NSW has set daily COVID-19 records for both new infections and vaccines, as Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced restrictions on weddings would be eased next week.
Key points:
- Residents of Camden in Sydney's south-west have been prioritised for vaccines
- NSW Ambulance has pleaded with people to stop calling 000 in non-emergency situations
- From September 3, small wedding ceremonies will be allowed
There were 1,035 new COVID-19 cases identified in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday — a new high for any Australian state or territory. There were also two deaths.
Meanwhile, a record 156,165 people received a COVID-19 vaccination in NSW on Friday, including 61,778 in state-run hubs.
More than 6.5 million jabs have been administered in the state.
A woman in her 70s died at Nepean Hospital, after acquiring her infection there earlier this month.
She is fourth death linked to an outbreak at the hospital.
NSW Health's Jeremy McAnulty said she was fully vaccinated, but had "some serious underlying diseases".
A woman in her 80s also died at Westmead Hospital.
Mr Hazzard said the government would ease restrictions on weddings across the state from 12:01am on Friday, September 3.
He said five guests would be allowed to attend weddings, but the specifics were still being worked out.
He said the couple, “those officiating and perhaps a photographer” wouldn’t count as guests and that it would not be compulsory for those attending to be vaccinated against the virus.
"I would say to anybody who is getting married it would be a really good idea if you asked your guests to make sure that they are double vaccinated but it is not going to be a requirement in the health orders at this stage," Mr Hazzard said.
NSW Health has also now opened up priority vaccinations for anyone in the local government area (LGA) of Camden, in Sydney’s south-west, as part of a proactive effort to combat growing case numbers in the area.
Although Camden is not currently deemed an LGA of concern — and therefore subject to extra lockdown restrictions — authorities are watching the infection rate closely.
It means people aged between 16 and 39 in Camden will be able to book appointments to receive the Pfizer vaccine as part of the NSW government's strategy to prioritise jabs for people in the state's most high-risk areas.
That program is also being expanded to include those aged between 40 and 49 who live in one of the 12 LGAs of concern: Blacktown, Bayside, Parramatta, Cumberland, Burwood, Strathfield, Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Georges River and some suburbs of Penrith.
The state's health system continues to be stretched by the growing Delta outbreak, after NSW Ambulance issued a "status three alert" last night.
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan said it was only the second time in history that had happened.
"It means that we are seeing impacts on our ability to respond to the community," he said.
He said yesterday it took paramedics 25 minutes to respond to an 18-year-old who was having a heart attack.
"This is devastating. Wherever possible we need to be avoiding this," he said.
Mr Morgan said people had been trying to get ambulances to help with issues that were not urgent.
"Our 000 call operators who have received calls to help take food to people's houses, 000 cannot help you with this," he said.
"We have received calls for people to be driven to vaccination centres, 000 cannot help you with this."
NSW Health's Susan Pearce conceded there had been some issues with the state's online booking system for vaccines in the past day.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) cleared children aged between 12 and 15 to get Pfizer jabs earlier this week.
However, Ms Pearce said some parents who had booked their children in for vaccinations yesterday had their appointments cancelled.
She said the vaccinations should not have become widely available and that initially, appointments would be prioritised for Indigenous children and those with underlying health conditions.
Ms Pearce also said a social media post that has been circulating claiming 100,000 Pfizer vaccines were about to expire at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital was "categorically" untrue.
There are now 778 patients with COVID being treated in NSW's hospitals.
Of those, 125 are in intensive care and 52 require ventilation.
Dr McAnulty said there were "quite a few" people in their 20s and 30s in intensive care.
He said authorities were still most concerned about escalating cases in south-west Sydney, particularly in the suburbs of Guildford, Merrylands, Auburn, Granville, Bankstown, and Greystanes.
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2021-08-28 01:05:33Z
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