OK! It is therefore the day in the Australian news of Covid-19. Here are the biggest takeaways.
That’s about it for today. Have a good night’s sleep and stay safe. See you all next week.
Update
02:31
The NSW Minister of Health has denied that the state’s healthcare system is near capacity as the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care approaches 100 and the state has recorded a another record of 830 infections.
Brad Hazzard told reporters that intensive care capacity has quadrupled since last year to deal with the growing number of severe Covid cases, but that he was not concerned about the capacity.
NSW once again had a record breaking day, with the source of 693 of the 830 cases still under investigation and only 67 confirmed so far to have been isolated during their entire infectious period.
In Victoria, 65 new local cases were recorded, including at least 21 in Shepparton, as the state announced a vaccination blitz, while ACT reported 19 new local cases.
You can read all of today’s Covid-19 news below:
02:09
Hundreds of active Covid cases in the community shouldn’t delay Australia’s plan to reopen and end widespread lockdowns, Scott Morrison said, urging people to look beyond a ‘one-eyed concentration’ on the number of daily cases.
As NSW recorded 830 new cases and three deaths on Sunday, Morrison also rebuffed suggestions that the number of cases was too high for Australia to move on to the next phase of the plan agreed by heads of state, saying that the Doherty Institute’s modeling conclusions remained the same.
This despite one of the architects of Doherty modeling, Professor James McCaw, telling Guardian Australia that the number of cases was too high to abandon the blockages even if the vaccination rate reached 70%.
Morrison said this was not supported by advice given to the national cabinet by Doherty Institute professor Jodie McVernon and that once 70% of the country was vaccinated, lockdowns would be “unlikely and targeted,” regardless of the number of active cases in the community.
You can read the full report below:
02:00
The Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Sally McManus, expressed support for the Victorian government’s plan to grant half a day of paid leave to all public sector workers wishing to receive the vaccine.
Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus)
It is excellent that today the Victorian government has joined a growing list of private and public sector employers who have introduced paid immunization leave. It’s about breaking down barriers and helping employees get vaccinated. Well done @CPSU_Vic
And with that, I pass the baton to my colleague Mathilde Boseley to bring you the late afternoon news!
Update
01:43
Victoria Health updated its list of exhibition venues, bringing the total number of seats to 534.
Several locations, including schools, in and around Shepparton, which have been classified as Level 1, are of concern.
This means that if you have visited any of these locations within the allotted time, you should immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days, whether or not you return a negative result.
Shepparton is on high alert after registering 21 cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
These locations include:
Orrvale Primary School, any time August 16, 17 or 18.
Greater Shepparton Secondary College, anytime August 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20.
St Mel Elementary School, 24 hours a day on August 16 or 17.
University of Melbourne Shepparton Campus, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on August 17.
Shepparton Secondary College, anytime August 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
There are also several other Tier 1 venues in the area including SkySalon Hairdressing, Chemist Warehouse Shepparton, and Major League Indoor Sports.
