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Watch LIVE: Victorian Premier announces updated reopening plan
Victoria’s lockdown restrictions will be eased sooner than expected, with Premier Daniel Andrews set to outline an updated reopening plan. Watch live below from 11am.
Victoria’s vaccination rate has almost halved death projections: Burnet modelling
By Liam Mannix
Burnet Institute modelling released today suggests Victoria’s quickly climbing vaccination rate has almost-halved the projected number of people expected to die from COVID-19 before the end of the year.
The modelling, published as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews fronted the media for his daily press conference, now projects 1212 deaths between July and December - down from the 2202 projected on September 18.
The chances of overwhelming the hospital system have dropped from 63 per cent to just 23 per cent.
That is driven by two factors: a vaccine rate that is climbing much quicker than expected, and lower levels of hospitalisation.
Victoria’s cases are tracking above those projected by Burnet, and are in fact predicted to peak at a substantially higher level in mid-December.
However, hospitalisation is tracking below what the Burnet predicted, despite higher case levels.
The Burnet’s updated modelling predicts cases will now plateau around their current level, before climbing as restrictions are eased, to a daily peak of close to 4000 new cases per day in mid-December.
10 visitors allowed in homes, no travel limit when Victoria exits lockdown
By Roy Ward
Up to 10 visitors will be allowed to visit homes when Victoria hits its 70 per cent vaccine milestone this week; a new freedom announced today.
Under the new road map, there will be no travel limit across metropolitan Melbourne, and 10 visitors including dependents can come to your home per day.
Public gatherings will increase to 15 for the fully vaccinated.
Victorians were told the next step out of lockdown as the state recorded 1838 new local coronavirus cases and an additional seven deaths on Sunday.
The state government has also promised that once 70 per cent of the eligible population is double vaccinated, the curfew will go.
These new freedoms will come into effect at 11.59pm Thursday.
Victorian lockdown to end at Thursday midnight
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the state’s lockdown will end at 11.59pm on Thursday.
He also said the state was projected to pass 90 per cent first dose vaccinations on Monday or Tuesday. Here’s what he had to say:
I could not be more proud of our community for coming forward and making these decisions to protect themselves, to protect the people they love, and to protect all of us against this global pandemic.
To allow us to change the rules to open up, to normalise this, to get our friends back, to be focused on living our lives as close to normal as possible.
Today is the day to congratulate and thank every single one of those five million Victorians who have at least got one dose. Of course there is more to do.
We’ve got to get to that 70 per cent double dose threshold, we’ve got to push beyond that and get to 80 per cent pleasingly.
Currently we are predicted to either tomorrow or Tuesday to pass through the 90 per cent first dose barrier, which is a mighty effort, and something that makes us very, very proud.
One-fifth of Queensland vaccine doses on Saturday administered at Bunnings
By Stuart Layt
Queensland says its push to get people vaccinated via Bunnings sites has been a massive success, with the majority of those who showed up on Saturday getting their first dose.
It came as Queensland recorded no new local cases today; all 28 active cases had been contained in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.
On Saturday, Queensland started using Bunnings to administer vaccines.Credit:Nine
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said 19,641 vaccines were given by Queensland Health on Saturday, of which 4111 had been administered at the 33 Bunnings sites across the state which were giving out vaccines.
That means 20 per cent of the state’s vaccines yesterday were given out at Bunnings.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the majority of those Bunnings doses - around 2800 - were first doses, which was a good sign that more people were heeding calls to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Federal government looking at rapid antigen tests to keep schools open
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the government was looking “very closely” at how rapid antigen tests could be used in schools once they become available for personal use.
Regular home testing is a key measure being used in the United Kingdom to enable students to attend school: it allows students who are considered close contacts to keep going to school so long as they continue testing negative, in a bid to stop widespread absences.
They are being used in some private schools in Victoria and NSW, administered by a nurse, but are not yet available for personal use. However, Professor Kelly said rapid tests could be part of the plan once they are widely available from November 1.
“We’re doing a lot of work at the moment to come together with NSW, Victoria and the ACT - because of the current nature of their epidemiology of the disease - about how to reopen the school safely, and very importantly how to keep them open,” Professor Kelly said.
“We know that particularly children in primary school are not able to be protected by vaccination; it’s not yet available to that age group... So there are a range of things we’re looking at [regarding] things we can do to protect the children in that age group, and to keep the classrooms open.
“Rapid antigen tests may well be part of that process. And we’re certainly looking very closely at that once they’re available for self-use, as the minister said, from the first of November.”
In the meantime, the Victorian and NSW education departments are relying on measures such as mask use and compulsory teacher vaccinations to safeguard children against infection.
‘We’re making what we believe are the right decisions’: NSW Premier
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has warned that providing fraudulent vaccination evidence is a criminal offence, but says he believes most people have done the right thing as the state opened up this week.
“In the main, everyone is doing a great job. I went shopping yesterday at Castle Towers, and people were asking for proof of vaccination, and I know that people were abiding by the restrictions that we have in place. That is important, because we don’t want to go backwards,” he said.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the state was striking the right balance.Credit:Edwina Pickles
“We know at times, not everybody will do the right thing... What we cannot do is have police officers walking through every single shopping centre. We are not doing that [but] we are taking reasonable and measured approaches here to open safely.”
He said he believed the state was striking the right balance between risk and freedoms, with further restrictions to ease and schools to return from tomorrow.
“I am not going to shy away from the fact, I am sure over the course of the week and particularly, as well, the second week, which is when all the high school goes back, which is when public transport is more of a challenge, there will be some difficulties,” Mr Perrottet said.
“We know, as we open up, cases will increase. Hospitalisations will increase. This is not going to be an easy time. [But] I am confident that as a state we will come together and get through it.
“We’re making what we believe are the right decisions to keep people safe, keep the economy moving, and get people back in their jobs.”
NSW government’s mental health package to create thousands of new appointments
The NSW government will direct $130 million towards a mental health package that will open up public access to private psychologists and psychiatrists, boost Headspace funding and train the community in suicide prevention.
A statement from NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the new funding would provide more appointments, address the sharp rise in eating disorders and self-harm presentations and free up more mental health beds.
At his press conference this morning, Mr Perrottet said mental health had been “the untold story of this pandemic” and that the state needed to invest record amounts of money in the sector.
The package includes $35 million to create 60,000 new psychiatry consultations and 85,000 consults with mental health professionals, including psychologists, who typically practise privately.
Up to 55,000 additional Headspace sessions will be made available to young people, with masters students to undertake placements, and $16.5 million will increase frontline workforce capacity to address the presentation of eating disorders.
There will also be a $14 million program for 275,000 people - such as teachers, parents and sports coaches - to undergo suicide prevention training.
Mr Perrottet called on the community to support each other as it adjusted out of lockdown, and said it was important that people encouraged their friends or family to seek help if they needed it.
“The government can only do so much… We can provide the funding and services, but we need everyone to come together to look after each other,” he said.
“We don’t want anyone to slip through the cracks… Look after each other, we will get through this difficult time.”
Australia to reopen travel to NZ’s South Island from Tuesday midnight
By Roy Ward
Australia will reopen its quarantine-free travel zone with New Zealand’s South Island from Tuesday at midnight.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly says the South Island poses little risk to Australia. These were his comments:
Looking at the situation in the South Island of New Zealand, they’ve not had any cases since last year.
There is very good work being done to stop people from the North Island going to the South Island so that is not a risk.
So we have re-opened quarantine free travel from the South Island of New Zealand, from Tuesday midnight.
We hope to allow anyone who’s been in the South Island of New Zealand - whether they’re Australians, New Zealanders or other nationalities - as long as they’ve been there for 14 days to come in quarantine free. Both NSW and Victoria have agreed to allow that to happen.
I understand there are some Australians that have been stuck in the South Island for some time and we’d welcome them home.”
New drugs no substitute for vaccinations, says CMO
By Roy Ward
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly also says the two new drugs purchased to treat people with COVID-19 are no substitute for vaccinations.
Professor Kelly and Health Minister Greg Hunt both urged people who have yet to get their first dose or are due their second dose to get their vaccinations as soon as possible.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said the new treatments were not a substitute for vaccinationCredit:Alex Ellinghausen
“All of those things are important going forward but the vaccination continues to be important,” Professor Kelly said this morning.
“This is the time to be vaccinated. If you’ve not been vaccinated with your first dose, please go now. In all states and territories in Australia, it is very, very easy to make an appointment or indeed to turn up in various places without an appointment. Do that this week.”
He said the country “cannot rely on borders anymore”. “The virus is here in Australia. “We need to learn to live with it, and we are learning to live with it. It means that we need to be protected, particularly those in vulnerable groups.”
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2021-10-17 00:12:51Z
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