Australia COVID LIVE updates Victorias record day of 1965 new local cases NSW records 580 new cases as health authorities investigate new Delta strain
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Victoria is poised to reach its next double dose vaccination goals earlier than expected, according to health authorities.
The state was expected to reach 70 per cent double doses on October 26 and 80 per cent full vaccination on November 5, with additional freedoms to be lifted at each stage.
Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson confirmed the state was ahead of those targets, but could not confirm whether it would mean Melbourne’s lockdown would be lifted earlier than expected.
“I think it is possible that we hit the October 26 and November 5 dates earlier, if people do rush to their local vaccination sites, pharmacies and GPs,†she said.
“It’s in all our power to bring those dates forward and we’d love to see them as soon as we possibly can.â€
Creative Industries Minister Danny Pearson said the state would be watching the experience of NSW as they open up to help inform how Victoria exits lockdown.
Victoria will provide $15 million to support the creative industry through grants to workers and organisations as they cope with the state’s prolonged shutdown.
The funding is split into two packages.
Individual workers and micro-businesses can apply for one-off grants to develop new work, undertake professional development or reach new audiences.
Grants of up to $5000 will be available to individuals including sole traders and freelancers. Collectives, micro-organisations and business will be able to apply for grants of up to $10,000.
A further $10 million will be available for larger organisations of state significance.
These will include festivals, performing arts companies and others.
More information will be available at creative.vic.gov.au/grants-and-support
Victorian health authorities are no longer monitoring secondary close contacts, due to the sheer volume of cases being found in the state.
Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson announced the change on Saturday morning, saying primary close contacts may choose to notify their close contacts they are in isolation, but the secondary contacts will not need to isolate.
Around 16,000 secondary close contacts will receive a text message this weekend releasing them from quarantine. The measures are not changing for primary close contacts who have come in contact with a confirmed case.
Ms Matson said while the multiple rings of COVID-19 isolation had been “extremely successfulâ€, they change was an acknowledgement of the “changing risk, and the changing environment that we’re in, as we’re no longer chasing COVID Zeroâ€.
“This is good news for people who are isolating as primary close contacts because their household members will not need to isolate with them and they’ll be able to easily get the support they need,†she said.
“If anyone thinks they’ve been anywhere near a confirmed case or is concerned and developed symptoms, please go and get a test.â€
She said the measure had already been in place in Melbourne, but would now occur state-wide.
Victorian health authorities say a COVID-positive airline crew member travelled on flights across three states while infectious.
Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson said the Virgin cabin crew member had worked on six flights spanning Victoria, NSW and South Australia this week.
The positive case was found through routine testing of staff members, with all fellow crew members now isolating as close contacts.
The flights of concern include:
“Passengers on those flights are being contacted by the relevant jurisdictions and we’ve been in close contact with both NSW and South Australia, and working closely with them to contract for relevant passengers,†Ms Matson said.
Victorian health authorities say they are concerned about coronavirus case growth in the city of Mildura on the NSW border, after the number of cases went from one to 37 in a single week.
There were 20 new cases discovered in the city on Friday, with the border city going into lockdown at 11.59pm last night.
Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson said they were “particularly concerned†about the significant case growth in Mildura, with cases found in members of the Indigenous community.
“We believe there may be additional cases out there that we have not found,†she said.
“Today’s 20 new COVID cases are spread across a number of households, and there are links over into NSW. The total number of active cases in Mildura is now 37, and that’s up from one case one week ago.
“The next seven days will be crucial for us to have a really stringent public health response.â€
Ms Matson acknowledged the announcement that the city would be going into lockdown had come quite late, but the decision had to be made on the “latest adviceâ€.
“If there was any inconvenience caused by our late notice, we do apologise for that, but we will never apologise for taking the right public health actions to protect Victoria.â€
Ninety cases were discovered in regional Victoria yesterday and included in Saturday morning’s numbers.
Queensland has again reported no community cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Saturday morning.
However, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said three cases were reported from overseas.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 cases.Credit:Dan Peled/ Getty
Two people returning from Papua New Guinea have tested positive in hotel quarantine.
A third person, a mariner on a ship from Indonesia, has also tested positive.
The ship, which left Indonesia seven days ago, is now near Cape York.
Health authorities are now working with the ship’s owners to determine if the mariner needs to be removed from the ship.
A woman and four men have died from COVID-19 in Victoria, with more than 570 people in hospital with the virus.
Health authorities confirmed that a woman in her 90s from Moreland, a man in his 70s from Moreland, a man in his 60s from Banyule, a man in his 50s from Hobson’s Bay and a man in his 50s from Hume have died from the virus.
Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson said there were now 578 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 117 people in intensive care and 83 on ventilators.
Around 85 per cent of the eligible population over 16 have received their first dose, while 57 per cent of eligible Victorians have received two doses.
NSW has reported 11 deaths due to COVID-19 in the latest reporting period, as well as 580 new local cases.
The deaths were in three women and eight men, with one person in their 50s, one in their 60s, four in their 70s, two in their 80s and three in their 90s.
Four of the people were not vaccinated, three were fully vaccinated and four had received one dose.
Five people were from south-western Sydney, three were from western Sydney and three were from south-eastern Sydney.
Two of the deaths were at aged care facilities.
One, a woman in her 80s, died at the Hardi Guildford Aged Care Facility, in the sixth death linked to an outbreak at the facility.
The other person, also a woman in her 80s, died at the Allity Beechwood Aged Care Facility, and was the fifth death linked to an outbreak there.
There have been 425 deaths since the start of NSW’s latest COVID-19 outbreak in June.
Health authorities are hoping to see a “decoupling†of cases and hospitalisations as vaccination figures continue to rise across NSW.
However, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said people need to make their own health decisions as restrictions are eased.
“Individuals need to make their own decisions as we work through this, it takes two to three weeks after the second dose for immunity to kick in so I would ask that people are a little bit cautious about going out and about when they’re in that period,†Dr Chant said on Saturday.
“Everyone, as we move to live with COVID, has to also adhere to their personal responsibility around vaccination and physical distancing, not going out and about when you’ve got symptoms of COVID, this is very much a shared responsibility.â€
Dr Chant said that a further increase in first dose vaccinations beyond the state’s 90 per cent would give her “greater confidence and greater joyâ€.
“I have trust in the people of NSW and have trust in the framework.â€
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