NSW nears new jab milestone; Vic has 1965 new cases

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet applauded the state for reaching the new jab milestone.“Vaccination is incredibly important. We know it keeps people safe, particularly those in vulnerable communities,” Mr Perrottet said.“To be in a position as we come close to a 90 per cent first-dose vaccination rate is impressive.”NSW recorded 580 new locally acquired Covid-19 infections on Saturday.The state is set to see a significant easing of restrictions on Monday.Mr Perrottet said the 90 per cent first-dose rate would help keep NSW residents safe as the state learns to live with the virus.“We know that as we open up, case numbers will increase. But what has been key to keeping people safe is our high vaccination rate,” the Premier said. “We have the highest vaccination rate in the country and importantly we’re coming close on that first-dose mark to 90 per cent.”After the state hit the 70 per cent double-dose milestone on October 6, guaranteeing the easing of restrictions on October 11, health authorities announced the following would take effect on Monday:Indoor swimming pools – which were set to remain closed until December 1 – will be open for “rehabilitation, children’s swimming lessons, organised lap swimming and the like”.Home visitations will be doubled to allow 10 visitors – not including kids under 12 – instead of five, and the number of people allowed to attend outdoor gatherings will be increased from 20 to 30.The caps in relation to weddings and funerals will also lift from 50 to 100.More changes would come into effect once the state hit the 80 per cent double-dose vaccination target.NSW Covid Exposure SitesVICTORIA RECORDS 1965 NEW CASESVictoria has recorded 1965 new local cases of Covid-19 on Saturday as the state again breaks a national record for the highest number of daily infections.The Department of Health also confirmed five Victorians died from the virus in the past 24 hours.More than 84 per cent of the state’s population is now single-dose vaccinated and 56.6 per cent are fully-dosed.Saturday’s case total is a national high and comes just a day after Victoria broke that record on Friday with 1838 cases.There were 41,177 vaccine doses administered in the past 24 hours and 73,443 Covid-19 test results received.Mildura in northwest Victoria last night entered a snap seven-day lockdown from 11.59pm on Friday.The regional city has recently had a rise in Covid-19 infections, with nine active cases in the Mildura Rural City Council local government area reported as of Friday morning.A further three cases were identified on Friday afternoon and were included in Saturday’s numbers, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 12.Health authorities will front the media later on Saturday. NED-3869-Covid-19-Exposure-Sites-VictoriaNED-4653-VIC-vaccine-mandateQANTAS’ MAJOR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT CHANGEQantas will operate its flagship direct route to London via Darwin when international flights resume next month with the reopening of Australia’s international borders.The national carrier has reached an agreement with the Northern Territory Government and Darwin Airport to temporarily reroute its flights from Melbourne and Sydney through Darwin.The airline confirmed the move last night, saying the first Sydney-Darwin-London flight would take off on November 14.The Melbourne-Darwin-London route is currently scheduled to begin on December 18, but Qantas says it could start earlier depending on discussions with the Victorian Government on shorter quarantine arrangements for returning travellers.“The NT Government has worked closely with us to make these flights happen and I’d like to thank the Chief Minister and his team for finding a solution that is safe and streamlined,” Qantas Group chief executive officer Alan Joyce said.Qantas says it will restart its flights from Sydney to Los Angeles in December.NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the direct route would mark a turning point for Australia as the states and territories work towards the next phases of the national reopening plan.The federal government shut Australia’s international borders in March 2020. Only a limited number of people have been granted a permit to leave the country, while tens of thousands of Australians have been stranded overseas by the country’s strict caps on arrivals.Australians states will be able to reopen to international travellers in November once the 80 per cent double-dose Covid-19 vaccination target is met, under a plan announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on October 1.The plan, which will begin with NSW, would see states allow travel for passengers who have been fully inoculated with a Therapeutic Goods Administration-approved vaccine and have been tested for Covid-19 before boarding their flight.NSW will be the first state to trial at-home quarantine for fully vaccinated Australians and permanent residents arriving in the state from overseas.Qantas has announced a two-phase plan for its Darwin flights to London.In stage one, transiting passengers from all Australian states, or returning from London, will be able to visit the international lounge and shops at Darwin Airport.Passengers travelling from London to Sydney and Melbourne via Darwin and wanting to travel onwards to other Australian cities may also be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.In stage two, transiting passengers will have the option to leave the terminal and visit Darwin,Passengers based in Darwin will also be able to book the direct flight to London.Qantas’ first international flight left Australia from Darwin in 1935, carrying passengers from Brisbane to Singapore via the NT capital.TWO UNDER 60S IN NEW BLOOD CLOTS CASES LINKED TO ASTRAZENECA JAB The number of blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine has risen again in Australia to 151.It comes after a confirmed case in an 82-year-old woman from NSW and two probable cases in a 41-year-old man from NSW and a 52-year-old woman from Queensland.This takes the total Australian reports assessed as thrombosis thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) or blood clots combined with low platelets following AstraZeneca to 84 confirmed, 67 probable cases from nearly 12 million vaccine doses.The Therapeutic Goods Administration released the figures in its Covid-19 Vaccine Weekly Safety Report on Thursday afternoon.“We continue to closely monitor cases of TTS as Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) is now being used more frequently in people aged under 60 years. To date, we have not observed a significant change in the rate of TTS in people aged 50-59 years,” the TGA said.NED-3619-AstraZeneca blood clots-What we knowThe Moderna vaccine is now being rolled out in Australia. To 3 October, the TGA received 65 reports of suspected adverse events.“These were expected reactions consistent with what has been reported in the trials and included injection-site reactions, nausea, headache, dizziness and chest pain,” the TGA said.To the same period, the TGA received 218 reports of suspected myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) alone or in combination with pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium – a sac-like structure that surrounds the heart). In addition, the TGA received 629 reports of suspected pericarditis alone with Pfizer. In the same period the TGA received three reports of suspected pericarditis alone with Moderna. NED-3736-Vaccine-benefit-vs-harmSECOND BABY TESTS COVID POSITIVE IN ACTA second infant has tested positive to Covid-19 as the number of cases associated with a Canberra Hospital special care nursery increased to five. Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith on Thursday announced the ACT had recorded 41 new cases of the virus, bringing the national capital’s outbreak total to 1107.Ms Stephen-Smith was unable to provide an update on the condition of the two babies but did say neither were currently in a critical condition. Two carers who went into the unit at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children have also tested positive for the virus. As a result of the exposure, 28 staff have are in isolation. The source of the infection remains under investigation it’s expected the cluster will grow over the coming days.“It’s not unexpected that the source would still be under investigation at this time,” Ms Stephen-Smith said. “This is an evolving situation, only in the last sort of just over 24 hours, 36 hours, so I’m not at all surprised that we haven’t been able to definitively identify what the source of that cluster has been.”Of the 41 new cases, 14 are linked to known cases and clusters, while 24 are still under investigation. Just seven cases were in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.The territory currently has 15 people in hospital – aged from their 20s to 60s – with seven in intensive care and six requiring ventilation.Eleven of the 15 in ICU are unvaccinated and four have had one dose of the vaccine.The Health Minister dismissed concerns the number of patients requiring ventilation, telling reporters the numbers were in line with what the government had planned for. “Over the next few weeks we expect to have around 30 Covid patients in hospital and around 10 in ICU,” Ms Rachel-Stephen Smith said. “Our Covid-19 capacity is around 20 in ICU. That would have an impact on our ICU capacity, but this is exactly where we expected to be.”It comes as the ACT hits a major vaccine milestone, with 70 per cent of the population aged 16 plus fully vaccinated. Over 96 per cent of the eligible population have now received at least one dose of the vaccine. NED-3589-Vaccine-Passports-graphic