Australia news LIVE NSW records 124 new local COVID-19 cases Victoria records 26 new cases

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison is due to address the media at about 1.30pm AEST in Canberra. You can watch it live here.

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The Greater Bendigo area in regional Victoria has recorded a new case of coronavirus for the first time almost six months.

Bendigo Health confirmed the case was not in the community while infectious after the health department listed the diagnosis on their website on Thursday afternoon.

The last time central Victoria had a positive case was in September 2020.

It is not the first case detected in regional Victoria as part of this new outbreak. Mildura, in Victoria’s north west, recorded two new cases on Thursday increasing the regional Victoria’s total to four.

A statement with further information is expected on Thursday afternoon.

Two more people have died after being diagnosed with the rare blood clotting disorder associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration said a 44-year-old man from Tasmania and a 48-year-old woman from Victoria died in the last week after receiving the first dose of the vaccine.

Two more deaths have been linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Both had confirmed cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

“We extend our sincere condolences to their families and loved ones,” the TGA said in its weekly vaccine safety report.

Since the beginning of the vaccine rollout in Australia, a total of five deaths from TTS have been reported out of 6.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. A sixth death linked to the vaccine was recorded from immune thrombocytopenia.

All of the deaths were related to a first dose of the vaccine.

Over the last week, there have been four additional confirmed cases of TTS likely to be associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Read the full safety report here.

New restrictions will soon be in place requiring people who don’t wear masks when required to produce a doctor’s note.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said at this morning’s COVID-19 update that an amendment to the state’s public health orders was being drafted.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, left, says mask rules will be tightened in the state.Credit:James Brickwood

“Which is to say … if you don’t wear a mask for what you say is a medical reason you will be required to have on your body, in your possession, a letter or other evidence from a registered medical practitioner explaining that is actually a true situation,” he said.

Mr Hazzard said he had hoped to have the new order in place before NSW’s 11am press conference but it had not been completed in time.

South Australia has recorded two new local cases of COVID-19 since the state’s last update yesterday evening.

The cases, a brother and sister in their 20s, are linked to the Tenafeate Creek Winery in Yattalunga, which was visited by an infectious person on Sunday afternoon from 1.45pm to 4.30pm. That brings the total number of cases linked to that venue to seven.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

South Australia entered a week-long lockdown at 6pm local time on Tuesday. There are now 14 local cases of COVID-19 in the state’s current outbreak.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said “I am very grateful that we move to a lockdown situation in South Australia at 6pm on Tuesday night.

“I think if we had’ve left this for a further 12 or 24 hours, we would be in a very different situation at the moment. I am still extraordinarily hopeful that we have been able to stop the spread of this disease.

“Hopefully over this seven-day lockdown period, we can stop it dead in its tracks, but that will only happen with the continued cooperation of all South Australians.”

Two aged care homes have been hit by COVID-19 cases with all infected staff members unvaccinated.

NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty said an unvaccinated staff member at the Palms Aged Care facility in Kirrawee, in Sydney’s south, had tested positive.

NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty providing a COVID-19 update.Credit:Rhett Wyman

In addition, two workers at Japara Corymbia aged care facility in Belrose, on the northern beaches, have tested positive.

Also five people at Unicen Disability Parklea group home have tested positive, including three residents and two staff.

Dr McNulty confirmed the disability staff and residents had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has criticised Prime Minister Scott Morrison, accusing him of “blame shifting” after the PM said he had repeatedly asked the nation’s peak medical experts to review their advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine in order to accelerate the national rollout.

“The Prime Minister’s comments, they did strike me as unusual,” Mr Foley said.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley. Credit:Penny Stephens

“They are the most pre-eminent physicians and experts in their field, and they respond to the inquiries and the issues that governments put up.

“I’ve got nothing but praise and support for what ATAGI has been doing throughout this whole pandemic. And I just thought it was an unnecessary shot at professionals doing their job.

“If there’s a problem, work through with them, don’t blame them for doing their job.

“If the government has an issue with that, constructively engage with them to seek a solution, don’t seek to blame people for doing their job. If we all did our job, we may not be in this position we are in today with very low vaccine rates.”

Good afternoon and thanks for reading our live coverage of the day’s events.

If you’re just joining us, here’s everything you need to know:

NSW has recorded 124 new local cases of COVID-19, 70 of which were infectious in the community for either their whole infectious period or part of it. The isolation status of another 17 cases is under investigation. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the numbers are likely to increase in coming days.

Greater Sydney is in the fourth week of a lockdown that is expected to run for at least five weeks, and it is likely to run for longer. Three local government areas around Orange in central western NSW (Orange, Blayney and Cabonne) entered into a week-long lockdown at 12.01am on Wednesday. The NSW Premier says she expects to be able to provide an update in about a week about the lockdown but she stresses that “we’ll be living with some level of restriction ...until the majority of the population is vaccinated”.

Victoria has recorded 26 new local cases of COVID-19, all of which are linked to current outbreaks. In positive news, 24 of the 26 cases were in quarantine for their entire infectious period. The state is due to come out of lockdown next week. By then, Melburnians will have spent around six months in lockdown since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Queensland will close the border to the rest of NSW from 1am on Friday as the state battles a growing coronavirus outbreak. Previously, the border was only shut to Greater Sydney and the local government areas in NSW’s central west that entered lockdown on Wednesday.

Western Australia has shut its borders to the entire eastern seaboard and South Australia, leaving only Tasmania and the Northern Territory outside the tight restrictions. Earlier today, two new cases of COVID-19 were recorded.

Broede Carmody is logging off on the blog now. I’ll keep you informed of the latest headlines throughout the afternoon and evening.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says the state government has previously discussed rolling out its own vaccine campaign, and young people in particular need to be targeted.

He made it clear (a number of times) he was a big fan Kiss FM presenter Kyle Sandilands’ efforts to promote vaccination on his radio program through his song Get vaxxed baby.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard arriving with the Premier for today’s coronavirus briefing. Credit:James Brickwood

Mr Hazzard said the federal government’s “somewhat belated” efforts to get an advertising campaign off the ground had been hamstrung by a lack of supply.

“I think the federal government are in a bit of a tricky spot because they haven’t got the vaccine that they know that everybody needs,” he said

“My view is that it would be helpful if the federal government were to look at an advertising campaign that works across the whole of Australia to encourage people to move forward not necessarily to scare them but to encourage them and there are a lot of ways they could do that.”

The positive case who visited Melbourne’s Prahran Market, and who picked up COVID-19 from the AAMI Park stadium outbreak, was sitting well outside the tier-1 area, Victorian COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar says.

COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar.Credit:Justin McManus

“It was originally somebody who sat on the same side of the ground that we’ve known about, but well outside of that ... area,” he said.

“They came forward and got tested as part of their tier-2 [presence].

“When we revised our tier-1 definition a few days ago on the grounds of evidence of some mingling outside of the ground, and this case was incorporated, [the person then] became a tier-1 contact, went back into isolation tested again and [tested] positive.”

The new cases in Victoria are as follows:

Seven associated with Trinity Grammar

Six linked to the Ms Frankie restaurant

Two linked to the Phillip Island outbreak

Five linked to St Patrick’s Primary School in Murrumbeena

One household contact linked to the MCG

Two household contacts linked to Mildura football

Two household contacts linked to the City of Hume

One linked to AAMI Park stadium

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