Andrews government likely to lift lockdown on Wednesday night
By Paul Sakkal and Annika Smethurst
The Victorian government is likely to lift the state’s five-day lockdown on time at 11.59pm tonight, barring any new COVID-19 cases that present new concerns for health officials.
On Tuesday, the public health team provided advice that the Holiday Inn outbreak was well contained, according to a government source. So far, all cases have been able to be immediately linked back to the hotel and testing numbers have been strong, indicating the virus is not spreading undetected in the community.
Key ministers were consulted on Tuesday about reopening if case numbers remained stable.
Ministers are again meeting this morning to deliberate on the easing of restrictions. While it is likely the lockdown will be lifted, the final decision has not been made and is subject to change.
The government has flagged that some restrictions will remain even after the lockdown has eased.
On Wednesday, the state recorded no new COVID-19 cases for the first time since February 9, with almost 40,000 tests processed over the past day producing negative results (see 8.35am post)
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Victoria records zero new COVID-19 cases
By Craig Butt and Jamie Brown
Victoria has recorded no new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the state’s health department has confirmed.
It’s the first time there have been no new cases recorded in Victoria since February 9 (last Tuesday):
There are currently 25 active cases in Victoria.
While the ‘double doughnut’ of no new local or overseas-acquired cases is the headline figure, a significant number is the record testing figures yesterday.
A total of 39,258 test results were processed in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic.
The previous record was January 4, when there were 35,059. Back in 2020, the most tests in a single day were carried on July 24, when there were 34,873.
Government hints early March for vaccination of people over 70 who are not in aged care
By David Estcourt
The vaccination of people aged over 70 may begin in early March, but the federal government doesn’t have a specific timeline yet.
Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said the rollout would depend on the supply of vaccines and the availability of locally produced vaccines that have begun to be bottled this week (for more pics see post below).
Locally produced vaccine vials coming off a Melbourne production line on Tuesday afternoon.
“As we’ve always said is dependent on the ramping up of supply and availability of vaccine coming into the country, and of course the availability of the locally, manufactured capacity, Mr Colbeck told ABC’s Radio National on Wednesday morning.
“As soon as we’ve got that availability, we’ll be letting people know.”
Mr Colbeck said that due to limited supply and prior purchasing agreements different Australians would be receiving different vaccines, depending on supply and location.
“Everyone will be offered a vaccine, both vaccines are safe, and they work and so that’s the important thing for us to ensure that everyone has the availability of a vaccine,” he said.
In pictures: the first AstraZeneca vaccine vials produced in Australia
Over the past few months, photos of vaccine vials have become a regular occurrence on the blog (see the post below this one for an example).
Now, we have some photos of some of the first vaccine vials that were produced in Australia:
One of the first vials of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured at Sequiris/CSL in Melbourne
Some of the first doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine have started rolling off the production line at the Sequiris/CSL plant in Parkville in Melbourne yesterday afternoon.
Some of the first vials of the locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine.
The vaccine was granted provisional approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Tuesday.
The Pfizer vaccine, which will start being rolled out in Australia to high priority groups from next Monday, cannot be manufactured locally and has to be imported from overseas.
‘There’s no age limit’: AstraZeneca boss confident vaccine is safe for over-65s
By Mary Ward
The president of AstraZeneca Australia has said she is confident the company’s coronavirus vaccine is safe for over-65s, after it was provisionally approved by the TGA for all adults on Tuesday.
“[The TGA has] concluded that it’s safe and effective to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to all adults over the ages of 18 years, so there’s no age limit,” local AstraZeneca boss Liz Chatwin told ABC News Breakfast.
“While we have still more data to come, as you know, this is a global pandemic and we’re collecting data all the time, we have seen strong immune responses in all people aged over 65, and also 100 per cent of people in this age group exhibit antibodies.”
Tick of approval: The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been cleared for use in Australia.Credit:AP
In its approval on Tuesday, the TGA said the vaccine was approved for all adults, but doses for over 65s would be given on a case by case basis, as occurs with all medical treatment.
Head of the TGA Professor John Skerritt on Tuesday said the organisation “recommended” older people should get the vaccine.
“To probably reassure people in this age group, tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been given to people around the world and many of those have been aged 65,” Ms Chatwin said.
Ms Chatwin said the first of Australia’s 3.8 million imported doses of the vaccine would arrive in time for vaccinations to begin early next month.
“We’re not sure exactly which state it will land in but certainly will be here in time to start vaccinating from early March.“
Australia also has an agreement with AstraZeneca to produce 50 million doses of the vaccine at CSL’s facility in Melbourne, the first of which are expected to be made available later that month.
Ms Chatwin added that people would begin to experience an immune response three weeks after the first of their two AstraZeneca vaccine doses, which have been recommended to be given at 12 weeks apart.
“After three weeks there’s 100 per cent protection ... against severe disease, hospitalisations and death, and that protection lasts until the second dose is given 12 weeks later.”
Premier’s office won’t confirm Wednesday restriction ease
By David Estcourt
Yesterday Premier Daniel Andrews refused to ruled out extending Victoria’s “circuit-breaker” lockdown, saying it is too early to make a call about relaxing restrictions.
Victoria’s Holiday Inn coronavirus cluster grew to 17 cases as another woman tested positive after attending a family function with an infected hotel quarantine worker.
The woman, whose three-year-old child also contracted the virus at the family function on Sydney Road in Coburg on February 6, is considered to be “case 17″ in the Holiday Inn cluster.
“She is asymptomatic and she was swabbed four times over the 13th and 14th variably returning both negative and weak positive results,” Mr Andrews said of the woman.
“Given her exposure and the variability of those results, the public health team has taken the most conservative approach and have deemed her a positive case.”
WorkSafe issued improvement notices to Victoria’s health department over Melbourne Airport virus protocols
By Richard Baker
WorkSafe Victoria has issued improvement notices to Victoria’s then-Department of Health and Human Services and COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria (CVC) in relation to their virus protocols at Melbourne Airport.
A government source with knowledge of WorkSafe’s action told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the notices were issued in late January, about a week before what is known as the Holiday Inn Melbourne airport cluster emerged when a family of three returned positive test results for the UK strain of the virus.
The improvement notices had been issued before Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared the state’s hotel quarantine arrangements were “gold standard” and more stringent than other states.
WorkSafe issued an improvement notice to the health department over its handling of infection control at Melbourne Airport.Credit:Jason South
The Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn cluster grew to 19 people on Tuesday. It prompted Mr Andrews to last Friday place the entire state under a five-day hard lockdown, which he described as a “circuit breaker” to halt the spread of the virus into the community.
Mr Andrews is due to announce later today whether the lockdown will end or be eased as planned at 11:59pm on Wednesday evening.
While it is unclear what caused WorkSafe to issue the improvement notices to the health department and CQV, officials from both agencies were given written instructions on what needed to be fixed and by when.
The next step up from an improvement notice from WorkSafe is a prohibition notice. Had one of these been served on the health department and CQV in relation to their protocols at Melbourne Airport, it would have likely shut down a crucial part of Victoria’s hotel quarantine arrangements.
Avalon Airport in talks with state government to establish cabin-style remote quarantine program
By David Estcourt
Avalon Airport executives are in talks with the state government to establish a series of self-contained cabins on the airport’s land to assist with hotel quarantine arrangements.
Avalon Airport chief executive Justin Giddings said the cabins would be designed so that frontline workers, several of whom have caught COVID-19 in the course of their work, would not have to enter the facilities while residents were present.
“The cabins would be all self-contained so they would have in their cooking amenities, they would have a toilet in their washing facilities, even cleaning facilities,” Mr Giddings told Radio National.
Avalon chief executive Justin Giddings airside at Avalon Airport in Melbourne back in 2013.Credit:Mal Fairclough
“They could do everything inside - the whole purpose would be that the workers or the facility would not have to go inside with them at all.“
Mr Giddings said he thought it would take around two months to establish about 50 cabins on the land, which Avalon Airport leases from the federal government, and which the state government would have to pay for.
“If the state wants to control the whole thing and pay for the whole thing then that’s fine by us as well so we’re simply offering the site, offering the opportunity to do it you know area which is 10 kilometres from any other residential communities.“
Mr Giddings said the plan was an attempt to have the airport become active again after nine months of few local flights and no international arrivals.
No new COVID-19 cases raise hopes New Zealand will end lockdown
For a second consecutive day, New Zealand reported no new community cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, raising hopes that a lockdown in Auckland will be lifted Wednesday.
Just how three family members contracted the disease remains a mystery. After the cases were found, top lawmakers hurriedly placed New Zealand’s largest city into a three-day lockdown.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the final decision by lawmakers on whether to lift the restrictions will depend on any new information or cases that crop up over the next 24 hours.
Minister for COVID-19 Response Chris Hipkins, pictured with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, announced the new cases on Sunday.Credit:Getty Images
“A day when we get zero positive test results is always a good day,” Mr Hipkins said.
The outbreak began when an Auckland mother, father and daughter caught the disease. The mother works at a catering company that does laundry for airlines, and officials have been investigating whether there is any link to infected passengers.
AP
Melbourne Airport warns of ‘significant work’ for quarantine facility
By Aisha Dow, Melissa Cunningham and Michael Fowler
A custom-built quarantine camp looks likely to be built near one of Melbourne’s airports, with Premier Daniel Andrews saying there was a “compelling argument” for the facility.
He said the hub would be modelled on the Howard Springs site in the Northern Territory, and revealed senior officials were well advanced in planning, which will include investigating parcels of land near Melbourne and Avalon airports.
Avalon Airport, operated by Linfox, owned by billionaire Lindsay Fox – a friend and occasional confidant of Mr Andrews – seems the more likely of the sites with a Melbourne Airport spokeswoman saying “significant work” would be needed to build a facility at Tullamarine.
The remote Howard Springs quarantine facility outside Darwin is highly rated.Credit:Louise Radcliffe-Smith
Mr Andrews said on Tuesday the state government was considering options for a purpose-built accommodation hub outside the CBD to replace or to run in tandem with hotel quarantine.
“It’s more than just scoping it, we are going to get on and build a facility,” Mr Andrews said.
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2021-02-16 21:46:00Z
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