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Victorian Tesla battery fire still burning, three days after starting
By Lucy Battersby
Victorian firefighters have taken three days to bring under control, but not yet extinguish, a Tesla Megapack fire at a battery farm near Geelong, known as the Victorian Big Battery.
“The fire has subsided significantly but is not yet under control,” the Country Fire Authority said this morning.
Emergency services issued hazard warnings for nearby residents after a lithium battery caught on fire on Friday afternoon.Credit:Nine News
“Crews have remained on scene overnight and continue thermal temperature checks to see how much heat remains internally behind the doors.”
The battery has only recently been turned on for the first time and has been charging. The fire started on Friday morning and has had about 150 firefighters from the CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria attending to the incident over the weekend.
Read more in our business live blog (2.21pm post).
‘Unsupervised’ rapid antigen testing a possibility in future: Hunt
Minister Hunt flagged the possibility of rapid antigen testing being expanded, subject to trials in place.
“We’re very supportive of that,” Mr Hunt said in response to a question about surveillance testing for aged care workers.
The expansion could eventually move to “unsupervised” testing, where people undertake tests to self-diagnose.
“That is not off the table at all … we want to make sure every possible case is detected,” he said.
Mr Hunt said 1.18 million doses of COVID vaccines were administered nationally in the past week, for a total of almost 12.4 million in total.
“Significantly, that includes now almost four million who are fully vaccinated,” he said. “We’re now distributing at a faster rate than we had been expecting to in July.”
The vaccine utilisation rate for the past week was 90 per cent nationally, comprising 84 per cent from GPs and 99 per cent through the states and territories.
Since Queensland has been declared a Commonwealth-designated hotspot, they will receive medical supplies from the national stockpile. This includes 1.45 million masks and 175,000 gloves, gowns and goggles.
Peter Dutton isolating after sons’ school caught up in Queensland outbreak
By Nick Bonyhady
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has been forced to cancel his plans to be in Federal Parliament this week leaving Industry Minister Christian Porter in charge of the government’s tactics in the House of Representatives.
Mr Dutton announced that his sons go to a school that has been caught up in Queensland’s coronavirus outbreak.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton won’t be in Parliament this week.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“My sons attend a school subject to the current Queensland Health directive and as a household member I am subject to the 14 day direction,” Mr Dutton said in a statement. “I will quarantine at home with my family.”
Brisbane Grammar School, Ironside State High School and Indooroopilly High School are among the Queensland schools that have recorded cases.
Mr Dutton’s absence means Industry Minister Christian Porter will return to his role as leader of the government in the House of Representatives, a tactical role that Mr Porter surrendered when he changed portfolios in the wake of historical rape allegations that he denied and pursued a defamation case over.
Mr Dutton is not taking leave and will continue to act as defence minister and participate in cabinet discussions remotely.
“Having had COVID and being fully vaccinated, I have also tested negative this morning,” Mr Dutton said.
Pfizer vaccine authorised for immuno-compromised children aged 12-15
Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd says the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has decided to allow the Pfizer vaccine for some children aged 12 to 15.
That means about 220,000 immuno-compromised children, or children with underlying medical conditions, Indigenous children, and children in remote communities will be eligible for a Pfizer shot from next Monday, August 9, under phase 1B of the vaccine rollout.
Professor Kidd also said he is “very concerned” about the severity of the Delta variant.
“We are seeing increased transmissibility and likely increased severity of disease being caused by the Delta variant,” he said.
“ATAGI has reaffirmed their previous advice that in a large outbreak the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are greater than the risk of the rare side effects occurring for all age groups,” Professor Kidd said.
Watch: Health Minister and Chief Medical Officer press conference
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd are speaking to reporters at 2.20pm (AEST). Watch below:
‘We’re not a law enforcement agency’: Soldiers hit Sydney streets
By Laura Chung
More than 300 Australian Defence Force personnel will be deployed across Sydney to assist with COVID-19 compliance, including by delivering food hampers, setting up vaccination hubs, contact tracing and door-knocking.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said he had requested the additional support last Thursday and the six-week operation was an expansion to the current ADF support already being provided.
Brigadier Mick Garraway, the National Commander for Operation COVID-19 Assist, said the soldiers knew their role.
Brigadier Garraway said he understood the optics of soldiers on the streets might traumatise migrant communities. Credit:James Brickwood
“We’re not a law enforcement agency, and we’ll be doing tasks that are supportive in nature,” he said.
“What you’ve got with a defence force is a disciplined type of organisation.
“It’s vaccinated, it’s tested and it’s compliant, and it’s able to do a range of tasks that will take the pressure off the police, take the pressure off the department of health and other organisations.”
He added he understood concerns that the presence of defence personnel in the streets might be traumatic for migrant communities who had fled war-torn countries, but they were working with communities.
“Last night I had a 60-minute Zoom meeting with the NSW Imam’s Council, so you know we’re reaching out to culture communities, just to make sure that they understand exactly what we’re doing, and importantly what we’re not doing, and what our role is,” Brigadier Garraway said.
How do COVID rules in your state compare to other states?
Australia continues to have a patchwork of rules designed to combat COVID-19, depending on where you live.
There’s inconsistencies across states and the Public Health Orders are constantly tweaked, leading to much confusion for some readers. Some of the rules make sense, others not so much.
Here’s a summary. But given how quickly things change, there’s every chance it will be outdated soon...
Protesters demonstrate against Queensland’s ‘draconian’ lockdown extension
By Cloe Read
Two people have been arrested in inner-Brisbane following a protest against south-east Queensland’s latest lockdown.
A small crowd gathered at New Farm Park this morning after Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced the lockdown would be extended to Sunday.
Police arrest one of the demonstrators this morning.Credit:Cloe Read
A man who attended the protest said about 40 people were there, with a strong police presence, before it was broken up.
“Compared to last year, the amount of people who have died is minuscule, so why are we having draconian lockdowns?” he said.
The protest followed one earlier in the morning at Parliament House.
The sound of a police helicopter hovering over inner-Brisbane has been constant this morning as the lockdown is enforced.
Today’s headlines at a glance
By Broede Carmody
Good afternoon and thanks for reading our live coverage.
If you’re just joining us, here’s everything you need to know:
- NSW has recorded 207 new local cases of coronavirus today. Of those, at least 72 were infectious in the community. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the number of people in the community while infectious is still way too high. The state has also recorded its 15th death due to the current outbreak: a man in his 90s from south-west Sydney.
- Brisbane’s lockdown has been extended to Sunday as the state’s local cases of COVID-19 continue to rise. The lockdown was originally meant to end tomorrow, but Queensland today recorded 13 new cases in the community. Brisbane’s annual agricultural show, the Ekka, has been cancelled and the state’s Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young says she still doesn’t want young people to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine despite the rising case numbers (although she concedes it’s ultimately a matter for individuals and their GPs).
- Victoria has recorded two new cases of COVID-19. Both are linked to existing outbreaks and were in isolation for their entire infectious period. Meanwhile, state authorities say crowds will likely be allowed at AFL games from next week.
- And Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he hopes lockdowns will be a “thing of the past” by the year’s end. However to get there Australia needs to have 80 per cent of eligible adults vaccinated. It comes as AstraZeneca’s Australian boss says she is disappointed and surprised at the level of hesitancy about her company’s vaccine.
I’m signing off from the blog. My colleague Josh Dye will bring you the latest news and analysis through to the early evening.
See you all bright and early tomorrow.
AstraZeneca working on booster shot, local boss says
By Nick Bonyhady
AstraZeneca’s local boss Liz Chatwin has declared her disappointment and surprise at the level of hesitancy about her company’s coronavirus vaccine in Australia. However, she said the tide is turning as it prepares a new booster shot for later this year.
“What’s really important to stress here is that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, the current version is effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalisation with all the current variants, including the delta [variant],” Ms Chatwin told ABC radio earlier this morning.
Liz Chatwin, AstraZeneca Australia president, says the current vaccine was effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalisation against all the current variants.Credit:Getty
“But we are working on a variation to our vaccine. It’s actually started in testing now and it will be available later this year if it’s going to be needed.”
Ms Chatwin said even her 19-year-old son had decided to get an AstraZeneca jab as NSW authorities urge everyone in Sydney to be vaccinated.
“I told him there’s a 99.99% chance that nothing will happen to you. And he’s an intelligent young man, he looked at the the benefits versus the risk, he wants to get out of lockdown, and he happily came forward and received the vaccine.”
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2021-08-02 05:06:56Z
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