Australia news LIVE Victoria records 867 new local COVID-19 cases four deaths NSW records 863 new cases seven deaths Queensland records three new cases

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ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has warned Canberra residents will need to wait for restrictions to ease across the border in NSW before they can travel interstate, as the national capital recorded 13 new cases of COVID-19.

Eleven of the new infections were linked to known cases and two are under investigation. One person was in quarantine for their infectious period, while seven people were in quarantine for part of their infectious period.

ACT Chief Minister said there would be some “weird rules” in place in NSW regarding regional travel between October and December.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Eight people are on hospital and three of those are in intensive care requiring ventilation, two of whom are NSW residents.

Mr Barr said the ACT remained a COVID-19 hotspot and there were tight restrictions on anyone travelling to surrounding parts of NSW.

He said ACT residents wanting to travel interstate would be bound by rules in NSW as the state moved to allow fully-vaccinated residents only to travel to regional areas, likely at the end of October, before restrictions eased for unvaccinated people on December 1.

“Between now and then, there’s going to be this weird set of rules,” Mr Barr said.

Mr Barr said Canberra residents hoping to make their annual pilgrimage to the NSW South Coast for the summer holidays would “have to wait and see”.

“I think things will look a lot clearer post-December 1, when NSW will cease it’s vaccinated, not-vaccinated policy approach. Decisions about where you can travel in NSW are decision for the NSW government to make.”

He said although NSW, Victoria and the ACT had planned different paths out of lockdown, he expected the jurisdictions would move towards having similar travel arrangements in place.

“I don’t think there will be a different set of arrangements that Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania or South Australia will apply to distinguish ACT residents from NSW residents, and possibly even Victorian residents. We are likely to be locked out of those COVID-free jurisdictions for awhile longer.”

Mr Barr said the government was negotiating with Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg about providing financial aid to businesses in coming weeks and once the territory’s lockdown lifts on October 15.

That is when the government expects 80 per cent of residents aged 12 and over to be fully vaccinated.

Mr Barr said virus patients from regional NSW continued to be cared for in Canberra’s hospitals, and estimated they could eventually account for 50 per cent of patients in ICU.

Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman said there had been an increase in people with symptoms waiting five days or longer to get tested.

“As we consider easing our restrictions for the immediate future at least, it will be more important than ever for people to be diligent around checking the daily exposure sites as well as being aware of the symptoms and presenting for testing,” Dr Coleman said.

Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley said reports of 10-minute waiting times for people calling triple zero on Monday evening and ambulances “ramping” demonstrate the system is facing unprecedented levels of demand.

Ambulances were seen lining up outside the Northern Hospital at Epping in Melbourne’s north on Monday evening.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley.Credit:Jason South

Mr Foley said ramping was happening at Austin Health as well as Northern Hospital on Monday.

He said the base workload for the healthcare sector in 2021 had been “extraordinary”.

“In fact, what we really are going to see over the next month or two â€" those levels of demand are only going to increase further,” he said.

“And the levels of stress on our healthcare system are only going to increase … which is why we have to navigate our way through those gateways of the national plans [to] reopening.

“But at the same time, do that within the guardrails of protecting the fundamentals of our healthcare system.“

Mr Foley said there were measures in place to support and supplement the healthcare workforce.

He put the 10-minute wait time on triple zero calls, too, down to increased demand, and said now was not the time for people to be calling triple zero for non-urgent matters.

Good afternoon. Megan Gorrey here, I’m taking over the blog from Broede Carmody to bring you live updates throughout the afternoon.

If you’re just joining us now, here’s what you might have missed:

NSW has reported 863 new local coronavirus cases, as vaccination rates in the state continue to rise before the state’s lockdown eases on October 11. Health Minister Brad Hazzard said 85.7 per cent of people aged 16 and over in the state had now received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 60.4 per cent were fully vaccinated. There were seven deaths, including two patients who caught their infection in public hospitals: a woman in her 90s who caught the virus at Nepean Hospital and a woman in her 70s who caught the virus at Campbelltown Hospital. Residents in the western Sydney suburbs of Auburn, Punchbowl, Greenacre, Guildford, Bankstown, Penrith, Merrylands, and Blacktown are advised to be “extra vigilant” in monitoring for virus symptoms. An outbreak at a Bondi backpacker hostel has grown to 12 cases. BreastScreenNSW will restart mammograms for women across the state after pausing due to the Delta outbreak.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard provides a COVID-19 update on Tuesday.Credit:Kate Geraghty

Victoria has recorded 867 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. It’s the highest daily figure for Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic. An additional 140 cases have been added to yesterday’s tally and nine cases to Sunday’s tally due to test results “incorrectly recorded by a third-party software vendor”. Health Minister Martin Foley said isolating Victorians will be able to trial for a new app that could help interstate or international travellers to quarantine at home in the future. The state is on track to reach its 80 per cent first dose milestone today. This means that, from tomorrow, the 10km travel radius will be increased to 15km and some outdoor activities â€" such as golf and outdoor training â€" will return for the fully vaccinated.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley.Credit:Eddie Jim

Queensland has recorded three new local cases of COVID, including a truck driver who has been infectious in the community for one week. There are four cases in total today, but one of those - an aviation worker - was reported yesterday. Brisbane will for now avoid a lockdown, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urging people not to “panic”. She said masks would be mandatory indoors, with restrictions to return for aged care facilities. The NRL grand final will shift to Townsville if the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Brisbane forces the event to be moved from Suncorp Stadium.

The ACT has recorded 13 new cases of COVID-19, 11 of which are linked to known cases. One of those cases was in quarantine for their infectious period, while seven people were in quarantine for part of their infectious period. Eight people are on hospital and three of those are in intensive care requiring ventilation, two of whom are NSW residents. Chief Minister Andrew Barr said patients from regional NSW with the virus continued to be cared for in Canberra’s hospitals, and estimated they could eventually account for 50 per cent of patients in ICU. Mr Barr said he was speaking with the Federal Government about financial payments for businesses in coming weeks and once the territory’s lockdown lifts on October 15. That is when the government expects 80 per cent of residents aged 12 and over to be fully vaccinated.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the country’s medical regulator has approved rapid antigen tests for home use starting on November 1. This means people will be able to purchase self-testing kits for COVID-19 from pharmacies, convenience stores or online in about a month. The country’s COVID taskforce believes up to 90 per cent of people aged 16 and older could be fully vaccinated by the end of November, and the 70 per cent double dose target could be reached by the end of next month.

Currently, rapid antigen tests can only be performed under medical supervision.Credit:Kate Geraghty

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s attendance at major global climate talks is likely to hinge on whether he can get the Nationals to agree to support net zero emissions by 2050. Liberals in inner-city seats, who fear losing ground to independents advocating for greater action on climate change are calling on the PM to deliver a more ambitious plan (you might recall that Warringah’s Zali Steggall toppled former prime minister Tony Abbott at the last election). But some, such as Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan, say they are “deadset against zero net emissions”.

In overseas news, American singer-songwriter R Kelly has been convicted by a federal US jury in his sex trafficking trial. And US President Joe Biden has received his COVID-19 booster shot.

Victorian health authorities will be able to revise the gap between COVID-19 vaccine doses down from six weeks if they’re given certainty about vaccine supply through October, the state’s Health Minister says.

Martin Foley said during Tuesday’s COVID-19 update said authorities were doing “a lot of work” on revising down the gap.

Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson asked federal department why Victoria was not reducing the time between doses back to three weeks.Credit:AP

“We need to make sure that the vaccine first ring of protection [is] provided to everyone, and that means as soon as we get to that point of protection, then the scheduling of the second dose might well be able to be brought forward,” he said.

“We hope that the certainty of supply across all three platforms - GPs, pharmacies, and state clinics - over October will give us that certainty, which will then allow us to bring that dose back to less than six weeks for the MRNA, Pfizer, and Moderna vaccines.

“[That] should then bring forward [the] all-important double-dose figures of 70 and 80 per cent.”

Mr Foley’s comments came after Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson asked federal department why Victoria was not reducing the time between doses back to three weeks.

“It seems like if there ever was a time when Victoria needed to ration and spread out the process that that’s clearly no longer the case,” Mr Paterson said.

“Victoria has the largest gap between doses - I think 42 days was the largest and some states that was low as 32 days, and that’s quite material in terms of when we’re going to hit those 70 to 80 per cent double dose targets.”

Up to 90 per cent of people aged 16 and up could be fully vaccinated by the end of November, the county’s COVID taskforce believes, and the 70 per cent double-dose target could be reached by the end of next month.

Lieutenant-General John Frewen has told Senate estimates those dates could change depending on the number of people who continue to come forward. However, Operation COVID Shield believes that 70 per cent of the eligible Australian population over 16 could be reached towards the end of October, and an 80 per cent double vaccination rate could be reached in November.

“It’s conceivable that we could get to 90 per cent, if the public keep coming forward, by the end of November start of December, that’s a best-case [scenario],” General Frewen said.

He added that NSW is likely to reach the 70 per cent target “in about a week’s time” and 80 per cent later in October, and potentially reach 90 per cent within the first two weeks of November.

The ACT could reach 70 per cent within the next fortnight, 80 per cent in mid to late October and 90 per cent by the start of November.

The general said Victoria could reach that 70 per cent-mark by the end of October, 80 per cent shortly after and 90 per cent by the end of November.

“I’ll note that those three lockdown states are anticipated to reach those three levels potentially ahead of all other jurisdictions,” General Frewen said.

The vaccination targets of 70 and 80 per cent were set by national cabinet as part of the recovery plan to start easing public health restrictions and increasing international arrivals as more of the population is fully immunised.

Victoria’s deputy health secretary Kate Matson has provided a breakdown of today’s 867 local coronavirus cases:

More than 50 per cent are in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, including 270 in Hume, 125 in Whittlesea, 88 in Moreland, 43 in Darebin, and 24 in Banyule;

At least 138 in the western suburbs, including 55 in Melton, 51 in Wyndham, 54 in Brimbank, and 28 in Moonee Valley;

Eighty-one in the south-east suburbs, including 45 in Casey, 20 in Port Phillip, and 16 in Greater Dandenong;

Thirty-eight in the eastern suburbs, including 14 in Maroondah, 14 in Knox, and 10 in the Yarra Ranges;

Twenty-eight in regional Victoria, including 12 in the Latrobe Valley, five in Mitchell, two in Baw Baw, two in Geelong, one in Horsham, one in Corangamite, one in Warrnambool, two in Shepparton, one in Gannawarra, and one in the Macedon Ranges.

Ms Matson flagged particular points of interest, including a construction site in Richmond, which had so far been linked to 11 positive cases and about 300 close contacts.

She said 29 cases had now been connected to an aged care facility at Meadow Heights.

Health Minister Martin Foley said there had been a gathering of a number of households in the Latrobe Valley to result in some cases, which was “regrettable”.

“People don’t think [the rules apply] to them,” Mr Foley said.

“People think we’re all good, [but it] just takes one case with this highly infectious Delta variant, until such time as we’ve got the levels of vaccination where we want them to be, for these kind of outbreaks to occur.”

NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale says rapid antigen testing will be “part of a toolkit” of measures in managing COVID-19 going forward, but specifics such as how these tests will be reporting have not yet been figured out.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced earlier this morning that the tests had been approved for at-home use from November 1.

“It’s clearly great to have more tools in the toolkit of options for testing and we’ll be looking at the best ways to deploy that,” Dr Gale said.

She said some of the considerations if the tests were able to be purchased by individuals would include how those tests would be reported, noting getting the results from at-home tests “may be operationally challenging”.

“We’ll be looking at those issues and looking at what practical settings [for the tests] actually makes sense as we go forward in a setting where we have to treat COVID like an endemic disease, more like flu,” she said.

Earlier this morning, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said police would not be doing vaccine passport checks in cafes and other businesses once the state reopens, but would be able to assist a business if someone was trying to contravene the public health order.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard was asked at this morning’s press conference if this might place too much pressure on business owners to restrict access to their premises based on vaccination status.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard addressing the media at Tuesday’s coronavirus update. Credit:Kate Geraghty

He said he was “quite confident that, in terms of enforcement of the law, police will enforce those orders”.

The Health Minister said the onus was on an individual to be vaccinated when they entered a restricted premises, noting that some businesses may decide to continue to have those rules beyond December 1.

“Businesses will be able to make their own decision whether they want to have the risk of having people in their property when they’re not vaccinated,” he said.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has announced that people isolating at home in the state will be asked to pilot a new app.

The app is opt-in, and may be used to help people who are returning from interstate or eventually from overseas.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley.Credit:Eddie Jim

The app sends people random alerts asking them to check-in by taking a selfie, and then uses location technology to confirm their identity and their location.

“This is a voluntary pilot, and it’s one that’s been conducted by a number of states as part of the national cabinet decision to trial alternatives to hotel quarantining,” Mr Foley said during today’s COVID-19 update.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has confirmed his state’s road map out of lockdown will mean the unvaccinated in some regional areas not currently in lockdown will soon re-enter stay-at-home orders.

A number of regional councils are currently operating with the restrictions which will be in place for fully vaccinated people across the state from October 11, for all of their residents.

From that date, people who are fully vaccinated in these areas will continue to live under those settings, but those who are unvaccinated will re-enter lockdown.

“As we have made those decisions about how we try to bring our entire state out, there have been some difficult decisions,” Mr Hazzard said.

“And I think the community need to understand that nothing is perfect in a pandemic.”

Asked if some of those areas had been disadvantaged by supply issues, Mr Hazzard admitted it had been a challenge but said “right now there is more vaccine available in this country than we probably could have dreamed of”.

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