Summary
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will be rolling up his sleeve to get a coronavirus vaccine “very, very soon”, telling reporters in Sydney that he and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly would receive the Pfizer vaccine soon. State premiers and federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine when it becomes available from next month.
- Victoria has recorded three new cases of locally acquired COVID-19, all linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak; NSW has continued its run of 33 days without community transmission of coronavirus, reporting just two new cases in hotel quarantine; and Queensland has also recorded no new cases in the community or hotel quarantine.
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “very proud” of his home state, giving a glowing review of NSW’s pandemic management. There was a “reasonable expectation” that a vaccine will lead to more freedoms, he said.
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Did you bring home COVID? Wife sues husband’s employer for infection
By Joel Rosenblatt
A US federal judge is weighing what she called a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that would hold an employer responsible for a worker’s spouse getting sick with COVID-19.
Plenty of American families have sued businesses, from retailers to meatpacking plants, claiming that unsafe workspaces during the pandemic caused a worker’s sickness. But Corby Kuciemba and her husband Robert Kuciemba are going an extra step by blaming his employer, Victory Woodworks, for spreading the illness into his household.
It’s the first legal case of its kind: If your partner contracts the coronavirus at work, is their employer liable? And it’s happening in America.Credit:AP
“This is the first time someone is making the claim that if you have COVID and you live with someone who has a job, you can sue the employer for potentially having given you COVID,” said Bill Bogdan, a lawyer for the company.
US District Judge Maxine Chesney’s decision about whether to let the case proceed will serve as a barometer for similar suits throughout the world’s largest economy.
Chesney signalled at a hearing last week that she’ll probably throw the case out because Corby Kuciemba’s claim is “wholly dependent” upon her husband getting sick at work. Because his injury is addressed by worker’s compensation, Robert is precluded under the law from suing the company directly.
It was unclear if Chesney might go further and decide whether an employer’s duty to provide a safe workspace for employees – which includes protecting workers from exposure to contagious illnesses – extends to other family members.
The couple alleges that Victory Woodworks violated local and federal virus safety guidelines when it moved workers from one site to another in the San Francisco region. The company’s failure to take basic precautions caused Robert Kuciemba to contract the virus and unknowingly bring it home and infect his wife, according to the complaint, which states that both husband and wife required extended hospital stays and suffer from after-effects.
Bloomberg
In lockdown, will shop: the rise and rise of the $2000 dress
Even with few places to go, customers are snapping up Zimmermann’s top-priced dresses.
For some light entertainment on this Friday lunchtime, here’s our national fashion editor Melissa Singer with her tale of how anti-loungewear sentiment paid off for a couple of shrewd Australian designers:
In the darkest days of lockdown, fashion designers and brands generally fell into two camps: those who “pivoted”, diversifying into everything from masks to tracksuits, and those who stuck to their guns.
Nicky Zimmermann, of Zimmermann, and Carla Zampatti both fell into the latter group.
On the eve of the unveiling of her latest collection, Zimmermann says the brand’s refusal to bow to the loungewear trend paid off; the $2000 dresses in the collection that just hit stores have largely sold out, even with many of its key overseas markets still in various stages of lockdown.
“We understand that [for many people] parting with cash is hard, and there’s the question of where you’re going to wear it ... Our customer still, no matter what, appreciates the detail and the beauty ... and that they will be wearing it at some point,” she says.
Even though the brand is doubling the knitwear quotient compared to last winter, Zimmermann says they received a “clear sign” that their customers didn’t want them to pivot to more casual wear.
“We’re not going to become a lounge, cashmere tracksuit brand, it’s just not going to happen. I’m not interested in it ... it’s really important to stay in your zone,” she says.
Zampatti agrees that although she offered her customers a velvet trouser and rollneck top as a pandemic-friendly alternative, sales of dresses, jackets and coats continued right throughout 2020, a validation of her decision to stick to what she’s become known for over more than 55 years.
Weak traces of COVID-19 in Melbourne’s wastewater prompt more warnings
By David Estcourt and Rachael Dexter
Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar has urged residents of Melbourne’s south and south-east to be vigilant for COVID-19 symptoms after a few “unexpected wastewater detections” across surveillance sites.
The Victorian Health Department advised last night that weak traces of COVID-19 had showed up in wastewater samples taken on Monday and Tuesday this week in the Wantirna South/Boronia, Carrum Downs/Langwarrin and St Kilda East/Caulfield areas.
“Over a number of weeks now we’ve again stepped up the granularity of our wastewater sampling across the metropolitan area,” Mr Weimar said.
“Although we have no obvious connections between the new locations ... we are therefore asking people in a couple of areas to be prepared and be vigilant for any potential symptoms they may have.”
Mr Weimar said that although they were unexpected, he wasn’t “excessively worried” about the detection.
“If you’re in those catchment areas, and if you feel you have any reason to be concerned about any symptoms you might be showing, no matter how slight, we really would ask you to come and get tested today,” Mr Weimar said.
The sites include:
- Wantirna South or Boronia from Saturday, February 13, to Monday February 15 (includes parts of Bayswater, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield and Tremont)
- Carrum Downs or Langwarrin from Saturday, February 13, to Tuesday, February 16 (includes parts of Skye)
- St Kilda East or Caulfield North from Saturday, February 13, to Tuesday, February 16 (includes parts of Balaclava, Caulfield and Elsternwick)
33 days in a row: NSW records no new locally acquired cases
By Mary Ward
NSW has continued its run of days without community transmission of coronavirus on Friday, reporting two new cases, both in hotel quarantine.
The new cases bring the state’s total since the start of the pandemic to 4956.
It has now been 33 days since NSW last reported a locally acquired coronavirus case.
There were 16,970 tests reported to 8pm last night, a slight drop on the previous day’s total of 20,906.
Speaking at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital earlier today, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged anyone with symptoms to get tested even though front-line workers would start to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from Monday.
“The second that we’re complacent, community transmission will occur and we’ll go backwards and that’s something we don’t want,” the Premier warned.
Holiday Inn outbreak primary close contacts now 3515
By David Estcourt
Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said the number of primary close contacts related to the Holiday Inn outbreak has now topped 3500.
“We currently have, for the Holiday Inn outbreak, a total of 3515 primary close contacts,” he said.
“My thanks to people who continue to come forward around some of the exposure sites that we can work with them.”
Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar and Health Minister Martin Foley.Credit:Jason South
Mr Weimar said, however, that health authorities had cleared around 500 people associated with the Grand Hyatt outbreak, which was sparked by a 26-year-old resident support officer who had been working as part of the Australian Open quarantine program.
“We had a total of 1507 primary contacts associated with the Grand Hyatt outbreak. We now have around 942 left. We contacted around 350 people yesterday to stand them down.”
A child, both parents among Victoria’s latest cases
By David Estcourt
Victoria’s three new COVID-19 cases are from the same family: a child and both its parents.
Health Minister Martin Foley has revealed the connection at this morning’s Victorian press conference.
“The three cases are from the same family, two parents and a child,” Mr Foley said.
Victoria’s three new cases completed hotel quarantine at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport.Credit:Getty
“Two members of that family were previous residents of level three at the Holiday Inn in Tullamarine airport.”
“One member of the household, who was not at the Holiday Inn, was considered a secondary contact, and had been isolating with the family … all have been quarantined at home during their infectious periods.”
He said interviews were continuing today with the family.
“We thank the family for ... being isolated throughout their entire infectious period” Mr Foley said.
Watch: Victorian COVID-19 update
Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley and COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar were in front of the cameras today for the state’s daily coronavirus briefing in Melbourne. You can watch it here:
Another doughnut day for Queensland after almost 10,000 tests in 24 hours
By Toby Crockford
Queensland has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 in the community or hotel quarantine after the state completed almost 10,000 tests over 24 hours.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has previously set a daily target of 5000 tests. In the 24 hours to Friday morning, the state notched up 9277 tests. There are only six active cases left in Queensland.
Queensland Health data revealed virus fragments were found 110 times in wastewater across the state between July and December last year.
The top locations for positive results for SARS-CoV-2 were Goodna (11 samples) south-west of Brisbane, Coombabah on the Gold Coast (10), Loganholme (nine) south of Brisbane, Wynnum (six) in Brisbane’s bayside, Cairns North (six), Elanora on the Gold Coast (six) and Fairfield (six) in Brisbane’s south.
However, not all the results were released to the media at the time they were detected, with publication linked to “targeted public health messaging”.
PM will have Pfizer vaccine ‘very, very soon’
By Mary Ward and Rachel Clun
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will be rolling up his sleeve to get a coronavirus vaccine “very, very soon”, flagging he will be vaccinated early in the rollout to boost public confidence.
Mr Morrison, 52, does not fit into the high-risk groups in phase 1a of the federal government’s rollout strategy, who will start to receive their vaccines on Monday. Instead, Mr Morrison was slated to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine during phase 2a of the rollout.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison watches pharmacist Branko Radojkovic prepare a simulated vaccine in Sydney on Friday.Credit:Kate Geraghty
However, Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney that he and the nation’s Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, would receive the Pfizer vaccine soon, while state premiers and federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine when it is made available from next month.
Federal Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy has also previously indicated he would receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“It is important for us as leaders – and this is my health advice that I demonstrate,” Mr Morrison said.
“I’m happy to get it: I think it is important people understand it is safe. There is no way I can say that more than rolling up my sleeve and getting the vaccination.”
‘Reasonable expectation’ vaccine will lead to more freedoms: PM
By Mary Ward
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will wait for health advice before making any decisions regarding freedoms granted to Australians once the nation is vaccinated but says it is a “reasonable expectation” that mass vaccination will lead to changes.
“I think it is a reasonable expectation that as time goes on, as the vaccination rolls out across the world and here in Australia, you should rightly expect that things will change and how we manage the virus,” he said, adding that he had spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi yesterday about the implications of vaccination on movement within the Asia-Pacific region.
Asked about a vaccine passport system, the Prime Minister said it was a process Australia was still discussing with other nations.
He said he supported statements made by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian that she would be choosing workers for her state’s hotel quarantine system based on willingness to have the vaccine.
While his current health advice is to not mandate the vaccine for workers in high-risk settings, Mr Morrison said he was “strongly encouraging” Australians to get a jab.
Ms Berejiklian said “all feedback” she had received on the issue was that workers involved in the hotel quarantine system were “enthusiastic” about receiving their vaccine.
Asked if she would make this mandatory in a Public Health Order, the Premier said she would “watch and see”.
“I’m completely happy and comfortable for there to be incentives for people to take the vaccine. I think that’s a positive way to do it rather than penalising people who don’t take the vaccine.”
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2021-02-19 01:13:00Z
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