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Australia Covid live update: Victoria records 26 new cases; SA braces for more infections; 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)
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Okay, let’s talk about the press conferences today. This isn’t Australian news but it’s still worth getting across the situation in Zhengzhou at the moment.
So far it looks like we are going to have NSW at 11am (AEST), and SA at 11.30am (AEST). At least 25 people have died so far in the floods.
(This is 11am for those in SA). Nine news is reporting that NSW case numbers will be more than 120 today. This hasn’t been independently confirmed by us yet but Chris O’Keefe has been pretty reliable so far with numbers.
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. We will find out for sure in about 90 minutes.
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. Wow! That person in the middle there looks like a great boss! She gives off the vibe of someone who runs a brilliant Australian media organisation, but more than anything she seems like she would have great taste in picking someone to run a daily new live blog:
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. A private boys’ school in Perth that charges up to $27,000 a year in fees received more than $7m in jobkeeper subsidies in 2020 while declaring an operating surplus of more than $8m.
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. The Hale school in Perth counts cabinet minister Christian Porter and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith as alumni.
Asked about Queensland chief health officer, Jeannette Young, and her warning against AstraZeneca, Morrison said: According to the school’s annual report, it received $7.45m in jobkeeper payments last year. At the same time, the school declared an operating surplus in 2020 of $8.31m and also offered discounts to parents.
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”. Jobkeeper subsidies were the second-largest source of income for the private school in 2020, contributing more than commonwealth funding, state funding and boarding fees.
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. You can read the full report below:
Morrison then made a full throated appeal to Queenslanders: A nursing home in Sydney’s south is in lockdown after a nurse tested positive for Covid.
NSW Health says visitors and non-essential staff should not enter The Palms in Kirrawee, and affected staff – some of whom are not vaccinated – have been isolated and will be tested within the next 24 hours, according to AAP.
The home released a statement last night:
OK, let’s talk about the press conferences today.
So far it looks as though 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 that he 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 the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Morrison said he respects Atagi, and the government has “acted consistently with their recommendations”, but, given the greater risk of Covid-19 now, he was querying how the Delta outbreaks would impact their advice.
Asked about Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young and her warning against AstraZeneca, Morrison said:
Morrison said 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”.
The PM revealed that 60,000 people under 40 had received the AstraZeneca vaccine since he encouraged them to talk to their GP in late June.
He 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.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.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.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.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.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.
Lisa Millar:
Annastacia Palaszczuk:
Here is what the Queensland premier had to say about it this morning when asked by ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar:
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.
Millar:
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.
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:
*silence*
Palaszczuk:
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.
Annastacia Palaszczuk:
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:
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.
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.
Here is what a spokesperson for the market just posted on Instagram: