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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records nine deaths and 295 new cases with 19 in NSW – latest news Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records nine deaths and 295 new cases with 19 in NSW – latest news
(32 minutes later)
Schools and aged care homes closed after two women who returned to Brisbane from Melbourne test positive. Almost 20% of aged care facilities in Victoria affected as crisis deepens. Follow liveSchools and aged care homes closed after two women who returned to Brisbane from Melbourne test positive. Almost 20% of aged care facilities in Victoria affected as crisis deepens. Follow live
Hello to you all. A mighty thanks to Calla for her efforts today.
I’ll be with you into the evening. If you want to get in touch (either with a news tip, a thought, or because you’ve created some sort of Brett Sutton-related ephemera), send me an email at luke.henriques-gomes@theguardian.com or a note on Twitter @lukehgomes.
On that note I will leave you in the hands of Luke Henriques-Gomes who will take you through the afternoon.
I’m torn between encouraging Melburnians in lockdown to channel their energy into making art, and advising against freaking out the Victorian chief health officer by buying a face mask featuring a (admittedly very good and locally drawn) illustration of his face. So just stay safe and try not to alarm any public health professionals.
Victoria has recorded 1,431 cases of Covid-19 in the past seven days, according to the state’s department of health and human services.
DHHS sent out the full list of cases so I want to run through some of the most significant numbers.
Firstly, as of today there are 4,839 active cases of Covid-19 in Victoria – that’s 1,431 more than last Wednesday, 22 July.
Forty-eight people have died in Victoria the past week after testing positive to Covid-19. Victoria has now recorded 92 deaths in people positive to Covid-19 since 1 January.
There are now 1,418 cases classified as indicating community transmission in Victoria, up 302 from this time last week. The state’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, said earlier that about 50 cases were being added to that list every day.
There are now 307 people with Covid-19 in hospital and 41 in intensive care, an increase of 102 people in hospital from this time last week. Premier Daniel Andrews said part of that increase is due to aged care residents being moved to hospital.
There are now 804 active cases associated with aged care outbreaks, up 421 from last week. And 315 more healthcare workers have tested positive to Covid-19 in the past week. As of today there are 502 active cases.
And in the past seven days Victoria has performed an additional 168,100 Covid-19 tests. As of today, 1.5m tests have been performed in Victoria since 1 January.
Hunt says that private aged care facilities have higher rates of infection than public, state-run aged care facilities in Victoria because most of the state-run facilities are located in regional Victoria, outside of hotspot areas.Hunt says that private aged care facilities have higher rates of infection than public, state-run aged care facilities in Victoria because most of the state-run facilities are located in regional Victoria, outside of hotspot areas.
He repeated that the outbreaks in aged care in Victoria now are not the same as the outbreaks in Newmarch House in Sydney.He repeated that the outbreaks in aged care in Victoria now are not the same as the outbreaks in Newmarch House in Sydney.
Aged care residents have made up 7% of all new coronavirus cases reported in Victoria since 1 July, and 5% since 1 April, Hunt said.Aged care residents have made up 7% of all new coronavirus cases reported in Victoria since 1 July, and 5% since 1 April, Hunt said.
Again, you’ll recall that yesterday Hunt strongly linked the Victorian aged care crisis back to failures of the hotel quarantine regime, but today there is “no criticism” on offer.Again, you’ll recall that yesterday Hunt strongly linked the Victorian aged care crisis back to failures of the hotel quarantine regime, but today there is “no criticism” on offer.
Asked why aged care wasn’t prepared, Hunt said “aged care around the country has been immensely prepared”.Asked why aged care wasn’t prepared, Hunt said “aged care around the country has been immensely prepared”.
You may recall Hunt said yesterday that the outbreak was foreseeable but not preventable.You may recall Hunt said yesterday that the outbreak was foreseeable but not preventable.
About 500 nurses and other healthcare workers have been pulled in to supplement the aged care workforce so far. McMillan said she was grateful for that work.About 500 nurses and other healthcare workers have been pulled in to supplement the aged care workforce so far. McMillan said she was grateful for that work.
The chief nursing and midwifery officer Alison McMillan, who is the lead health advisor on the aged care response, urged aged care workers to use counselling and support services if needed.The chief nursing and midwifery officer Alison McMillan, who is the lead health advisor on the aged care response, urged aged care workers to use counselling and support services if needed.
Buffone said managing workforce shortfalls was the biggest issue.Buffone said managing workforce shortfalls was the biggest issue.
He added:He added:
Joe Buffone, an emergency management expert who usually works in firefighting, is managing the aged care joint response centre in Melbourne. He says it is an “unprecedented and extremely complex and difficult situation”.Joe Buffone, an emergency management expert who usually works in firefighting, is managing the aged care joint response centre in Melbourne. He says it is an “unprecedented and extremely complex and difficult situation”.
Buffone said the joint centre is looking at and prioritising aged care outbreaks to ensure that “decisions around disease control are directly linked to operational decisions to maintain the functionality of that facility, but still with the focus on the care and safety of those residents”.Buffone said the joint centre is looking at and prioritising aged care outbreaks to ensure that “decisions around disease control are directly linked to operational decisions to maintain the functionality of that facility, but still with the focus on the care and safety of those residents”.
He said the centre is also focused on providing a rapid response”.He said the centre is also focused on providing a rapid response”.
He said the first thing they have agreed is that the hospital system will “outreach into these facilities” – that’s moving hospital nurses in, as Andrews announced yesterday.He said the first thing they have agreed is that the hospital system will “outreach into these facilities” – that’s moving hospital nurses in, as Andrews announced yesterday.
Ausmat teams will be used to “bolster our rapid intervention so that when we have these complex outbreaks that escalate quickly, we have the leadership team, the multidisciplinary team to help stabilise the situation, support the owner and operator of the facility, to make sure that the residents there are looked after”.Ausmat teams will be used to “bolster our rapid intervention so that when we have these complex outbreaks that escalate quickly, we have the leadership team, the multidisciplinary team to help stabilise the situation, support the owner and operator of the facility, to make sure that the residents there are looked after”.
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, has been speaking about the aged care response in Melbourne, from the joint response centre which was stood up this week. He noted the number of deaths in Victoria overnight, and said it was a “difficult day”.
Hunt said that 5% of all Covid-19 cases reported in Victoria since April are people in residential aged care.
As of 9.30am, he said, there are 440 aged care residents who are positive to Covid-19, and 27 aged care facilities with at least one positive resident.
You’ll note those figures are slightly different to the ones I set out below, which are from the Victorian government.
I wanted to set out some of the numbers for the aged care outbreaks in Victoria.
In total there are 804 active Covid-19 cases spread across 87 facilities – though the majority are at about a dozen facilities, many others just have one or two positive cases.
Of those 804 cases, 474 are residents and 419 are staff. An additional 59 people are contact cases.
These figures do not include people who have died after testing positive to Covid-19. To date, 46 people have died in connection to the aged care outbreaks.
The worst outbreaks are:
Estia aged care facility in Ardeer. Ninety-one cases total, including 49 residents, 41 staff members, and one close contact.
St Basil’s home for the aged in Fawkner. Eighty-nine cases total, including 56 residents, 28 staff members, and five close contacts.
Epping Gardens aged care in Epping. Eighty-six total cases, including 59 residents and 27 staff members.
Kirkbrae Presbyterian homes in Kilsyth. Seventy-nine cases total, including 41 residents, 30 staff members and eight close contacts.
Menarock Life aged care facility in Essendon. Sixty-two total cases, including 19 residents, 25 staff members and 18 close contacts.
Estia aged care facility in Heidelberg. Fifty-six total cases, including 20 residents, 34 staff members and two close contacts.
Glendale aged care facility in Werribee. Fifty-four total cases, including 26 residents, 19 staff members and two close contacts.
BaptCare Wyndham Lodge in Werribee. Fifty-one total cases, including 26 residents, 24 staff members and one close contact.
Outlook Gardens aged care facility in Dandenong North. Forty-four total cases, 19 residents, 21 staff members, four close contacts.
Arcare aged care facility in Cragieburn. Forty-one total cases, including 24 residents, 17 staff members.
Labor’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Penny Wong, has commented on the Ausmin meeting held in Washington DC overnight and said that Australia’s key focus must always be to “protect and promote Australia’s national interests, in a world that has become more unstable”. You can read Daniel Hurst’s report on that meeting here.
Wong said Ausmin was “the single most important opportunity in which Australia can express our interests within our alliance with the United States, which of course remains our principal security relationship and has strong bipartisan support”.
On the agreement to allow the US to establish a military fuel reserve in Australia, Wong said:
You may recall that this issue came up at the start of the pandemic, when it was revealed we did not comply with International Energy Agency obligations to have 90-days of fuel on hand.
Wong also criticised the Australian government for not pushing harder on the trade deal between the US and China, which she said could disadvantage Australian farmers and exporters.
Western Australia has recorded two new cases of Covid-19, both in returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
The two people who tested positive are a man in his 70s and a man in his 30s.
It brings the state’s total number of Covid-19 cases since 1 January to 661.
Police in NSW have charged a 45-year-old woman from Ambarvale with assaulting hospital staff after she allegedly kicked at a nurse and spat and and bit a security guard at the Liverpool hospital in Sydney.
In a statement police said they were called to Liverpool Hospital just after 7am yesterday.
The woman was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three counts of common assault, offensive behaviour, and other offences.
She was also charged under public health orders for spitting in the hospital, and refused bail to appear in court today.
In an unrelated incident, police said, they fined the owner of a bakery in Kogarah $5,000 for failing to comply with Covid-19 requirements by not keeping a register of patrons who dined-in.
The Bureau of Meteorology provided “more than 100” briefings to government about the increased risk of bushfires ahead of Australia’s horror summer, a Senate inquiry has heard.
The chief executive officer of the bureau, Dr Andrew Johnson, said this included briefing the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, in August and December 2019 about the “increased bushfire risk”.
He told the Senate inquiry into the bushfires:
The inquiry heard from a range of climate scientists earlier on Wednesday, and Johnson was also asked by Labor MP Murray Watt about the link between bushfires and global heating.
He said that long-term warming and drying, in bushfire areas, is “strongly linked to climate change”.
He added that this advice was “nothing new” and was “openly available” to the general public as well as parliamentarians.
He really does look exhausted.
For those keeping count: this is the 27th straight day in which Daniel Andrews has given the Covid-19 update. Time to tag someone else in and have a nap.
You might have read the post earlier in which my colleague Paul Karp asked Scott Morrison what he was doing on the issue of paid pandemic leave, and Morrison said he was discussing it with industrial relations minister Christian Porter.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) also heard that question, and provided us with this comment from secretary Sally McManus:
Closing the Queensland border to greater Sydney does, of course, have an impact on professional sport.
More details on that and what it will mean for the ever-changing AFL and NRL hubs, here:
Gladys Berejiklian has taken a swipe at Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision to close Queensland’s border Sydney, telling reporters it “hurts the smaller states” to shut themselves off from New South Wales and saying “it would have been nice if she told me” about the decision.
In her press conference earlier today, Palaszczuk announced Queensland would declare all of greater Sydney a Covid hotspot and close its border to anyone from the city from 1pm on Saturday, saying “we must protect Queensland”.
Speaking at the same time in Sydney, Berejiklian confirmed she had not been given prior warning of the decision but said it was a matter for Queensland.
Asked if she was informed of Queensland’s decision prior to the announcement Berejiklian said: