The Victorian Department of Health confirmed the new local cases – the same as Tuesday’s figure – revealing four new mystery infections.They said 20 of the 24 new local cases could be linked to existing outbreaks and 18 positive people were in isolation during their infectious period.At least 17 mystery cases have been reported in the past five days as contact tracers face a race against time to determine how Melburnians are acquiring the virus.It comes as several bayside suburbs in Melbourne’s southeast emerged as the new Covid-19 hot spots. On Tuesday there were five mystery cases which had cropped up across Port Phillip, Glen Eira, Bayside, and particularly the suburb of East St Kilda, with health authorities concerned the virus was circulating unchecked.The outbreak first started after a teacher taught while infectious at a school in Truganina, in the city’s outer west. NED-3869-Covid-19-Exposure-Sites-VictoriaBIG CHANGE COMING TO ASTRAZENECAThe AstraZeneca vaccine is set to undergo a name change in Australia to make it easier for people who’ve received the vaccine to travel overseas.In Australia the original name is still used, and AstraZeneca is in the process of registering the brand name Vaxzevria, which is now used in Europe.“This minor difference, which will soon disappear, may have created misperceptions that the vaccine is not the same,” the pharmaceuticals manufacturer said in a statement on its website. “For vaccines produced in our global supply chain that are using the original name Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, we are currently in the process of registering the trade name Vaxzevria, which is used in many other markets, including the EU.“This will facilitate travel for people who have received AstraZeneca’s vaccine from anywhere in the world.”The company said the difference in the name could have created confusion that the vaccine was not the same and might not be valid for European travel.However, it said the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is the same product wherever it’s made, including at CSL in Australia.“All manufacturing around the world is conducted using the same stringent manufacturing process, and each batch passes over 60 quality tests as part of our global robust quality assurance process,” the company said.“The vaccine has also received emergency authorisation from the World Health Organisation. “As such the vaccine made by CSL is a valid vaccination for travel to Europe.”The vaccine was originally known as Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and then updated to the brand name Vaxzevria.In Europe, the brand name Vaxzevria (previously known as Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) already has European Medicines Agency approval.The company said more than 750 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine have been released for supply to 170 countries in less than 12 months.AUSSIE SENATOR IN QUARANTINE, ICU BED SHORTAGE FEARSShadow Finance Minister Katy Gallagher is in mandatory isolation after her daughter became one of 17 positive Covid cases in Canberra yesterday.The Labor Senator revealed her daughter Evie is “feeling pretty unwell and understandably worried about what this means for her and for the rest of her family”.“Our household remains in strict quarantine until ACT Health advises us that we don’t need to isolate anymore,” Ms Gallagher said in a statement posted to Twitter. “The rest of our family, including myself, have all returned negative tests. I am lucky as I am fully vaccinated. Unfortunately too many Australians have not had that opportunity.”Ms Gallagher, who as chair of the Senate’s Covid-19 Committee has been highly critical of Australia’s response to the pandemic, did not indicate how her daughter was exposed to the virus.“Here I sit tonight, where after doing everything right for 18 months, like millions of other families right around Australia — I am left with my children completely vulnerable to Covid-19,” she added.FEARS OF ICU BED SHORTAGE IN NSWAlmost three-quarters of NSW’s available staffed intensive care beds are full, with Covid-19 patients making up 10 per cent of total ICU admissions, The Australian reports.Rising Covid case numbers have lead to a significant spike in hospitalisations, and doctors are increasingly concerned at the pressure on the state hospital system. There are 69 Covid patients in ICU in NSW, with 25 on ventilators.The state has 844 staffed ICU beds available, and 608 of them were occupied on Monday.Covid cases place significant pressure on the ICU system because they require one-on-one case, and stay much longer than most other patients.FREEDOM TRIGGER REVEALED AS NSW HAS 452 CASES, 1 DEATHNSW has recorded 452 new Covid infections and one death as the outbreak continues to wreak havoc across the state.Of the new cases, at least 50 were infectious in the community.It comes as more than 10 million Australians have had at least one Covid jab, Health Minister Greg Hunt said, revealing a new daily record for vaccinations.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more than 152,000 people got tested before hinting at the fact people who are vaccinated could have some additional freedoms as early as next month.“That’s why I ask people to make sure they get vaccinated,” she said.“There will be opportunities to consider what things we’ll be able to offer the community in September and October, which will be our most challenging months and I just thank the community for the way in which you’ve responded to date.”The premier referred to the government’s target of reaching six million vaccines in arms by the end of August.“(Reaching that target) will mean that we can consider opportunities for people who are fully vaccinated in September and October,” Ms Berejiklian said.“And I’ll be able to convey that as soon as we get closer to August 28 and as soon as we know where things are at in terms of case numbers and areas of concern.”She said the city’s west and southwest areas continue to remain “the generators of most cases”.“We ask everybody in those suburbs to be especially careful (and) not to leave home unless you have to.Ms Berejiklian flagged Blacktown, Seven Hills, Merrylands, Guildford, Auburn, Bankstown and Greenacre as particular areas of concern.Of the new cases, 129 were linked to a known case or cluster including 105 household contacts and 24 close contacts.At least 323 cases remain under investigation.A woman in her 70s from western Sydney died at Westmead Hospital overnight.More than 50 per cent of NSW residents have now had at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.Ms Berejiklian said at least 75 per cent of new cases were people younger than 40.“That’s why those extra jabs we receive from the Commonwealth will be put straight into the arms of 16 to 39 year olds in the local government areas of concern,” the premier said.“That will protect them and their loved ones and also anyone coming into contact with them in a workplace. That is critical.”A case was also revealed in Broken Hill, some 1200km from Sydney, NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty confirmed.“The person has been infectious for some days and has been in Broken Hill and Wilcannia,” he said.“Contact tracing is under way and identified (close or casual) contacts are being tested and isolating.“Work is continuing to identify the potential source of that infection.”The person was infectious between August 13 and 16, the local health department said in a statement.Fragments of Covid were also detected in the sewage at Broken Hill on August 12.The number of people issued with infringement notices in the last 24 hours reached 579.“If you’re going to breach public health orders anywhere in this state, you will be caught,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said.There have been 8654 local infections since June 16 when the outbreak began.Sixty-nine people are in intensive are with 24 needing ventilation.NED-4292-Percentage-of-eligible-population-fully-vaccinated-by-stateVaccine LocatorTWO NEW CASES IN QLDQueensland has recorded two new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday.One case was linked to the Indooroopilly cluster and one is in hotel quarantine. Both have been in isolation while infectious.Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the police presence guarding the Queensland-NSW border would be beefed up.Ms Palaszczuk said 25 extra officers would be stationed on the western end of the Queensland and New South Wales border to prevent southerners defying stay-at-home orders and attempting to cross into the state.“That’s a big police presence along our border to make sure we do everything we can to keep Queenslanders safe,” she said.NED-3869-Covid-19-Exposure-Sites-QldAUSTRALIA BUYS 1M PFIZER DOSES FROM POLANDPoland has sold one million Pfizer Covid vaccine doses to Australia as part of a “responsible policy of solidarity”, the Polish health minister said on Sunday.Health Minister Adam Niedzieslki said that Poland’s vaccine purchases “allow us to meet the needs of our citizens and support others in need”.Polish ambassador to Australia Michal Kolodziejski said: “In these tough times for our Australian friends, Poland has decided to share with Australia one million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with immediate delivery”.Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the major boost to Australia’s vaccine rollout, as 415 new cases of Covid were recorded in NSW on Sunday and four more deaths.He said the vaccines were arriving “later tonight” and throughout the week. “In days, these jabs will start going into the arms of Australians,” Mr Morrison said at a press conference.Mr Morrison said the new one million Pfizer doses will be targeted at Australians aged 20 to 39 years of age as they were identified in the Doherty modelling as peak transmitters for Covid-19. “Five-hundred-and-thirty thousand of these doses will be prioritised for express delivery to the 12 Sydney local government areas where the COVID-19 outbreak continues to grow.”Mr Morrison said the rest of the doses would be allocated to the other states and territories on a per capita basis.“This allocation is based directly on the advice I received from the chief medical officer, Professor Kelly, his advice is based on the Doherty modelling and other work they have done about the transmissibility of the virus in those most affected areas and how they can be addressed through these additional doses,” he said.“This will give everybody aged 20 to 39 in the 12 LGAs the opportunity to be vaccinated.”Poland has fully vaccinated around 55 per cent of its population, but the rate of vaccinations has slowed sharply in recent months and many vaccination centres have been closed due to low demand.Opinion polls indicate that up to a quarter of Poles are either opposed to vaccination or hesitant about getting one.– with additional reporting by James Hall and Emily Cosenza, Sue Dunlevy, Andrew Koubaridis, Tiffany Bakker
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