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Victoria could see fewer than 100 new cases in coming days says professor
By Rachael Dexter
Victoria could record fewer than 100 daily COVID-19 cases in coming days, Professor Michael McCarthy from the University of Melbourne has said.
He said he expects cases to be around 70 a day by next Friday, with an average of around 600 cases in total for the coming week.
"That number is a bit of a guess," Professor McCarthy told radio station 3AW.
He hopes that Victoria will be "well and truly" recording fewer than 50 cases a day by the end of stage four lockdown on September 13.
But he said it will be hard to get into single digits, because exponential decline is much slower than exponential growth.
"It's very unfair isn't it ... things get bad quickly, but things don't get good as fast," Professor McCarthy said.
"Once we get to those small numbers it's going to be very hard to get larger declines."
Queensland health authorities watching wait times as pressures push testing program
By Matt Dennien
Queensland’s Deputy Premier and Health Minister, Steven Miles, says health authorities will continue to monitor testing wait times as they balance a “stretch” on resources while covering quarantined staff at a hospital west of Brisbane.
Mr Miles told ABC Brisbane that as efforts continued to trace the “concerning” new case yesterday in a prison training officer without a clear link to the recent youth detention cluster, public labs were validating record testing numbers in about 32 hours.
This could “vary” depending on where the tests were carried out and if they were done so by private labs but hadn’t proved to be a disincentive.
Extra pop-up clinics and extended fever clinic hours had seemed to meet the “surge” and would be reviewed regularly.
“We broke out testing records this week,” Mr Miles said.
“Our regular capacity is about 10,000 tests a day, and to do 20,000 a day that takes a lot of extra resources.”
But there was also “a bit of a stretch on our resources”, he added.
“We are needing to cover a lot of shifts at the Ipswich Emergency Department.”
“There was a large number of staff there who had to go into quarantine because one of the youth detention centre cases had been to the hospital on an unrelated matter.”
Asked by Brisbane Times earlier this week, Queensland Health would not provide further details on staffing arrangements at the hospital.
US COVID-19 deaths pass 180,000 as experts fear second virus surge
US deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 180,000 on Thursday after a surge of new cases in June and July, particularly in hotspots like California, Florida, and Texas.
There are signs of an improving outlook. Last week, deaths fell 17 per cent from the prior week and below an average of 1000 a day for the first time in weeks.
A face mask has been placed on a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Seattle. Credit:AP
However, while US metrics on cases, deaths, hospitalisations and test positivity rates are all heading downward, health experts fear there could be another surge as schools reopen and colder weather forces more gatherings indoors.
US confirmed cases are now over 5.8 million - the highest total number of cases in the world. The US death toll is also the highest in the world.
On a per capita basis, the US ranks 12th in the world for the number of deaths, with 54 deaths per 100,000 people, and tenth in the world for cases, with 1774 cases per 100,000 residents, according to a Reuters analysis.
Sydney church closed 'as a precautionary measure'
By Mary Ward
A Catholic church on Sydney's north shore has closed "as a precautionary measure", after a parishioner who attended last weekend tested positive for COVID-19.
Holy Name Catholic Church at Wahroonga will be closed until further notice after a person attended the 9.30am mass on Sunday while infectious.
"NSW Health has assessed the risk to clergy and parishioners being low (casual contacts) due to the COVID safety procedures the parish had in place for worshippers at all services held at the church," the Diocese of Broken Bay said in a statement.
"These included social distancing, hand sanitising and the wearing of masks."
It's the second time a Catholic church in the area has been closed due to a coronavirus case this month, with St Agatha's Pennant Hills shutting earlier in August after a person linked to the Tangara School for Girls cluster attended.
Multiple Sydney venue alerts as CBD cluster linked to northern suburbs, Central Coast
By Kate Aubusson
Health authorities are working to contain a growing COVID-19 cluster in Sydney's CBD that may have spread to the northern suburbs and Central Coast.
NSW Health issued public health alerts on Thursday for a string of venues visited by people unknowingly infectious with COVID-19 – including several gyms and clubs – in the CBD, North Sydney, the northern beaches and Woy Woy.
Nine new COVID-19 cases were detected in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday and another two were reported on Thursday afternoon, taking the state's total to 4006 confirmed cases.
On Thursday night, the NSW Department of Education said Ryde Secondary College would be closed for on-site learning on Friday after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The school would be cleaned on Friday and contact tracing would take place, the department said.
"All staff and students are asked to self-isolate while contact tracing occurs," the department said.
Victoria recorded 113 new cases on Thursday, its lowest total since July 5. The state's death toll rose to 485 with an additional 23 deaths.
Rescue plan to bring home stranded Aussies from overseas
By Anthony Galloway and Bevan Shields
Stranded Australians would be evacuated from overseas and placed into quarantine in facilities in remote areas of Australia under rescue missions being drawn up by the Morrison government.
At least three federal government departments are working on a large-scale plan to bring back Australians who urgently need to fly home and have been blocked by strict caps on international arrivals.
The government could rely on airlines such as Qantas to get stranded Australians home.
It can also be revealed desperate Australians who are trying to get back to the country are being coached by government officials to start GoFundMe-style crowdfunding campaigns if they are running out of money, as international travel has ground to a near halt during the coronavirus pandemic.
The rescue plan is not imminent, but it is being worked on to respond to a range of scenarios — including if a country started deporting Australians because they had cancelled their visas and wouldn't renew them.
A separate multimillion-dollar fund will also be established to support overseas-based citizens who are struggling financially and cannot get home.
School-leavers set to find out if schoolies will go ahead
By Lydia Lynch
The Queensland government is yet to reveal whether it will allow year 12 students to celebrate the end of their schooling on the Gold Coast this year as the coronavirus lurks in the state.
Schoolies is a rite of passage for tens of thousands of Australian teenagers who flock to the Gold Coast after graduation for a week of partying.
The state government is set to decide on Friday whether schoolies would be cancelled this year.Credit:Michelle Smith
While the state government does not organise the event, it may impose public health restrictions on event planners to shut down the party this year.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was expected to announce on Friday morning how, and if, the event could go forward.
"I want to talk to [Gold Coast mayor] Tom Tate one more time, but also we are just working through some health advice at the moment ... and police," she said.
"So [on Friday] I will give you a definitive update."
Security firm recruited over WhatsApp, role expanded despite concern
By Richard Baker and Tammy Mills
A security company hired to enforce quarantine at one of Victoria's COVID-19 outbreak hotels was chosen over WhatsApp and favoured because it could recruit almost 100 unemployed Victorians and fulfil the government's social inclusion objectives.
Despite concerns Unified Security was a "non-approved firm", Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry heard evidence that the firm's role was expanded to oversee security at 13 hotels.
Katrina Currie, from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, was responsible for contracting security companies.
The company has come under scrutiny in the inquiry because of allegations it sub-contracted work to guards not trained in infection control, who then contracted the virus while working at Rydges on Swanston.
Transmission between quarantined returned travellers and staff working at Rydges on Swanston and the Stamford Plaza led to Victoria's deadly second wave of COVID-19, with its outbreaks behind 99 per cent of current cases, the inquiry heard.
The inquiry was told on Thursday that Victoria Police, in the first meeting of agencies involved in the program, said private security should be the "first line of security".
Scott Morrison says border closures have some 'heartbreaking' consequences
By Latika Bourke
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his office has been swamped with letters from Australians with "heartbreaking" stories of being denied medical care and other vital services as a result of the states closing their borders.
In his strongest comments yet, Mr Morrison said Australia was designed to operate as one country and not with hard borders between states, which the premiers had imposed as a measure to try to control the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had received some "heartbreaking" letters from Australians.Credit:Sky News
The border measures are politically popular, leading to tension between the states and the Commonwealth government, which has been pressuring state leaders to lift their restrictions.
Mr Morrison continued his campaign when asked about the matter on Sky News late on Thursday night, saying he had received letters from Australians with medical issues unrelated to coronavirus who were now finding it difficult to access medical treatment, or who were unable to accompany loved ones.
Only one in three commuters is wearing a mask. Experts want it mandatory
By Tom Rabe
Fewer than one in three commuters is using a face mask on Sydney's public transport network during the coronavirus pandemic, prompting calls for the state government to make the measure mandatory before it's too late.
Despite more than 20 new cases of coronavirus being recorded in NSW this week, including a trainee bus driver, mask use on public transport remains relatively stagnant, leaving some experts confused as to why the government is yet to mandate the practice.
The number of people wearing face masks on Sydney public transport remains at 30 per cent.Credit:Janie Barrett
University of NSW epidemiology expert Mary-Louise McLaws said Victoria had taken too long to act on masks, and questioned why the Berejiklian government was yet to enforce the measure on public transport.
"How many people have to get COVID before they realise that it's a simple act of precaution?" Professor McLaws said.
"I cannot understand why there is so much reticence."
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2020-08-27 20:42:00Z
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