Summary
- Western Australia is dealing with twin emergencies – a coronavirus lockdown and raging bushfires – as Perth residents enter their third day of a five-day hard lockdown after a quarantine hotel security guard contracted the highly contagious UK variant of COVID-19. There are no plans to end the lockdown early, even if testing continues to deliver zero new cases.
- Perth hotel quarantine security personnel did not have to wear masks even while working on the same floor as COVID-19 infected patients, says WA’s Health Minister Roger Cook. He has also admitted the state’s health authorities kept the nation in the dark about the positive case in a security guard for almost 12 hours.
- Victoria reached 28 days (four weeks) without a case of community transmission. NSW reported its 16th day without a local case on Tuesday, while Queensland clocked up its 22nd consecutive day of no locally acquired cases.
- The Reserve Bank board has held official interest rates at a record low 0.1 per cent while revealing plans to create another $100 billion to buy government debt.
- Captain Tom Moore, the British World War II veteran who raised millions of pounds for health service workers on the frontline of the battle against COVID-19, has died aged 100.
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WHO team in Wuhan won’t yet rule out COVID escaped from a lab: Sky News
The World Health Organisation team investigating the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan have not ruled out the possibility that the virus escaped from a lab, Sky News is reporting this morning.
Dr Peter Daszak – a disease expert and president of EcoHealth Alliance who is part of the WHO mission – has reportedly told Sky News: “We are seeing new information and it’s good, it’s very valuable stuff that is beginning to help us look at the right directions for this virus.”
A worker in protective gear carries an exercise dumbbell belonging to the World Health Organization team of experts as they prepare to leave from a quarantine hotel in Wuhan on January 28.Credit:AP
He said Chinese scientists, who have been conducting their own research into the origins of COVID-19, have been “sharing data with us that we have not seen before - that no one has seen before”.
“They are talking with us openly about every possible pathway. We really are getting somewhere and I think every member of the team would say that.”
The WHO team is scheduled to visit the Wuhan Institute of Virology today, where researchers have previously denied the virus emerged as a result of a leak at their laboratory.
“We’re all aware of the hypotheses around the potential involvement of the lab in this and we’re certainly going to ask questions about all of the key aspects of the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Dr Daszak reportedly told Sky.
“If there are data that point towards any hypothesis, we’ll follow the data, we’ll follow the evidence where it leads us. If it leads us to a seafood market and a cold chain, we’ll follow it there.
“If it leads us to a wildlife farm or a wildlife market we’ll go there. If it leads us to a lab we’ll go there. Everything’s on the table and we’re keeping an open mind.”
Dr Daszak has been tweeting about the WHO mission’s investigation, including its visit to the Huanan seafood market and the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital.
Victorian woman with COVID-19 in Philippines likely a ‘false positive’
By Ashleigh McMillan
A Victorian woman who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in the Philippines is likely to be a ‘false positive’, Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng says.
The woman in her 60s returned the positive test on January 31, shortly after arriving in the south-east Asian country, according to the Health Department.
Professor Cheng said “it is thought that it is probably going to be a false positive”, but more advice is being sought from overseas health authorities.
A health worker at a drive-through COVID-19 testing facility in Manila.Credit:AP
“Her family there and her travelling companion have also been tested, and I understand those tests are negative,” Professor Cheng said.
“We’re also seeking more advice from the Philippines authorities on the details of the test.
“There were some public health actions taken here, and we’re just waiting for further advice before standing those down.”
Monash Health freezers ready and waiting for Pfizer vaccines
By Ashleigh McMillan
Victorian health authorities say they are confident aged care workers will accept a coronavirus vaccine in order to protect their vulnerable patents, despite it not being mandatory.
Health Minister Martin Foley said while the vaccine was not compulsory for aged care workers, he expected take-up of the vaccine in Victoria to be significant.
An English patient receives a dose of the Pfizer vaccine inside Salisbury CathedralCredit:Getty
“We think both health care workers, hotel quarantine workers, residential aged care workers and the communities they look after will be very keen to be a part of this program,” he said.
Monash Health’s medical director of infection, prevention and epidemiology Rhonda Stuart said the organisation had been preparing since Christmas for the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine in Victoria.
She said while the Pfizer vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees, which presents “challenges”, Monash Health has two empty freezers which can stock up to 180,000 vaccines at one time.
Around 5000 Monash Health frontline staff who would potentially have direct contact with COVID-19 patients will be vaccinated from March.
“As soon as it hits our doors, we’ll be vaccinating our staff. We will vaccinate most of those staff within six weeks, as it takes three weeks to vaccinate one person, with a shot on day one and again on day 21,” Ms Stuart said.
Nine vaccine hubs with ultra-cold freezers for Victoria
By Ashleigh McMillan
OK, here’s an update for our Victorian readers: Health Minister Martin Foley has announced the government will establish nine new vaccine hubs to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after the state “technically eliminated” the virus today.
The nine Pfizer hubs will be based at Western Health, Austin Health, Monash Health, Barwon Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Latrobe Health, Bendigo Health, Ballarat Health and Albury-Wodonga.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley.Credit:Penny Stephens
The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be available to priority groups for vaccination from late February. The first people to be vaccinated in Australia include frontline health workers, hotel quarantine staff and aged care workers and residents.
As we mentioned earlier, Victoria has clocked up 28 days without a locally acquired case of coronavirus.
While that “technically equates to elimination of the virus”, Mr Foley said, he noted the pandemic has not ended.
“The pandemic is real and ongoing … there is a long way to go before we can claim it is over,” he said.
“We are working on the basis as soon as the vaccine is available, we’ll be in a position to start that rollout.
“The vaccine program is safe, effective and free. Historically we’ve seen very high rates of take-up from our health network … and we’d expect that to continue to be the case.”
‘Crazy conspiracies’: Plibersek confronts Kelly over COVID drug claims
And here is the full story from our chief political correspondent David Crowe:
Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek confronted Liberal MP Craig Kelly in Parliament House over his disputed claims about COVID-19 today, telling him he is putting public health at risk.
A series of photos showing Tanya Plibersek and Liberal MP Craig Kelly having a robust discussion as they cross paths in the corridor of the press gallery in Canberra.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Ms Plibersek, a former health minister, warned Mr Kelly that his comments could spread doubt about vaccines and leave people exposed to those who were carrying the coronavirus.
“My mum lives in your electorate and I don’t want her exposed to people who are not going to be vaccinated because of these crazy conspiracy theories that you’re spreading,” Ms Plibersek said.
The clash came in the press gallery corridor on Wednesday morning when the two were speaking to journalists and doing television interviews.
Mr Kelly defended himself by citing the work of immunologist Robert Clancy, an Emeritus Professor at Newcastle University, in favour of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as treatments for COVID-19.
Professor Clancy told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Tuesday that studies had shown hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin worked, but Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said last month there was not enough evidence to show they should be used.
Mr Kelly told Ms Plibersek that she was the one spreading misinformation.
“So your Prime Minister is wrong, is he?” Ms Plibersek asked.
“No, the Prime Minister is 100 per cent right,” Mr Kelly said.
“Scott Morrison agrees with you, does he Craig?” she asked.
The government has been unable to curb Mr Kelly even though his public claims are at odds with the official health advice from Professor Kelly and the former chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, now Health Secretary.
In photos: Plibersek and Kelly clash in the press gallery
Photographer Alex Ellinghausen was in the press gallery this morning when Tanya Plibersek and Craig Kelly had their heated discussion.
Here are photos of the confrontation that is making headlines this morning ...
Shadow Minister for Education and Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek and Liberal MP Craig Kelly .Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Tanya Plibersek and Craig Kelly.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Tanya Plibersek and Craig Kelly.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Craig Kelly walks away from Tanya Plibersek.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
‘Dangerous quackery’: Victorian Health Minister slams Craig Kelly
Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley has also made his views clear on controversial Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly, who continues to sprout unproven COVID-19 treatments via Facebook.
Liberal MP Craig Kelly, the member of Hughes in southern Sydney.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Mr Foley, who has just announced the rollout of vaccine hubs in Victoria, said:
“I saw some of the commentary in the federal Parliament yesterday. It’s disappointing that public figures should run an anti-science, anti-evidence, anti-health quackery program.
“I don’t want to give him more oxygen than he deserves, but Victorians and Australians know we have got to this position now, for the second time around, of 28 days of zero community transmission by following the science, by following the advice of professionals who understand it … we will be advised by their advice, rather than the ill-advised, dangerous quackery of fringe players.”
‘Absolutely right’: What is Craig Kelly referring to?
For the record, here’s the excerpt from the article in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald yesterday that Craig Kelly is referring to in his run-in with Labor MP Tanya Plibersek:
Chief political correspondent David Crowe wrote:
Mr Kelly stood in the Coalition party room meeting on Tuesday morning, the first gathering of Liberal and Nationals MPs this year, to argue he was right to air advice about other treatments for COVID-19 ...
Mr Kelly told the party room of the work of an Australian immunologist, Emeritus Professor Robert Clancy of the University of Newcastle.
Professor Clancy told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age he had not met Mr Kelly and did not agree with everything he said but thought he was “absolutely right” on hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
“Early treatment is highly effective. Vaccines are critically important. They should not be seen as mutually exclusive. You need them both,” he said.
Professor Clancy said the evidence showed hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin were safe and should be used.
“But they mustn’t be used instead of a vaccine. They need to be used together,” he said.
But Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said last month there was “no evidence” to show hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin should be rolled out to Australians.
“He needs to decide what is the appropriate thing for a member of Parliament to be commenting on,” Professor Kelly said. “I’m not going to talk further about this because it just gives prominence to views that I just don’t agree with and are not scientifically based.”
Tanya Plibersek clashes with Craig Kelly in press gallery
Labor’s Tanya Plibersek has had a run-in with Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly in the halls of the Canberra press gallery in Parliament House over his COVID-19 treatment views.
This clip is making news around the country this morning ...
For your background, the federal government used its numbers in Parliament yesterday to vote down a Labor motion calling on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to condemn Mr Kelly for his “dangerous and irresponsible” comments on health in a volley of posts on Facebook.
The government moved in Parliament to silence Labor health spokesman Mark Butler when he sought to pass a motion asking Mr Morrison to condemn Mr Kelly, the member for Hughes in southern Sydney.
“The member for Hughes is a dangerous fool and the Prime Minister should have dealt with him,” Labor MP Ged Kearney said in an attempt to support the motion. The government used its numbers again to stop her from speaking further, with no speeches from Coalition MPs to defend their colleague.
Mr Kelly has infuriated fellow Liberals over his support for treatments Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has warned are not proven for coronavirus.
Mr Kelly’s posts include a recent call on the media to start “reporting the truth” because the Medical Association of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil had recommended chloroquine and ivermectin.
The association is not an arm of the Brazilian federal government nor the government of Rio Grande do Norte, a state in the north-east of the country with a population of about 3 million.
Dining alfresco: Melbourne councils move to extend outdoor dining
By Ashleigh McMillan
Outdoor dining will continue to be a feature of Melbourne’s hospitality scene throughout summer, with one major council potentially extending its outdoor program until May.
Councillors from the City of Melbourne voted unanimously last night to continue the outdoor dining program in the CBD, while a report is prepared on expanding the program for another two months.
A report on a short-term extension to the outdoor dining scheme until May 31 will be tabled at a council meeting on March 30.
People embracing outdoor dining at St Ali in South Melbourne in October.Credit:Getty
The City of Melbourne said in a motion moved last night that the program “had significant participation from businesses and has encouraged patrons back to hospitality venues at a critical time for the industry”.
On Tuesday night, the City of Yarra also noted the success of the program at an ordinary council meeting. The municipality is now investigating an extension of outdoor dining, but no firm decision was reached.
The council said in its motion there had been “both positive and negative feedback” from members of the community on outdoor dining.
Since October 2020, the City of Yarra has created more than 130 parklets for on-street dining and approved an additional 150 permits for footpath trading.
The City of Yarra is now seeking feedback on the parklets from both business owners and customers.
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2021-02-02 22:45:00Z
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