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'Big, big beautiful' contract with Pfizer: Trump
By Michaela Whitbourn
US President Donald Trump has talked up his government's "big, big beautiful" contract with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for the delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine now under development.
The $US1.95 billion ($2.8 billion) deal was inked on Wednesday for the vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and the German-based BioNTech, if it is successful.
President Donald Trump.Credit:Evan Vucci
Mr Trump said "a strong message has been sent out to young people" to avoid socialising in crowded locations but said he believed "many" school districts could now open safely. Schools in identified coronavirus "hot spots" would need to delay re-opening, he said.
The US President said he was cancelling plans to hold part of the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state. He said convention delegates would instead get together in North Carolina.
"I'm always going to take care of you," he said.
Mr Trump claimed there was "nothing more important" than keeping Amercians safe, whether it was from the "China virus" or "the radical left mob".
He said the US needed to "get our economy going" but stressed the importance of good hygiene and physical distancing.
Government in talks with 'leading COVID-19 vaccine developers'
The Australian government is "progressing conversations" with leading COVID-19 vaccine developers locally and overseas, Health Minister Greg Hunt's office has told the Herald and the Age.
If a locally-made vaccine is not first to market, the country would have to broker deals with international developers to either import or licence the products for manufacturing if it wants early access.
Blood samples from coronavirus vaccine trials are handled inside the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute.
Mr Hunt's spokesman said negotiations were underway with local biotech giant CSL and international vaccine candidates.
"This includes the Minister for Health discussing international licensing arrangements for COVID-19 vaccines with the British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care this week to ensure access and supply for Australia to vaccines developed in the United Kingdom."
Mr Hunt's spokesman said the government was confident CSL "has the capacity to produce sufficient vaccine [doses] for the entire Australian population either for Australian-based vaccines or under licence for leading international vaccines".
LIVE: US President Donald Trump addresses media
US President Donald Trump is holding a press conference at the White House as the number of COVID-19 infections recorded in the country tops 4 million. A fifth coronavirus relief package is imminent.
Sydneysiders urged to defer beach holidays
Sydneysiders have been urged to stay away from the South Coast as politicians warn their health districts would not cope with an onslaught of coronavirus cases, Rachel Clun and Tom Rabe report today.
Batemans Bay remains almost completely shut down after eight cases were linked to a local outbreak, while four cases linked to the Thai Rock restaurant in south-west Sydney have been confirmed in the Port Stephens area.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says he is concerned about the growing number of cases in the Port Stephens area.Credit:Steven Siewert
The clusters in Sydney have prompted Port Stephens MP Kate Washington to urge everyone to reconsider their need to travel. Ballina MP Tamara Smith said her region, including Byron Bay, was "open for business" but those living in hotspot suburbs should keep out.
Costco confirms COVID-19 case at Marsden Park store
A shopper who visited the Costco outlet at Marsden Park in Sydney's north-west last Sunday has tested positive for COVID-19.
This was confirmed via a message from NSW Health published on the supermarket's website on Thursday evening.
The Costco Wholesale store at Marsden Park.Credit:Ben Rushton
"A person with COVID-19 visited Costco, Marsden Park, on Sunday 19 July," it read.
"We are advising all people who visited Costco, Marsden Park, on Sunday 19 July between 11am-2pm to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.
"If symptoms occur, self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19 immediately. Please share this information with everyone who was with you at the venue."
A worker from an IKEA’s distribution centre, which is just 500 metres away, is among previously confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Crossroads Hotel cluster.
When to self-isolate
As the number of cases of community transmission of COVID-19 escalate in Victoria and NSW, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is seeking to ensure people are sticking to the rules when it comes to self-isolation, amid reports doctors are giving patients conflicting advice.
Mr Hunt has ordered his department to remind GPs and state-employed testing doctors of the "very clear" advice, Dana McCauley reports.
"If you have symptoms, if you have been tested, or if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, you do need to isolate," Mr Hunt said on Thursday.
Health Minister Greg Hunt wearing a face mask during a press conference on Monday.Credit:Twitter
Today's front pages
By Michaela Whitbourn
Turning to today's front pages, The Age is reporting that the company called in to contain the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Sydney's Newmarch House has been deployed to the site of Victoria's worst aged care home cluster.
Jewel Topsfield reports Commonwealth teams including experts from Aspen Medical have replaced regular staff at St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Fawkner who have been asked to isolate.
The new team will work on infection control protocols and personal protective equipment use at the facility, where the number of COVID-19 cases linked to the facility climbed to 73 staff and residents on Thursday.
And the Herald is leading with the economic crisis spurred by the pandemic. Chief political correspondent David Crowe reports the government's budget update confirms the biggest blow to the Australian economy since the Great Depression.
Gross domestic product is expected to shrink by 2.5 per cent this financial year after a 0.25 per cent decline last year. Personal tax cuts are on the agenda in the government’s next intervention to lift the country out of recession.
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2020-07-23 20:45:00Z
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