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| Australia news live update: Victoria records 39 Covid deaths, NSW 35 and Qld 18; Pfizer boosters approved for teenagers; PM responds to Grace Tame photos | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow all the day’s news | Follow all the day’s news |
| There have been 92 deaths of people with Covid-19 reported so far today. | |
| NSW has reported 35 deaths in people with Covid-19 overnight, 2,737 people in hospital and 13,333 new cases. | NSW has reported 35 deaths in people with Covid-19 overnight, 2,737 people in hospital and 13,333 new cases. |
| Victoria has reported 39 deaths in people with Covid-19 overnight, 988 people in hospital and 12,755 new cases. | Victoria has reported 39 deaths in people with Covid-19 overnight, 988 people in hospital and 12,755 new cases. |
| Queensland has reported 18 deaths, 12 of those in aged care. There were 9,974 new cases reported and 818 people in hospital, with 54 in ICU. | |
| Tasmania has reported 584 new cases of Covid-19 overnight, with 19 people in hospital. | Tasmania has reported 584 new cases of Covid-19 overnight, with 19 people in hospital. |
| We will update this post as the numbers come in from other states and territories. | We will update this post as the numbers come in from other states and territories. |
| Queensland chief health officer, Dr John Gerrard, said he did not expect the hospitalisation numbers would be so low. There are currently 818 people in hospital, 54 in intensive care. | |
| Gerrard says that the peak of cases has passed on the Gold Coast and while there is no clear fall anywhere else in the state, “the situation in most of Queensland outside of the Gold Coast is very stable and we are expecting to see falls sometime in the next seven days.” | |
| Palaszczuk says it appears Queensland is coming to the peak of Covid-19 cases. She says the peak has passed on the Gold Coast, and it appears to be cresting in Brisbane and the southeast. | |
| She is releasing modelling that was presented cabinet on Monday, which showed how bad authorities in Queensland were expecting things to get. | |
| Palaszczuk said the number of health staff furloughed was also down. | |
| Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says that Queensland has reported 18 deaths in people with Covid-19, 12 of which were in aged care. One of the deaths was also a person in their 30s who was not vaccinated. | |
| It’s one of the worst days of the pandemic so far for the sunshine state. | |
| Palaszczuk also noted it is two years to the day since the first Covid-19 case was reported in Queensland. | |
| Victorian health minister Martin Foley is speaking now. | |
| He says 38% of children aged five to 11 in Victoria have now received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, before school goes back next week. A further 12,991 kids in that age group are booked in to receive their first dose at state run clinics next week, and there are more than 82,000 appointments for kids in that age group available over the next 30 days. | |
| The Victorian government is also holding pop-up vaccine blitzes targeting school communities with reduced access to general practitioners and pharmacies. | |
| There are also walk-up appointments available for children at the Sandown Racecourse, Dandenong Plaza vaccination Centre, Caroline Springs Leisure Centre, the Campbellfield Ford Factory Complex, the St Albans hospital and the Melton vaccination hub. | |
| Former Liberal government staffer, Rachelle Miller, has responded to prime minister Scott Morrison’s comment that he greets everyone who comes to the Lodge with a smile. Morrison was responding to a question about whether he felt “disrespected” by outgoing Australian of the Year, Grace Tame, who had a neutral expression during a photo op earlier this week. | |
| The Victorian health minister, Martin Foley, will give a press conference shortly. | |
| At the risk of tempting fate, it’s worth pointing out that despite the concern about rising petrol prices, the pain at the bowser has actually been easing lately. | At the risk of tempting fate, it’s worth pointing out that despite the concern about rising petrol prices, the pain at the bowser has actually been easing lately. |
| As I note in this piece, most capital cities have had a drop in fuel prices in the past week or longer even with global oil prices at seven-year highs, and ongoing concerns about whether Russia will invade Ukraine. | |
| Still, petrol prices rose about one-third in 2021 and were a significant contributor to nudging underlying inflation to the highest level – perhaps not coincidentally – since 2014. | |
| Meanwhile, it’s worth keeping an eye on where Australia’s electricity prices are headed because the RBA has cited their relative stability as one reason why we weren’t facing the same inflationary pressures as in the US, EU, UK and so on. | Meanwhile, it’s worth keeping an eye on where Australia’s electricity prices are headed because the RBA has cited their relative stability as one reason why we weren’t facing the same inflationary pressures as in the US, EU, UK and so on. |
| Well, that was short of true. New data out today from Aemo, the electricity market operator, showed wholesale power prices were heading higher as 2021 came to an end, and future markets were pointing to further rises. | Well, that was short of true. New data out today from Aemo, the electricity market operator, showed wholesale power prices were heading higher as 2021 came to an end, and future markets were pointing to further rises. |
| It’s a nuanced tale because renewables – which offer near zero-cost fuel once set up – are rapidly advancing. In the December quarter they made up a record of almost 35% of the National Electricity Market (which serves about 80% of Australians). | |
| But rising coal and gas prices – which are linked to overseas trends – meant that when they set the wholesale market price it was higher for buyers. | |
| Still, there were a bunch of interest records set in the quarter, as you can read here: | Still, there were a bunch of interest records set in the quarter, as you can read here: |
| Chant said another 35 people, in addition to those previously reported, had died in aged care facilities in south-western Sydney between 2 and 20 January. | |
| There was a delay in reporting those deaths to the health department, she said. | There was a delay in reporting those deaths to the health department, she said. |
| NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, is now running through the list of people who died with Covid-19 overnight. | NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, is now running through the list of people who died with Covid-19 overnight. |
| Twenty of those who died were men, 15 were women. | Twenty of those who died were men, 15 were women. |
| One person was in their 40s, two were in their 60s, six in their 70s, 11 in their 80s, four in their 90s and one person was more than 100 years old. | One person was in their 40s, two were in their 60s, six in their 70s, 11 in their 80s, four in their 90s and one person was more than 100 years old. |
| Eight of the 35 had received three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, 15 had received two doses, and 12 were not vaccinated. | Eight of the 35 had received three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, 15 had received two doses, and 12 were not vaccinated. |
| He said that additional public transport services would be provided to ensure students could travel to school in a Covid-safe way. | He said that additional public transport services would be provided to ensure students could travel to school in a Covid-safe way. |
| There will be an additional 3,400 buses and an extra 200 train services in both mornings and afternoons for students. Anyone over the age of 12 is required to wear a face mask on public transport. | There will be an additional 3,400 buses and an extra 200 train services in both mornings and afternoons for students. Anyone over the age of 12 is required to wear a face mask on public transport. |
| Perrottet said every school that starts back in NSW next week has now received their rapid antigen tests, to allow for two tests per student and teacher for surveillance testing for the first four weeks. | Perrottet said every school that starts back in NSW next week has now received their rapid antigen tests, to allow for two tests per student and teacher for surveillance testing for the first four weeks. |
| Perrottet said ideally parents would pick up their child’s rapid antigen tests before school starts back but he said not to worry if you can’t organise it – the school will hold them until you can pick them up. | Perrottet said ideally parents would pick up their child’s rapid antigen tests before school starts back but he said not to worry if you can’t organise it – the school will hold them until you can pick them up. |
| He also said there are no set days that the tests have to be completed provided you do two a week. | He also said there are no set days that the tests have to be completed provided you do two a week. |
| Perrottet says the health system is still under strain, but compared to modelling put out a few weeks ago it is tracking well. | Perrottet says the health system is still under strain, but compared to modelling put out a few weeks ago it is tracking well. |
| The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, is giving an update on the Covid situation now. | The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, is giving an update on the Covid situation now. |
| He says they are “tracking within capacity and in a positive trend as well”. | He says they are “tracking within capacity and in a positive trend as well”. |