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Qld government doesn’t want under-40s receiving AstraZeneca
By Felicity Caldwell
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has insisted that the official advice is people under the age of 60 should receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, despite the PM saying GPs will be indemnified if under-40s opt to receive the AstraZeneca shot.
“These has been no national cabinet decision about AstraZeneca being given to under 40s,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Jeannette Young, does not want under-40s to get the AstraZeneca vaccine.Credit:Getty
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said she did not want under 40s to receive under AstraZeneca because they were at an increased risk blood clots.
“I don’t want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got COVID probably wouldn’t die,” she said.
“We’ve had very few deaths due to COVID-19 in Australia in people under the age of 50, and wouldn’t it be terrible that our first 18-year-old in Queensland to who dies related to this pandemic died because of the vaccine?”
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath warned Queensland was running out of Pfizer, with some sites expected to run out by July 5, with her director-general pleading for extra stock from the federal government.
However, the request was denied.
“Some of our sites are due to run out,” she said. “And one of those sites being Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
“Additional vaccine supply is critical to avoiding cancellations of already committed appointments.”
Ms D’Ath said when Victoria went into lockdown, they were given an additional 100,000 vaccines, but Queensland was only getting 64,500 a week.
“We have eight days’ stock left for Pfizer.”
Brisbane hospital receptionist’s infection linked to returned traveller
By Felicity Caldwell
Genomic sequencing has revealed that an unvaccinated hospital worker in Brisbane contracted COVID from a returned traveller who was being treated at the Prince Charles Hospital.
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the returned traveller was “allowed to come and go between Australia and Indonesia repeatedly throughout this pandemic by the Morrison government”.
Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Credit:Matt Dennien
“They are not vaccinated. And have been through our hotel quarantine several times,” he said.
“Yesterday, 223 international travellers arrived here in Queensland.”
Mr Miles said the government had never said vulnerable Australians should not be repatriated home through hotel quarantine but thousands of people were allowed to enter despite not being nationals.
“These travellers are displacing Australians who are genuinely stranded overseas,” he said.
The case marks a new COVID cluster emerging in Queensland, with other clusters sourced back to a Portuguese restaurant, a mine worker who contracted the virus in hotel quarantine in Brisbane and an infected Virgin cabin crew member.
Queensland records three cases of COVID-19 in the community
By Felicity Caldwell
Queensland has reported three new cases of COVID-19 in the community as millions of residents woke up to the first day of a three-day snap lockdown.
All three locally acquired cases are close contacts of existing cases, according to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.Credit:Getty
“We are considering these low risk,” the Premier said. “This is very good news.”
People living in 11 south-east Queensland councils, in addition to Townsville, Magnetic Island and Palm Island were plunged into lockdown from 6pm on Tuesday after a 19-year-old unvaccinated hospital worker tested positive after spending 10 days in the community while contagious.
The woman’s brother has now also tested positive.
The other two cases announced today include a close contact from the Portugese Family Centre restaurant and a close contact of a Virgin crew member, with both already in quarantine.
There are now 42 active cases of COVID in Queensland, with 18,000 tests performed in the past 24 hours.
with Broede Carmody
Watch: Qld’s COVID-19 update
By Broede Carmody
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is due to provide a COVID-19 update.
Watch live below.
NSW’s Chief Health Officer hesitant to comment on under-40s and AstraZeneca
By Jenny Noyes
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant has emphasised the importance of older people getting fully vaccinated amid Sydney’s growing COVID-19 outbreak.
But Dr Chant this morning resisted commenting on whether she supports people under 40 getting the AstraZeneca vaccine after the Prime Minister announced this week they would now be able to do so. (Pfizer is the recommended jab for people under the age of 60, but it is not yet widely available to under-40s as part of Australia’s staged rollout.)
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Speaking on 2GB this morning, Dr Chant said her priority was seeing the most vulnerable vaccinated.
“So I would really like to see all of those elderly people who have gone and got their first dose of AstraZeneca to get their second dose,” she said.
Pressed by host Ben Fordham on whether she supports GPs vaccinating under-40s with the AstraZeneca vaccine to speed-up Australia’s rollout, Dr Chant repeated her previous point about vulnerable groups getting second doses.
“Certainly I am very committed to following the ATAGI advice,” she added. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation earlier this month changed its clinical guidance to limit the AstraZeneca vaccine to over 60s, due to the severity of very rare blot clotting side effects.
There was no indication given as to the new case numbers to be announced at 11am, but with a long list of new exposure sites alerted late last night, Dr Chant emphasised the need for people to stay home unless it’s absolutely essential.
“I’m hoping towards the end of the week we start to see a decline in case numbers, but this really depends on how the community and businesses respond to our request to minimise interactions.”
Morrison funded 27 car parks just one day before he called the election
By David Crowe
Federal officials raced to spend $389 million on commuter car parks the day before Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the last federal election in a move slammed by the Auditor-General for failing to safeguard taxpayer funds.
Mr Morrison decided the 27 projects despite an “inadequate assessment” of whether they were eligible for cash under a controversial program that helped Liberal candidates campaign in marginal seats.
Prime Scott Morrison visits the Mulgoa Road Corridor with Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and candidate for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh on April 12, 2019.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Labor damned the program as a “rort” and vowed to use Parliament to investigate how the money was spent after the Auditor-General found 77 per cent of the projects were in Coalition electorates.
Read the full story here.
Treat vaccine rollout ‘like a war’: AMA president
By Broede Carmody
The president of the Australian Medical Association, Omar Khorshid, was speaking on ABC News Breakfast a short while ago.
Dr Khorshid stressed that while the Pfizer vaccine is still recommended for people under the age of 60, the AMA isn’t suggesting that it’s wrong for doctors to give younger people the AstraZeneca jab.
AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“The issue is with GPs not being notified,” he said. ”Will it mean every GP will offer AZ to under-60s, or under-40s? Probably not.
“I think some GPs will say, ‘Look, I’m not willing to do something that is against the expert advice.’ But many GPs are already willing to offer it and they will feel more comfortable to do so since the PM’s announcement.”
Dr Khorshid added that he agreed with people who argue the Government has bungled the messaging when it comes to the national vaccine rollout.
“The messaging has really been mixed and I think Australians don’t know which way is up when it comes to the vaccine program,” he said.
“We would really like to see some money being put into a positive advertising program, to change the general feeling around our vaccine program.
“If we can turn this thing into a national priority where everyone is jumping on board... it is effectively like a war, so he let’s take that war footing and encourage everyone to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
“Also, I think, talking more to the medical profession before new announcements would certainly be helpful, because we can help the Government avoid some of these pitfalls.”
Are you stranded interstate due to Australia’s COVID-19 lockdowns?
By Broede Carmody
Are you affected by state and territory border closures?
We’re keen to hear from you. Please leave your name and number so a journalist can get in touch.
Victoria records one new case of COVID-19 in the community
By Broede Carmody
Victoria’s daily coronavirus numbers are in.
The state has recorded one new case of COVID-19 in the community and one case in hotel quarantine.
The locally acquired case is a primary close contact who has been in isolation throughout their infectious period, according to the Victorian health department.
Today’s numbers are off the back of yesterday’s 29,949 coronavirus tests.
Medical advice ‘remains clear and unchanged’: Hunt
By Broede Carmody
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is speaking on Seven’s breakfast program Sunrise.
He was asked just now whether there has been “mixed messaging” when it comes to Australia’s vaccine rollout. Here’s what the minister had to say in response:
Minister for Health Greg Hunt.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“The medical advice remains clear and unchanged. AstraZeneca is preferred for over 60s and Pfizer is preferred for under 60. The thing that has occurred is that we have provided, in conjunction with the College of GPs, and in conjunction with the Australian Medical Association, the sought-after medical indemnity for GPs.
“As a result, they having discussions with some patients who are under 60 as to whether or not they want to make an informed ... decision [to get the AstraZeneca jab].
“No change in the medical advice. That remains clear and consistent, and we are urging all Australians to please come forward and be vaccinated as you are eligible.”
For more on this topic, here’s the latest from my colleagues Melissa Cunningham and Aisha Dow.
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2021-06-30 00:29:47Z
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