This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/jul/22/australia-covid-live-update-lockdown-covid-gladys-berejiklian-nsw-victoria-southaustralia-sa-coronavirus

The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Australia Covid live update: SA braces for more cases; Sydney outbreak moves west Australia Covid live update: Victoria records 26 new cases; SA braces for more infections; Sydney outbreak moves west
(32 minutes later)
Follow all the latest newsFollow all the latest news
The anxious wait for the Victorian numbers has started every one. Okay, let’s talk about the press conferences today.
So far it looks like we are going to have NSW at 11am (AEST), and SA at 11.30am (AEST).
(This is 11am for those in SA).
No word on the Victoria press conference time yet, but if they schedule it anywhere between 10.30am and 12pm I will begin to scream and I may never stop.
Scott Morrison has hit the radio waves in Brisbane to say various formulations of “how good are the Olympics” - but he’s also been asked about Atagi’s advice on AstraZeneca, and what Australians should do now Morrison is publicly barracking for the advice to change.
On 4BC Radio, Morrison said “no doubt” Australia would’ve been in a better position if the Atagi warning had not been applied to AstraZeneca.
Morrison said that he respects Atagi, and the government has “acted consistently with their recommendations” - but he said, given the greater risk of Covid-19, he has queried how the current Delta outbreaks will impact their advice.
Asked about Queensland chief health officer, Jeannette Young, and her warning against AstraZeneca, Morrison said:
Morrison said that Atagi had made “some suggestions” (that Pfizer is preferred for those 59 and under) and that others should consider whether the benefits outweigh the costs. That is why the government had encouraged people to talk to their GP, and exercise “informed consent”, which means “we don’t mandate” people to take vaccines but “we don’t prevent you from taking them either”.
Morrison revealed that 60,000 people under 40 had received the AstraZeneca vaccine since he encouraged them to talk to their GP in late June.
Morrison then made a full throated appeal to Queenslanders:
Yesterday Victorian chief health officer Prof Brett Sutton said people should draw confidence from the proportion of daily cases isolating for their entire infectious period rising from just 6% on Monday to 73% on Wednesday.
Well, I just did some quick maths and today that has risen to 92.3% of cases who were in isolation the whole time.
On the downside, this is the highest number of cases Victoria has seen since September, and the testing number is down by more than 10,000 from yesterday.
As expected, Victoria’s numbers are up slightly today, with 26 local cases overnight.
The good news is that 24 out of the 26 cases were in quarantine throughout their entire infectious period and all of the cases are linked to known outbreaks.
Here is that opening ceremony exchange in video – for if you want the whole experience:
The anxious wait for the Victorian numbers has started, everyone.
As a Melburnian, I will be a nervous wreck until they come out.As a Melburnian, I will be a nervous wreck until they come out.
Millar: Lisa Millar:
Palaszczuk: Annastacia Palaszczuk:
Here is what the Queensland premier had to say about it this morning when asked by ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar:Here is what the Queensland premier had to say about it this morning when asked by ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar:
Palaszczuk: Annastacia Palaszczuk:
I’ve known John for years. So what’s happened now is that the Lord Mayor and the federal minister and I are expected to go. So I will leave that to John Coates and Thomas Bach. But let me make it clear - I am not going to offend anyone now that we’ve just been awarded the Games. I’ve known John for years. So what’s happened now is that the lord mayor and the federal minister and I are expected to go. So I will leave that to John Coates and Thomas Bach. But let me make it clear – I am not going to offend anyone now that we’ve just been awarded the Games.
Millar:Millar:
Palaszczuk:Palaszczuk:
Hmmmm, this is interesting. So yesterday there was an awkward exchange between the Queensland premier and Australia Olympic Committee president John Coates when he publicly ordered Annastacia Palaszczuk to attend the Tokyo opening ceremony.Hmmmm, this is interesting. So yesterday there was an awkward exchange between the Queensland premier and Australia Olympic Committee president John Coates when he publicly ordered Annastacia Palaszczuk to attend the Tokyo opening ceremony.
She has been asked about it on ABC just now but, before I get into that, here is the transcript. A warning, it’s a little tricky to know exactly what’s going on and, honestly, the video doesn’t help much either:She has been asked about it on ABC just now but, before I get into that, here is the transcript. A warning, it’s a little tricky to know exactly what’s going on and, honestly, the video doesn’t help much either:
Coates:Coates:
*silence**silence*
Palaszczuk:Palaszczuk:
Coates:Coates:
Honestly, seeing this I understand a bit better why Palaszczuk was saying it was imperative that she went to Japan to attend the Games. I wouldn’t want to cross Coates either.Honestly, seeing this I understand a bit better why Palaszczuk was saying it was imperative that she went to Japan to attend the Games. I wouldn’t want to cross Coates either.
Annastacia Palaszczuk:Annastacia Palaszczuk:
Just so you know, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is 10/10 pumped for Brisbane to host the Olympics in 2032.Just so you know, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is 10/10 pumped for Brisbane to host the Olympics in 2032.
Here she is reacting to the news on ABC News Breakfast:Here she is reacting to the news on ABC News Breakfast:
Interestingly, it doesn’t look like the Prahran Market hasn’t been added to the official Victorian exposure site website yet.Interestingly, it doesn’t look like the Prahran Market hasn’t been added to the official Victorian exposure site website yet.
The only exposure site listed for Prahran is the Goodlife Health Club Prahran on Chapel Street: anyone who visited it between 12.45pm and 2.25pm on Wednesday 15 July must isolate for 14 days.The only exposure site listed for Prahran is the Goodlife Health Club Prahran on Chapel Street: anyone who visited it between 12.45pm and 2.25pm on Wednesday 15 July must isolate for 14 days.
A heads up to Melbourne blog readers, prahran market is now a tier one exposure site.A heads up to Melbourne blog readers, prahran market is now a tier one exposure site.
It looks as though a positive case visited the popular fresh food market in the city’s inner east on Saturday 17 July.It looks as though a positive case visited the popular fresh food market in the city’s inner east on Saturday 17 July.
Here is what a spokesperson for the market just posted on Instagram:Here is what a spokesperson for the market just posted on Instagram:
Oooh, this will be fun. We will hear from Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in about 15 minutes, speaking to ABC News Breakfast from Tokyo.
SA premier Steven Marshall says there has been “no serious escalation” in the state’s Covid-19 situation overnight but he said there “are a couple of cases we will take a closer look at before any announcements”.
This is becoming a bit of a pattern in the last few days: a senior member of the federal government going to great lengths to avoid saying “sorry” for the Australian vaccine rollout.
This time it was ABC host Lisa Millar trying to pin down the treasurer Josh Frydenberg:
Millar:
Frydenberg:
Millar:
Frydenberg:
Millar:
Frydenberg:
Commonwealth treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been asked on ABC News Breakfast how long Australia can go with more than half of its population in lockdown before the country may be plunged into a second recession:
And over to Kieran Pender for big sports news from last night:
Here is personally my least favourite tweet in reaction to this announcement:
After you recover from that, you can read the full report below:
Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has just told Sunrise that he expects Australia’s September quarter to be in the red, which is somewhat unsurprising given that more than half of the country’s population is in lockdown:
According to the ABC, Victoria can expect a slightly higher number than yesterday’s 22 new local Covid-19 cases.
That number was already the highest the state had recorded in 10 months but there is hope that the majority of these new infections will be from close contacts who were already in isolation.
Federal Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally has raised the alarm that Scott Morrison will personally decide how to allocate $800m of manufacturing grants.
Labor’s government accountability spokesperson on Wednesday night warned that the Coalition’s modern manufacturing initiative would “bake-in” partisan spending and normalise recommendations that weren’t independent, as occurred in the sports rorts controversy.
Keneally used a speech to Deakin University’s accountability and rule of law workshop to renew Labor warnings that the latest budget contained 22 discretionary funds that allowed partisan spending.
The speech follows weeks of controversy about the $660m commuter car park fund. The Australian National Audit Office found its 47 project sites were handpicked by the government on the advice of its MPs and candidates.
You can read the full report below:
Hello everyone and welcome to Thursday.
It’s Matilda Boseley here. Why don’t we start today’s news coverage in South Australia, where a Covid-19 cluster of six grew to 12 yesterday afternoon.
Five of the latest cases are linked to the Tenafeate Creek winery at Yattalunga, north of Adelaide, with the sixth, a child under five, linked to a Greek restaurant in the city, where a number of infected people dined at the weekend.
After one of the cases – a man in his 40s – attended the winery, he went to a school campus in the town of Gawler on Monday, raising concerns for other staff and students.
The state’s chief health officer, Nicola Spurrier, said both the winery and the restaurant were now considered super-spreader sites.
In NSW health officials are worried that Sydney’s cluster is on the move again, leaking into vulnerable communities in the city’s west.
The lion’s share (50) of yesterday’s 110 cases still came from the south-west, but health authorities said they are particularly concerned about the 29 newly infected people in the western Sydney local health district.
NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty warned residents:
Oh, and also Brisbane won the 2032 Olympics or something, but we will get to that later. Let’s jump into the day!
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.