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| NSW Covid update confirms 199 new local cases; Qld records 16 cases; parliament resumes – politics live | NSW Covid update confirms 199 new local cases; Qld records 16 cases; parliament resumes – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow latest updates | Follow latest updates |
| Scott Morrison has given his MPs a pep talk about how they are a good team, and “great teams know how to win”. | |
| He says that MPs will need to work hard on the ground in the lead-up to the next election, reminding voters of the “broader plan, broader vision” outlined by the government in the budget, as well as talking about Australia on the other side of the crisis once vaccination rates reached at least 70%. | |
| Morrison also spoke at length criticising Labor’s $300 vaccination incentive plan, saying Anthony Albanese underestimated the Australian people and the idea was a “bankrupt proposition”. | |
| “He does not understand how Australians are responding to the crisis, he has lost his belief by thinking he needs to bribe Australians, he doesn’t know the Australian people”. | |
| The deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, also said the idea was a dud, suggesting Labor would also pay people to brush their teeth or get a measles shot. | |
| On the government’s election prospects, Joyce pointed to the Olympic performance of Peter Bol as inspiration, saying he had “made his move 80 metres to the end”. | |
| “Running your race and tactics is how you win; you don’t win your whole race at the front.” | |
| He also said “we will win”. | |
| Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, has just finished up providing a quick update on the Covid situation in the state. | |
| Of the four new cases (who were all in isolation for their infectious period), two are connected to the Young and Jackon’s exposure site, one is a household contact of the Coolaroo family outbreak, and one is a workplace contact for the Moonee Valley testing site worker. | |
| There are 10 cases in hospital, with three in intensive care and one on a ventilator. | |
| Over 90% of the primary close contacts from the latest outbreak have now been cleared. Around 3,000 remain. The over 500 close contacts linked to the lacrosse apartments are getting to their day 13 tests. | |
| There is still a strong rate of compliance overall, Sutton said. Victoria recorded its highest ever day for QR code check-ins on Saturday, with 6.1m in total, and 11m across the whole weekend. | |
| He said the record should continue to be broken because it is vital in tracking outbreaks: | |
| Sutton talked down the potential for rapid antigen tests to be used in Victoria, stating “we are not in a space now where it would provide much additional value”: | |
| He said there were no plans at this stage to bring forward the easing of restrictions, stating the current settings will be in place for two weeks in total. | |
| And you’ve got a couple of minutes to grab a cup of tea (or something harder) before we head into prime minister’s press conference in just a couple of minutes. | |
| In the midst of that, Victoria held its update. | |
| Here is some of what Victorian CHO Brett Sutton said (Victoria announced four new cases – all were in quarantine as linked contacts to known cases). | |
| Sutton: | |
| OK, let’s go through that: | |
| NSW has recorded 199 new cases in this cluster | |
| At least 82 of those people were in the community for all or part of their infectious period | |
| 47 of the 199 cases are still under investigation | |
| 250 people are in hospital | |
| 53 people are in the ICU | |
| 20 people are on ventilators | |
| Gladys Berejiklian cannot say whether the case numbers have peaked as yet or not | |
| Vaccinations remain the focus of the NSW response | |
| Berejiklian wants to see “close to zero” infectious cases in the community before lockdown lifts, but won’t say what that number is, or even a ballpark | |
| Rapid testing will be made on offer at NSW schools | |
| Issues with booking vaccinations are being addressed | |
| Gladys Berejiklian ends the press conference by again saying she is not sure if NSW is through the worst of the outbreak as yet: | |
| Q: Just on that age group because it’s a crucial age group. A lot of those people would be holding out for Pfizer so when are we getting our big Pfizer drops? | |
| Dr Kerry Chant: | |
| Q; In terms of year 12, is there a strategy being developed? Obviously students in south-west and western Sydney will be vaccinated but thousands elsewhere will go back to school in a week-and-a-half and there’s a lot of angst that these students are sitting ducks for the virus pause a lot of them can’t get vaccinated because they’re under 18. Is there in considering to focusing vaccination on that age group? | |
| Dr Kerry Chant: | |
| Q: We’re hearing reports of aged ware workers in the bush in Newcastle and Orange having their vaccine appointments cancelled because the Pfizer is being redirected to students in the city. How concerned are you that that is happening because they could end up losing their jobs because of a mandated vaccine? | |
| (We are hearing those reports as well – thank you to those who have been contacting us.) | |
| Dr Kerry Chant: | |
| Q: Do we know how soon we can get that third booster shot? There’s some suggestion it could be six months so everyone who had AstraZeneca in Sydney will be 40% less protected than everyone with Pfizer? | |
| Dr Kerry Chant: | |
| Q: Longer term, do we go through a process – say we get to 80% in November – do we do them every year, because people haven’t had booster shots, risk more restrictions coming back in. because booster levels aren’t high enough? | |
| Dr Kerry Chant: | |
| Q: We want people to be taking AstraZeneca but something that’s holding them back is the efficacy. Atagi is saying that with the shortened time frame, two shots of AstraZeneca will get you 55% protected. With Pfizer it’s 95% protected. | |
| That’s a tough sell and some people are choosing to wait. Can you convince people that 55% is good enough? Is there a possibility of a third booster shot that could lift that efficacy? | |
| Dr Kerry Chant: | |
| NSW Health is looking at getting rapid testing in for schools, particularly for HSC students. | NSW Health is looking at getting rapid testing in for schools, particularly for HSC students. |
| Back to the NSW update, Gladys Berejiklian is being asked about students going back to school: | Back to the NSW update, Gladys Berejiklian is being asked about students going back to school: |
| The Doherty Institute modelling will be released at midday, when the prime minister will hold a press conference. | The Doherty Institute modelling will be released at midday, when the prime minister will hold a press conference. |