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West Australian aged care workers threaten to quit if forced to have the jab
By Emma Young
A survey of 4000 Australian Nursing Federation members working in aged care in Western Australia has shown 31 per cent say they would leave the industry if forced to have a COVID-19 vaccination.
ANF state secretary Mark Olson said while the union encouraged aged care workers to get vaccinated, it should not be mandatory, and enforcement would risk a further exodus from the struggling industry.
Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Mark Olson.
“We are desperately short of aged care nurses and carers. We cannot afford to adopt policies that would worsen well-documented difficulties facing the sector and create an even bigger shortage of staff,” Mr Olson said.
“Our members’ response reflects the same concerns expressed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee that COVID-19 vaccinations should remain voluntary for aged care staff.”
The results come as the Australian government yesterday accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation that the age range for those using the AstraZeneca vaccine be increased from 50 and over to 60 and over.
“Concerns among our members are obviously warranted, and with current workforce shortages in the aged care sector, they should be acknowledged,” Mr Olson said.
“Both state and federal governments must adopt strategies that encourage vaccination and it is clear from the survey that if all staff were given a choice of vaccines, this would increase the uptake.”
Watch: NSW police address the media after CBD killing
By Broede Carmody
Senior NSW police are due to address the media shortly.
The press conference comes after a man was fatally shot in Sydney’s CBD overnight.
Watch live below.
Wear a mask when travelling on public transport: Sydney mayor
By Broede Carmody
A mayor in Sydney’s east has urged residents to wear masks when travelling on public transport to help tackle the city’s COVID-19 outbreak.
So far four people have tested positive to the virus, three of whom are from Sydney’s east. A fourth case, a man from the city’s north-west, has an unrelated strain of the virus but authorities say it may be a false positive.
Waverley mayor Paula Masselos. Credit:Peter Rae
Paula Masselos, the mayor of Waverley Council – which encompasses suburbs such as Bondi, Bronte and Waverley – has urged residents to sanitise their hands and social distance where possible.
“And please get vaccinated as soon as you are able,” she said. “I also echo the Health Minister’s advice today to residents of Sydney’s eastern suburbs to wear a mask when travelling on public transport.
“I encourage the community to continue to support our wonderful local businesses by remembering to check-in using the QR codes which is vital for contact tracing.
“These new cases of COVID-19 are a sobering reminder that we are still in a pandemic. We must remain vigilant and work together to keep the community safe and contain the spread of this deadly virus which has claimed the lives of 3.8 million worldwide.”
Victim of Sydney CBD shooting identified
By Daniella White
Earlier this morning, we brought you news of a drive-by shooting in the middle of Sydney’s CBD.
The victim has now been identified as underworld figure Bilal Hamze. The 34-year-old was treated at the scene before being taken to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he died a short time later.
Bilal Hamze and, inset, the crime scene in Sydney’s CBD and a burnt-out car that was found in Northwood, in Sydney’s lower north shore.Credit:Braden Fastier/Nine
Read our latest coverage here.
Victoria records one new case of COVID-19
By Broede Carmody
Victoria’s daily coronavirus numbers are in.
The state recorded one new case of coronavirus in the local community yesterday. It comes after zero cases were recorded yesterday.
The Victorian health department says the new locally acquired case is a primary close contact of an existing case.
Just one case was detected in hotel quarantine. That’s off the back of 35,252 coronavirus tests.
Treasurer ‘really happy’ with unemployment numbers
By Broede Carmody
Yesterday we brought you the news that Australia’s jobless rate has tumbled back to pre-pandemic levels.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was understandably all smiles this morning during an appearance on breakfast television.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“[I’m] really happy,” he said on the Today show. “The unemployment numbers have again signified the strength of the Australian economy.
“One hundred and fifteen thousand new jobs were created last month. There are now more women in work than ever before, and the unemployment rate is at 5.1 per cent, the same level it was in February last year before the pandemic began here in Australia.
“The other really good news is that the economy has been really resilient even after the end of JobKeeper. Since the end of JobKeeper, 84,000 new jobs are being created. So this is good news for the economy and a sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Warning for Melbourne tourists after restrictions ease
By Ashleigh McMillan and Broede Carmody
Melburnians are waking up without a 25km travel bubble and hard border with regional Victoria this morning.
The decision means Melburnians are able to travel into regional Victoria for the first time in three weeks. But the state’s emergency services are warning city folk not to enter parks and forests damaged by last week’s storms.
James Pickford was very lucky to escape after a large tree smashed through his Olinda bedroom, east of Melbourne, earlier this month.Credit:Joe Armao
A spokeswoman for the State Control Centre said many roads across Victoria are still closed as emergency services try to remove fallen trees and fix damaged electricity infrastructure.
Electricity distribution company AusNet has told customers in the Dandenongs, a set of low-lying mountains east of Melbourne, that they should prepare to remain without power for three more weeks. There were more than 5100 homes still without electricity as of Friday morning.
On Thursday, the Victorian state government announced a hardship payment of up to $1680 per week for those without power from June 17.
The State Control Centre confirmed five personnel from the Australian Defence Force would spend another day providing logistical and planning support for emergency services in Gippsland, in Victoria’s south-east, and the Dandenongs on Friday.
There’s been a bit of criticism from the federal government in recent days over the pace of Victoria’s storm clean up. Just this morning, Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the Andrews government believes it can “take care of [the situation] themselves” even though the ADF is ready to provide whatever support is necessary.
Victorian emergency services appear hesitant to let lots of ADF personnel into storm-ravaged areas because they believe fallen and damaged trees are too dangerous to deal with except for trained arborists.
However, residents without power are of the view that more ADF personnel would help with things such distributing portable power generators and bottled water.
NSW-NZ travel bubble safe for now: Ardern
By Broede Carmody
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says her country’s travel bubble with NSW will continue for now, despite Sydney recording four cases of COVID-19 in the community (one of which authorities say may be a false positive).
“As you can see at the moment, [we’re] keeping a watching brief [and] staying in touch with health officials,” Ms Ardern told the Today show just now.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.Credit:Getty
“Of course [we’re] telling travellers if they are covered by areas of interest, then they need to remain isolated over in Australia rather than travelling, but at the moment we are keeping travelling moving with NSW.”
However the NZ PM said if Sydney or NSW goes into lockdown, then the travel bubble will change accordingly.
“I’d like to think we are fairly predictable in the calls we make about whether we pause or suspend our quarantine-free travel,” she said.
“Really the indications we look for are the response of the Australian-based authorities. We stay in really close contact. If they have enough concern to impose restrictions or to themselves go into a form of lockdown, then we then respond at our border.”
‘Please have your second dose’: Leading researcher
By Broede Carmody
The editor of the Medical Journal of Australia, Professor Nick Talley, has pleaded with people who have had their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to get their second jab.
“Please have your second dose,” he said. “The evidence is very clear. Vanishingly rare you’ll have any side effects with the second dose. So that’s the important information for people to know.
“The second dose is really, really safe. So, please, if you’ve had your first dose get the second dose. Because you’re not fully covered until you’ve had both doses.”
It comes amid warnings that over 50s are cancelling appointments for their second AstraZeneca jab, despite health experts reassuring people that the risk of a rare blood clotting disorder is much lower for second doses.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now recommended for people under the age of 60 instead of under the age of 50.
Professor Talley said the change was “certainly confusing” for the public.
“It sends a message that I think has confused people,” he said. “And that’s really concerning. Obviously as the data accumulates the health advice can change and that’s what has happened here.
“But I think it’s a pity for the vaccine rollout because with the Delta and other serious variants out there, we’re all still – if we’re unvaccinated – at high risk. And that’s a problem.”
Canberra on alert due to possibly infectious Sydneysider
By Daniella White
A Sydney man who tested positive to COVID-19 visited Canberra, including a busy exhibition, while possibly infectious.
The 40-year-old man’s test results showed low virus levels which NSW Health has not been able to rule out as a possible case.
Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia has been listed as a potential COVID-19 exposure site.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The man attended the National Gallery of Australia’s Botticelli to Van Gogh exhibition on Monday, June 14 between midday and 1.45pm. He also went to the Via Dolce Pasticceria restaurant between 2.45pm and 3.15pm on the same day.
Anyone who visited those locations at those times must immediately isolate until advised further by ACT Health and get a COVID-19 test.
“In addition, if you were at the National Gallery of Australia, including the main gift shop, from 12-2pm on Monday 14 June, you must be vigilant for even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms, immediately get tested and isolate until a negative test is received,” ACT Health said in a statement.
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2021-06-18 00:29:43Z
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