arrested. Police alleged that officers were assaulted.

“I’m hoping we issue 3,500 infringement notices, I’m hoping we have people before the courts,” Elliott said

“If you don’t want to be in lockdown, obey the rules.”

Updated

In other news:

In case you missed it among the other interstate bickering, the Northern Territory chief minister, Michael Gunner, has released a statement about six people who allegedly travelled from Melbourne to Darwin and lied on their border entry forms.

“I’m furious that six wankers from Melbourne thought they could gamble with Territory lives for a holiday and a wedding,” he said.

In case anyone was wondering what happened to our fire-breathing lockdown protester...

I tried to write something about this, but I think I’ll just present it without comment:

And more from Atagi:

A second reason for Atagi to recommend that individuals strongly consider vaccination at this time is emerging data about severity of disease. The Delta variant may be more severe than the original Sars-CoV-2 strain.

The proportion of people less than 60 years requiring hospitalisation appears to be higher than was reported in outbreaks with the original Sars-CoV-2 strain. This reinforces the benefit of protection with any available vaccine.

Atagi has previously issued advice recommending a shorter interval between the first and second doses of Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca of four to eight weeks in an outbreak (versus the routine 12 week interval) so that maximal protection against Covid-19 can be achieved earlier.

Updated

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is now advising everyone over 18 in Sydney to strongly consider any available vaccine, including AstraZeneca.

This is a significant pivot in the formal advice, given the prior reluctance to recommend AstraZeneca to anyone younger than 60, but reflects the changing risk profile of the Delta outbreak in Sydney.

From the Atagi statement:

This is on the basis of the increasing risk of Covid-19 and ongoing constraints of Comirnaty (Pfizer) supplies.

In addition, people in areas where outbreaks are occurring can receive the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine four to eight weeks after the first dose, rather than the usual 12 weeks, to bring forward optimal protection.

The outbreak in NSW continues to grow and the risk of disease, particularly in the greater Sydney area, is likely to continue to be significant over coming weeks.

Atagi reaffirms our previous advice that in a large outbreak, the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are greater than the risk of rare side-effects for all age groups.

In the context of the current risk of Covid-19 in NSW and with the ongoing constraints on Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine supplies, all adults in greater Sydney should strongly consider the benefits of earlier protection with Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca rather than waiting for alternative vaccines.

Updated

Atagi changes vaccine advice

A significant statement from the federal government’s Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi) given the ongoing Sydney lockdown and spiking cases.

All individuals aged 18 years and above in greater Sydney, including adults under 60 years of age, should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine including Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

The full statement is here.

Updated

I will now hand you back to Ben Smee who will take you through the rest of the afternoon.

Updated

My colleague, Adam Adada, has some more footage from the Sydney protest.

Kidd says he is “very concerned” people aren’t following the restrictions in Sydney for the protests, aren’t wearing masks, and not physically distancing. He says there is a risk it could spread Covid-19.

Updated

Commonwealth confirms extra 50,000 doses of Pfizer to go to NSW

The deputy chief medical officer, Michael Kidd, has confirmed NSW will get an additional 50,000 supply of the Pfizer vaccine from the national stockpile:

The commonwealth will increase the emergency allocation to New South Wales of additional doses of Pfizer from 150,000 to 200,000 doses this week. As the supply of vaccines increases, the commonwealth stands ready to continue to work with the states and territories to support the rollout of vaccines.

The commonwealth will constantly assess requests against any reserves held by the commonwealth. In New South Wales, the commonwealth will be providing a sustained weekly increase of an additional 20,000 doses to general practices and an additional 20,000 doses to New South Wales government clinics on an ongoing basis.

This is supply of the vaccine that was not already allocated to another state. Victoria said earlier it had no issue with NSW getting some of this supply.

Updated

Kidd urges people aged 60 and over to get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, and says people aged 18 years and above in greater Sydney should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine, including AstraZeneca.

This is on the basis of the increasing risk of Covid-19, and ongoing constraints of supply of the Pfizer vaccine.

Updated

Australia’s deputy chief medical officer, Michael Kidd, is providing a national update on the Covid situation.

He runs down the numbers:

  • 176 new locally acquired cases in Australia in the past 24 hours (163 in NSW, 12, in Victoria, and one in SA).
  • Six deaths associated with the current outbreak.
  • 174 people in hospital, 41 in intensive care units, and 20 people on ventilators.
  • 174,000 tests in the past 24 hours, including 93,000 in NSW alone.
  • 698,000 new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours, with 8,673 associated deaths.
  • There have now been 11m doses of vaccines administered in Australia, including one million in the past week alone.

Updated

A bit more on the Melbourne anti-lockdown protest from AAP:

Thousands of protesters of all ages have turned out in the CBD chanting “freedom”.

An AAP photographer on scene described the rally as initially “eerie” with the crowd maskless and verbally aggressive, but said the atmosphere later mellowed.

Some protesters lit flares as they gathered outside Victoria’s Parliament House.

They held banners, including one that read: “This is not about a virus it’s about total government control of the people.”

Updated

More than 70 fines have been issued across South Australia for people breaching Covid-19 rules during the state’s seven-day lockdown, AAP reports.

The measures were imposed on Tuesday in response to a cluster of coronavirus cases now standing at 16.

People can only leave their homes to offer critical care to others, for essential work, to shop for groceries, to seek medical help or to exercise.

Police have issued 73 fines and another 100 formal cautions.

Two businesses have also be cautioned for breaching the regulations.

Police commissioner Grant Stevens said a number of arrests had been made but they involved offences, such as break-ins or assaults, unrelated to the lockdown provisions.

However, those people were also dealt with under the Emergency Management Act, because the nature of their activities meant they breached the lockdown rules.

“Committing crime is not one of the five reasons for leaving home,” he said.

Updated

I’m passing the blog back very briefly to Josh Taylor.

Updated

This is getting a bit of renewed action on social media, in light of NSW premier Gladys Berekijlian’s request for other states to donate Pfizer vaccines to help greater Sydney.

Updated

Statement from the NSW police on the Sydney anti-lockdown protest.

A high-visibility policing operation was launched in response to unauthorised protest activity in Sydney’s CBD about 12pm today (Saturday 24 July 2021), to ensure the safety of participants, as well as the community and local businesses.

Officers from across Central Metropolitan region, assisted by specialist resources, were deployed.

So far during the operation, a number of people have been arrested.

As attendees disperse, movement out of the city will be facilitated down George Street.

Trains continue to operate and for those at the northern end, access is via Wynyard and Circular Quay railway stations.

For those at the southern end, access will be via Central and Redfern with limited access at Town Hall railway station.

St James and Museum railway stations are closed.

The NSW Police Force recognises and supports the rights of individuals and groups to exercise their rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, however, today’s protest is in breach of the current Covid-19 public health orders.

The priority for NSW police is always the safety of the wider community.

Further update will be provided when available.

Updated

The ABC is reporting that the “small federal stockpile” of about 50,000 Pfizer doses will be sent to greater Sydney.

Still doesn’t address the fact that none of us (including state health ministers) knew there was a stockpile until today.

Updated

This is certainly not a tame protest, by any means

The ABC is reporting several people have been arrested after a brawl during the Sydney anti-lockdown protests.

For those watchers of Queensland politics, former LNP leader Lawrence Springborg has been elected that party’s new president.

The protest crowds, particularly in Sydney, appear to be depressingly large.

A few hours ago, the New South Wales health minister, Brad Hazzard, described Covid spread as a “continuing and growing problem”.

Thousands march at anti-lockdown protests in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane

AAP is reporting that protesters are massing in capital cities around Australia to object to lockdowns prompted by Covid-19.

Thousands of angry, unmasked people have marched from inner Sydney’s Victoria Park to Town Hall in the central business district.

There is a heavy police presence in Sydney, including mounted police and riot officers.

Many protesters have carried signs calling for “freedom”.

Greater Sydney has been locked down for the past four weeks, with residents only able to leave home with a reasonable excuse.

The virus has continued to spread despite the restrictions, with NSW reporting another 163 local coronavirus cases on Saturday.

At least 1,000 protesters have also gathered in Melbourne’s CBD.

A car rally is also planned for locked-down Adelaide, with police warning they will make arrests over unlawful activity.

Updated

Hello all, Ben Smee here taking this blog forward into the afternoon.

We’re seeking some clarity from the prime minister’s office about reports from this morning that additional Pfizer doses from the national stockpile are being sent to greater Sydney.

The particularly interesting thing is that the NSW health minister Brad Hazzard told reporters this morning he knew of no such plan. But he went event further, and said he was unaware there even was a national stockpile.

I’ve seen nothing in writing, if that has happened. If we can do the same and get vaccine from some other source, we would, but unfortunately the world is not that simple.

I have no idea how much, if any, are in our national stockpile. I simply don’t know that. I would like to know.

His Victorian counterpart, Martin Foley, made similar comments.

If, in fact, there is unallocated vaccines in the national stockpile ... then I’m sure we all support that going to the area of greatest need.

Updated

Anti-lockdown protests in Sydney and Brisbane

We have some photos from anti-lockdown protests currently underway in Sydney and Brisbane:

A protestor as Queensland police look on at the anti-lockdown rally in Brisbane.
Protesters as Queensland police look on at the anti-lockdown rally in Brisbane. Photograph: Darren England/AAP
Protesters are arrested by police at Victoria Park on Broadway
Protesters are arrested by police at Victoria Park on Broadway in Sydney. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Police have estimated the number of people rallying in Sydney as in the thousands and said that the gathering was not authorised.

Protesters march along Broadway and George St towards Sydney Town Hall during the ‘World Wide Rally For Freedom’.
Protesters march along Broadway and George St towards Sydney Town Hall during the ‘World Wide Rally For Freedom’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Meanwhile in Sydney:

Updated

Foley urges anti-lockdown protesters not to participate today. He says they should “be on the side of humanity” and not on the side of the virus.

Foley was asked about the $22,000 fine given to a Echuca pub for opening against the rules, and how it compares to the removalists who sparked the outbreak in Victoria still being investigated by Victoria police. He won’t be drawn into comparing the two:

I think there is a qualitative difference between a publican who chooses deliberately to flout the laws and being advised by Victoria police not to come to them still go ahead, on one set of factors, and has been determined by Victoria police, and I will let Victoria police determine on the evidence, on the material provided by health, as to the other set of circumstances.

It is up to Victoria police, for the normal processes of our justice system to make sure that these arrangements are applied fearlessly.

Updated

On unsolicited advice from interstate, Foley recalls the advice Victoria received during our second lockdown, when asked about Victoria recommending NSW implement a ring of steel. Basically MYOB:

I concede Mr Hazzard has not provided Victoria with advice, but I can pretty well recall some fairly frank and direct advice from commonwealth ministers, particularly as we were coming out of the second wave last year that was problematic at best, I think that ... If we all look to our own backyards, that is where our responsibility starts.

He says the ring of steel around Melbourne “played a role” in crushing the second wave in 2020.

Updated

Foley says NSW’s fight “is Australia’s fight”:

We cannot beat this as a nation until such time as New South Wales gets on top of that wave of outbreaks at the moment. That cannot be at the expense of allowing the further importation of that wave into any other state or territory. We all have to do what we need to do, what our communities expect us to do, what our public health officials tell us has to be done to allocate a scarce resource in this case vaccines, to the areas we need to cement our public health position while at the same time, in a scarce environment, trying to address NSW’s clear need.

He says redirecting vaccine from Victoria would mean cancelling appointments, but he expects the scarcity issue to go away by the end of August.

Updated

Victorian health minister Martin Foley has responded to his NSW counterpart, Brad Hazzard’s complaint about Victoria’s rebuff over the redirection of the Pfizer vaccine to NSW, but says the redistribution of Pfizer back to NSW is not the policy of national cabinet:

I have nothing but respect for the minister and the New South Wales public health team. They are dealing with extremely difficult circumstances and Victorians know those circumstances all too well from our winter 2020 experience so our position is the position of national cabinet and indeed the position that the commonwealth put to the senate yesterday and that is a pretty clear, we all get allocated Pfizer and AstraZeneca and soon Moderna, based on our proportion as part of the Australian population.

He says if there is unallocated stock in the national stockpile, it should go where it is needed, but that should not come at the expense of the stock already allocated to other states.

He’s not biting back. He thanks NSW, SA and WA for helping Victoria out during our second wave. But he says there is a scarcity of vaccines for July and August, and it is all allocated in Victoria. He says he has a close working relationship with Hazzard:

I think you misjudge the extremely cooperative nature of our health departments, health ministers, health services, work together across the country. There is no anger or frustration.

Updated

Victoria 'on track' to end lockdown

The chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, is not saying whether lockdown in Victoria will end on Tuesday night as planned, but says the numbers of those out in the community while infectious are in the right place.

We need to see those numbers out in the community for any period of time to be minimal and hopefully zero. That is where we are today and that is where I want us to be for the rest of the week.

I feel we are on track. I have been surprised in the past, pleasantly and unpleasantly, and I hope this can brings further news in terms of everyone being in home quarantine and isolation throughout the infectious period, that would be the good news for Tuesday.

He expects there will be new cases right through to Tuesday among the close contacts. There is no “magic number” of cases, it’s part of overall assessments, and the key aim is having no new exposure sites.

The 400 exposure sites listed with this outbreak have “largely tapered off”.

Updated

Sutton explains what led Victoria to upgrade NSW from a red zone to an extreme zone, which prevents resident from returning except in very limited circumstances:

The case load in a jurisdiction, the trends over time, how much we expect cases to emerge each and every day. In South Australia they have had a dozen plus cases but they are in lockdown and those numbers seem to be stabilising for a population of over 1.5 million. New South Wales, 163 cases today, close to 2,000 active cases now, that is a big caseload and the risk of people coming from New South Wales having been potentially exposed to others who are infectious is much higher than for South Australia, ACT and so it is managing that hopefully proportionately and, like everything, it will undergo review at regular intervals.

Updated

Sutton says none of the cases today are connected to the exposure site at Prahran market. He said there had been a “strong testing response” from people identified through QR code check-ins:

You never know, for that one individual if they are going to be very infectious, not infectious at all or somewhere in between. Prahran market has many people around you do not know so it was a very important to have people come forward for testing very quickly but to have no positive come out of that thus far is reassuring stop it is a reasonably open space with decent ventilation, by virtue of the ceiling space, but the risk is always there in crowded places.

Sutton couldn’t say what restrictions will be in place in the state if and when the lockdown ends, but crowd restrictions would need to be considers, and masks would play a big role:

Masks become even more important in an era of the Delta variant. They have played a huge role as has been highlighted by recent literature from the Burnett Institute and ended a review of the second wave in Victoria last year, the critical role that masks have played and that will be one of the baselines that we will just have to live with globally, it will not be unique to Victoria. They are reviewing the advice on masks in lots of places where there is hope vaccination coverage because of the Delta third and fourth waves.

Updated

Sutton calls on people in the Glenroy area, including Hadfield, Oak Park and Pascoe Vale, to stay on alert for symptoms after viral fragments were detected in wastewater tests, and he says some red zone permit holders have returned to those areas.

Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, says residents of an apartment complex at 673 La Trobe St in Docklands will need to quarantine due to a Covid-19 case in the building.

He says a pop-up testing clinic is being set up at the building, and the department will contact residents, but they must quarantine until further notice.

Of the 12 new cases today, five are linked to the AAMI Park outbreak, one is a social contact of one case, and four are household contacts.

A further three are linked to Ms Frankie’s, one being a patron, and two household contacts of a staff member.

There are two other cases linked to the Burnley apartment complex, fellow residents who live on the same floor as a positive case.

Another case is a student at Bacchus Marsh, and one is a household contact of a case connected to the Young and Jackson’s outbreak.

There are over 20,000 people in Victoria identified as primary or secondary close contacts isolating.

The 2,500 MCG close contacts are now hitting their day 13 test. 2,000 close contacts have been cleared so far from the outbreak, and 4,000 should be tested over the weekend, with another 8,000 in the next week.

Victoria press conference starts

Now turning to the Victorian press conference, health minister Martin Foley says it there was an “encouraging” trend down in case numbers, while not a huge drop, most were in quarantine for their entire infectious period:

Overall, we are pleased to see an encouraging trend down in case numbers and certainly not an increase. Not a huge trend down but, in terms of the direction and particularly the issues that the chief health officer will go into, a reassuring trend towards cases overwhelmingly being in quarantine. Being in-home isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.

Ten of the 12 cases today were isolating for their entire infectious period, with the remaining two only in the community for less than a day.

The few exposure sites are at Camberwell, Hawthorn and Newport.

He says it is too early to say whether lockdown will end on Tuesday night.

There are 10 cases in hospital, three in ICU, with one on ventilation.

Updated

Marshall says it is too early to say what restrictions will look like after the lockdown ends, and says the government made the right decision to lock down early:

Look, I’m so grateful that we put these restrictions in when we did. If we had have waited another 12 or 24 hours ... this particular strain would have got away from us.

Updated

SA 'on track' to end lockdown on Tuesday

SA premier Steven Marshall says the state is on track to end the seven-day lockdown next week. He says children in the state will then be able to return to school on Wednesday.

He also reveals international flights into SA will be cancelled for Monday and Tuesday next week, and the state is trialling a booking system for Covid testing.

South Australia reports one new case

SA premier Steven Marshall has reported one new case of Covid-19, linked to the Tenafeate winery cluster.

This is off the back of 23,410 tests.

Updated

There is an anti-lockdown protest planned in Sydney today. When asked about it, Hazzard sighs, and says he thinks it’s silly:

We live in a democracy and normally I am certainly one who supports people’s right to protest, but I actually think it is really silly. At the present time we’ve got cases going through the roof, and we have people thinking that it’s OK to get out there and possibly be close to each other at a demonstration. I just think that’s a bit silly.

NSW deputy police commissioner Gary Worboys said it was not the time to protest, but NSW police would attempt to ensure people are complying with the health orders:

NSW police are in a position where they will try and work with the organisers and the specific group leaders to make sure that they comply with the public health orders, and in fact we don’t get a situation where we end up with a spreading event in Sydney which would, of course, be disastrous, but police – there is additional police, there is a specific police operation around the protest and the events, and we want to work with the organisers and those people who are leading specific groups into the city or other places to make sure that it’s not an event that we regret.

That’s the end of the NSW press conference.

Updated

Hazzard says it is “really impossible to answer the question” on whether the modelling would suggest Sydney can exit the lockdown as planned at the end of next week.

He said a week ago they were hopeful the numbers would come down. They have now gone in the opposite direction.

Updated

Just back on the single bubble, Brad Hazzard refused to answer a question on how many cases of transmission have occurred during intimate partner visits – which are allowed.

It’s a huge source of frustration for single people in NSW that couples are allowed to still visit each other – even in large share houses – but people who live alone cannot have one visitor over.

Updated

Brad Hazzard says he has seen 'nothing in writing' to suggest NSW will receive extra Pfizer doses

Hazzard says he’s not aware of reports the prime minister will provide extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine to NSW from the national stockpile:

I can’t confirm that because I don’t know that. I’ve seen nothing in writing, if that has happened. One of the frustrations, I must say, that I’ve had – look, I’m just being open and honest here because there is no other alternative at this point. Last year I was frustrated and I think a number of other health ministers were frustrated because we never got to find out what was in the national stockpile of PPE, personal protective equipment, so we went about making sure in New South Wales our staff were protected.

I think we had one warehouse of personal protective equipment at the beginning of the year and we now have 10. If we can do the same and get vaccine from some other source, we would, but unfortunately the world is not that simple. I have no idea how much, if any, are in our national stockpile. I simply don’t know that. I would like to know.

Updated

Hazzard says NSW has considered allowing a single bubble – where people who live alone can nominate one other person to visit them as in Victoria – but appears to rule it out for the time being, given the spread of the virus among households:

We have actually considered it. And let me say I don’t think there would be any of us, anyone outside this building who do not know someone, and possibly themselves, who are suffering from the stressors of being isolated from families and friends. It’s rife – it’s everywhere.

For us, we have talked about it, but we are also really concerned at the moment about if we move down that path, whether the messaging would be clear on the major issue which is people coming together, as you just heard, and thinking it’s OK to come together in groups.

He indicates NSW could allow the single bubble down the track:

But I can promise you, we’ve spent quite a bit of time agonising about that one, and if we can just get to a certain point – I don’t know what that point is yet. Yeah, we want people to be able to have – if you are a single person, you should be able to have someone come in to you and sit with you.

He said in circumstances where people do need someone to visit, that can happen under care and compassionate reasons under the health order, but he says it is “a very, very difficult situation”.

Updated

Brad Hazzard says the decision out of national cabinet yesterday to delay the second dose of Pfizer shots from two weeks to six weeks was the second choice to getting more Pfizer from the federal government or other states:

Our preferred position then is to get greater access to Pfizer ... If we can’t get our friends in other states or our federal government to respond to our request, then how else can we do it?

And so the second – the alternative, the second choice – not the preferred choice – is to put out the second dose and try and get a much greater percentage of the population, particularly in south-west and the western part of Sydney, to have their first dose, and the reason for that is we know that when you’ve had your first dose, there is a greater – you have substantially increased protection against the virus, and so it’s not the best choice. It’s perhaps the only choice we are going to have if we don’t get some help from the federal government or from the other states and territories.

Updated

Ring of steel 'not the appropriate approach'

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has rejected Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ suggestion that there be a “ring of steel” placed around greater Sydney to prevent the spread of the virus outside of the locked down areas:

Look, Mr Andrews has his entitlement to deal with his community in the way he wants to deal with. I did notice that the police union in Victoria had expressed concerns about putting all your eggs in a ring-of-steel type concept. I don’t see that as being the appropriate approach. We already have limits in terms of workers being able to come out of the five most challenged local government areas at the present time. So I think that’s very appropriate as to the balance that we’ve struck to date.

Updated

NSW police deputy police commissioner Gary Worboys says there were 246 fines issued yesterday.

In Pyrmont, police were called to a house where eight people had gathered. In Riverwood, six people came together for a birthday party, and then in Belmont near Newcastle, where people can only have five people in their house, they found 10 people in the house and partying in the backyard.

Updated

McAnulty says 55 of the 139 people in hospital are under 55 years of age, 28 are under 35 years of age.

Of the 37 people in ICU, 36 are not vaccinated, and one is partially vaccinated, receiving one dose of AstraZeneca.

NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty says 18 cases in Pendle Hill arose from a mourning event, and showed how family gatherings can lead to outbreaks:

“It is an example of how families coming together, even in tragic times, can actually, when you are naturally grieving, can be a risk where Covid can easily take hold and spread among family members and then out to fair households and further afield.”

Hazzard calls for states to reconsider Pfizer refusal

Brad Hazzard says he is “disappointed” by the response from other states when New South Wales has asked for help in dealing with this outbreak.

He points out NSW sent staff to Victoria during the second outbreak:

Last year when Victoria was in trouble and, from this end, we were thankfully not suffering the same problems that our Victorian colleagues and friends were suffering, I personally said goodbye to a number of health staff who went down to Victoria and put their lives at risk – put their lives on the line.

I personally as health minister here stood proudly with them in this very building and welcomed many of them back, and what they told me was that they really did feel that they had risked their lives in going down there, but that was what they were prepared to do to support our friends in Victoria, our fellow Australians in Victoria.

He reminds the other states that NSW has taken more than half of all returned travellers in the country, and asks leaders to reconsider providing their own Pfizer supplies to NSW.

I certainly ask for the other leaders in our other states to reflect on that, because we need the Pfizer that they may have that they don’t have such a great need for at the present time.

We have a very young population in south-west and western Sydney and based on the advice that the federal government have given, after they took advice from their medical experts – there are many people in those areas at this stage that are really in need of Pfizer. We need them to have the Pfizer. I would ask again for that to be considered.

He also said:

I want to remind those other states and territories that, last time I looked, we were a Commonwealth – we worked together – and it disturbs me that all we’ve ever done to work together has just seemingly been cast aside.

Updated

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard pleads with people in Sydney to stay home, amid more cases of transmission in workplaces and in shops:

I want to stress again that, when we look at the numbers, what we see is transmission, particularly as a result of family members getting together when they just should not be getting together. We also are seeing transmission in shops and in other workplaces. Again, the message to the community is we really do need – you have come out in great numbers to be tested, but we don’t want you out at all from your home unless you are allowed to come out for one of the reasons that our chief health officer and her team have advised that you can come out for.

He also pleads with households to stop mixing, noting that with one family group mixing has resulted in 18 cases.

Updated

NSW Health also mentioned the death of a man in his 80s from south-west Sydney who died in Liverpool hospital yesterday, but says this figure was reported yesterday.

There are currently 139 Covid cases admitted to hospital, with 37 people in intensive care, 17 of whom require ventilation.

NSW records 163 new cases

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has reported the state has recorded 163 new cases, off another record 93,900 tests.

Eighty-seven are linked to a known case or cluster – 62 are household contacts and 25 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 76 cases is under investigation.

Seventy-three cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 26 cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Forty-five cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 19 cases remains under investigation.

Updated

NSW Covid update to be held at 11am

We are standing by for the daily NSW press conference, due to start in around ten minutes time.

Updated

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk has welcomed the news the Great Barrier Reef won’t be added to the “in danger” list of world heritage sites.

But she has called on the federal government to step up its action on climate change, including matching $2bn in funding for renewable energy, $270m for water quality, and $500m for land restoration:

“Today sets a clear time line now the for the Federal Government to show that it’s acting to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

“The eyes of the world are watching – especially with the 2032 Olympic Games. More has to be done.”

Updated

The Labor MP for the federal seat of Chifley, Ed Husic, whose electorate covers the Blacktown local government area, has told the ABC his constituents are confused, and concerned about the financial support they will be able to receive, after Blacktown was added to the LGAs where only essential workers are able to leave:

I am concerned in a number of fronts. The immediate one is about people being able to work, and how they will be able to earn a living through this period of lockdown, and the fact that financial support is quite frankly are nowhere near as strong as what they have been and are causing a great deal of confusion. People in my area, based on the calls we are receiving in the office, and the broader one is the one the whole nation is hanging on, which is to get the vaccine rollouts. [The] priority for the nation now is to get supply of vaccine and to ensure manufacture of vaccine here, so we can get as many people vaccinated as possible.

Husic said he would like his area to get more vaccine, but understands the position of other states as to why they don’t want their own supply redirected. He said GPs in his area were struggling to get vaccine supply:

I noticed in today’s coverage that the prime minister apparently told Premier Gladys Berejiklian that he was not in the business of taking vaccines out of the hands of GPs. Based on local experience here, he is not much good at getting vaccines in the hands of GPs here. In fact, 48 hours ago I had a conference call with a number of GPs in my area where they cannot work out a rhyme or reason behind how vaccine allocation is determined by the federal Department of Health. Some practices are getting more than they can handle, others not getting enough, others missing out.

He said vaccine hesitancy remained a “real and live issue” around the AstraZeneca vaccine, and said it showed the need for a mass public information campaign.

Updated

The NSW press conference will be at 11am as usual, but it appears the premier, Gladys Berejiklian will not be there.

The alert states it will be health minister, Brad Hazzard, NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty and NSW police deputy commissioner, Gary Worboys.

Updated

An anti-lockdown protest planned for Adelaide is extremely disappointing and undermines the ability of authorities to contain the spread of Covid-19 during the current outbreak, police say.

AAP reports the car rally protest is planned for Saturday but police have warned those taking part could face action if lockdown rules are breached.

“Those who are intending to protest are warned that police will be out and about watching for any unnecessary movement in direct deliberate violation of current restrictions,” police said in a statement.

“SAPOL will take positive action in deterring and preventing any unlawful activity.”

The protest comes after record testing picked up one new coronavirus case on Friday giving premier Steven Marshall “cause for optimism” that SA can emerge from its week-long statewide lockdown on schedule next week.

Friday’s single new infection came on the back of 23,572 virus swabs on Thursday with SA now into the fourth day of a seven-day shutdown.

“It’s early days but all of the early indications are positive,” Marshall said.

Updated

Victoria declares NSW 'extreme risk zone'

Since last night, Victoria has declared NSW an “extreme zone”, which is one up from a red zone.

Non-residents will be sent back except if they are one of the limited people with exemptions, which they must apply for before they arrive.

Residents will be put into hotel quarantine for 14 days.

People who arrive without a permit will be fined up to $5,452.

Normal red zone rules apply for SA, the ACT and Norfolk Island.

Updated

Queensland records zero cases

Queensland has reported no new cases, with over 14,000 test results returned.

The prosecution of whistleblowing former spy Witness K and his lawyer, Bernard Collaery, has now cost the Australian government $3.7m, new figures reveal.

The government’s external legal costs in connection with the high-profile cases have risen significantly since mid last year, when the tally was $2m.

The latest figures have prompted the independent senator Rex Patrick to describe the prosecution as “unjust” and “hugely costly”.

There’s also another anti-lockdown protest planned for today, AAP reports.

Police say they are concerned about “entitled” protesters planning to mass in Melbourne on Saturday.

They say the gatherings have the potential to thwart the state’s efforts to emerge from its fifth lockdown.

A rally involving a few hundred people could involve flares and the blocking of an inner-city bridge, chief commissioner of police Shane Patton said on Friday.

“Where you have the vast majority of Victorians doing the right thing, sitting at home, it’s such a sense of entitlement to say ‘I can go out and protest just because I disagree’ and potentially breach all of the CHO guidelines and spread the virus,” he told 3AW.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews labelled the idea of protesting against lockdown “ridiculous”.

“Protest against this virus by staying at home, following the rules and getting out of lockdown,” he said.

Updated

NSW to reportedly get more Pfizer from national stockpile

AAP is reporting NSW will get thousands of extra Pfizer vaccine doses from the national stockpile after the other states on Friday refused to allow their own vaccine supplies to be redirected.

The commonwealth will send the jabs from the national stockpile after other states and territories rebuffed the NSW government’s plea for more vaccines on Friday.

The prime minister’s office told AAP that the extra vaccines are in addition to 150,000 Pfizer doses already sent to NSW, and are expected to arrive within a week.

“Where there is potential to put more vaccines into NSW, even beyond what we are doing, of course we will seek to do that,” Scott Morrison said following a meeting with state and territory leaders on Friday.

“But we’re not going to disrupt the vaccination program around the rest of the country.”

His comments followed NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian’s appeal for extra Pfizer doses to vaccinate residents in the worst-hit local government areas.

Berejiklian’s request came as the state recorded 136 locally acquired cases on Friday and chief health officer Kerry Chant declared the situation a national emergency.

NSW was given an additional 150,000 doses of Pfizer and the same amount of AstraZeneca earlier in the month as the disease began to grip Sydney.

Other states would have had to redirect highly sought-after Pfizer supplies to meet the premier’s request.

Victoria, WA and Tasmania indicated they would not sacrifice their own state’s vaccine rollout.

Updated

12 new cases in Victoria, all linked

There were 12 new cases recorded in Victoria overnight, all linked to the current outbreak.

Pleasingly, 10 of the 12 were quarantining throughout their infectious period.

Updated

I have a story up this morning on how WhatsApp is trying to combat misinformation being spread through private messaging.

It’s harder than say, Facebook or Twitter because the messages aren’t public, but WhatsApp says it is now indicating when messages are being sent from contacts you don’t know, and limiting the amount of groups the messages can be sent to.

Australia shouldn't be singled out in reef danger declaration, Ley says

In non-Covid news, the environment minister, Sussan Ley, has been on ABC News Breakfast this morning to discuss the World Heritage Committee’s decision overnight not to put the Great Barrier Reef on the “in danger” list.

She said the Australian government has been given a deadline of February next year to report back on “what policies will be in place to help the reef recover”:

Remember that the technical advising bodies to Unesco have not visited and, if you like, inspected our reef and the brilliant management of $3bn of investment and all of the work that we are doing since 2012, nor have they looked at the latest science, some of which is very positive. So that mission is important and I welcome them as soon as they can arrive, and I welcome the showcasing of the wonderful work that our reef managers are doing.

Ley argued Australia should not be singled out for its climate change policies when it comes to the impact of climate change on the reef:

It was a callout on global not on Australia’s contribution to climate change. There was recognition in the committee last night that Australia cannot control the emissions trajectory of the whole world, but we are playing our part on the reef, and the various interviews by the bodies leading up to this decision clearly called out the global challenge of climate change, and the need, if you like, to showcase our Great Barrier Reef to demonstrate that.

If you read through what they said, they made it very clear: Why single out Australia? There are 82 properties on the World Heritage list that are at risk of high or very high climate change. Only our properties were singled out.

Ley said she has “never stepped away” from climate change being the biggest threat to the reef, but the “in danger” listing would have damaged Australia’s reputation and is usually only reserved after extensive consultation with a country that hasn’t done the things they’re supposed to.

Updated

Viral fragments found in Moss Vale

Late on Friday night NSW Health alerted that fragments of Covid-19 had been detected at the sewage treatment plant at Moss Vale in the NSW southern highlands when there were no known cases in this area. The department said this was of “great concern”.

Moss Vale area residents are asked to be vigilant for any symptoms and if they appear to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

Updated

The Northern Territory chief minister, Michael Gunner, has blasted a group of Victorian travellers for allegedly lying on their border entry forms so they could attend a wedding, AAP reports.

The six people, aged between 29 and 31, left Victoria – a declared hotspot – on 15 July and travelled into South Australia before arriving in Darwin on Tuesday.

“I’m furious that six wankers from Melbourne thought they could gamble with Territory lives for a holiday and a wedding,” Gunner said in a statement after NT police released a statement about the group’s alleged actions.

Officers found the group was staying at the Winnellie Hotel in a Darwin industrial area.

They have since been moved to the Centre for Nations Resilience quarantine facility where they will “spend the majority of their time in the Territory”.

“They’re now in Howard Springs and are collectively going to be about $30,000 poorer,” Gunner said.

“Our message is simple – don’t lie. Don’t come here if you’ve been in a hotspot. Don’t put Territorians at risk.”

Police issued each of the two men and four women with a $5056 infringement notice for failing to abide by the NT Chief Health Officer’s directions.

It will be alleged the group was travelling together and provided false information to border entry personnel on arrival in Darwin.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that these people were willing to put the rest of our community at risk by their selfish actions,” police commander Hege Burns said.

Updated

NSW Health lists new Covid exposure sites

Good morning and welcome to the live blog for Saturday. I’m Josh Taylor and will be taking you through the news of the day for Saturday.

New South Wales health officials will be spending this weekend developing a roadmap out of lockdown after the state recorded 136 cases of Covid-19 on Friday, with 53 of them not isolating during their infectious period.

Divisions are emerging in the federation, particularly between NSW and Victoria, after NSW sought more first doses of Pfizer, particularly focused on essential workers in south-west Sydney.

NSW was rejected by national cabinet, with the prime minister, Scott Morrison, confirming no Pfizer would be taken away from other states to meet this need:

We’re not going to disrupt the vaccination program around the rest of the country. That vaccination program is going and is hitting its marks and we want that to continue.”

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews was the most vocal against any redistribution of the vaccine. He has called on the state to put a “ring of steel” around greater Sydney, and argued he does not want vaccines redirected from Victoria to New South Wales while Victoria is also in lockdown.

National cabinet agreed to extend the wait period for second doses of Pfizer out to up to six weeks to maximise the supply of first doses in NSW, and the prime minister urged younger Australians to speak to their GP about getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Eyes will also be on Victoria and South Australia, which also remain in lockdown, reporting 14 and two new cases on Friday, respectively.

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