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Coronavirus Australia: Vic has record 1763 new cases, four deaths

AAP and staff writersThe West Australian
Victoria has posted a record 1763 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths as tradies get back on the tools after a two-week construction shutdown.
Camera IconVictoria has posted a record 1763 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths as tradies get back on the tools after a two-week construction shutdown. Credit: DANIEL POCKETT/AAPIMAGE

New South Wales has recorded 608 new cases of COVID-19, Dr Jeremy McAnulty has revealed.

There were also seven deaths of people with COVID-19, he added.

One person was in their 50s, two people were in their 60s, three people were in their 70s, and one person was in their 80s.

Five people were not vaccinated, and two people had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

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There are currently 978 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 190 people in intensive care, including 94 that require ventilation.

Of the 608 cases, 183 are from southwest Sydney, 96 are from western Sydney, 65 are from Hunter/New England, 51 are from Illawarra/Shoalhaven, 50 from southeast Sydney, 40 from inner Sydney, 28 are from the Central Coast, 24 are from Nepean/Blue Mountains, and 24 are from northern Sydney.

Meanwhile, 88.5 per cent of people aged 16 and over in NSW have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, while 67.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.

VIC HAS RECORD 1763 NEW CASES, FOUR DEATHS

Victoria has posted a record 1763 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths as tradies get back on the tools after a two-week construction shutdown.

The health department on Tuesday confirmed the new daily cases and deaths, taking the toll from the current outbreak to 57.

The sixth straight day of four-figure infections and new daily record cases has pushed the number of active infections in the state to 14,368.

More than 62,189 Victorians were tested for the virus in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning, while 35,253 vaccinations were administered at state-run sites.

The latest figures come as construction workers were allowed to return to worksites on Tuesday, after the two-week shutdown in Melbourne and other locked- down areas.

All on-site workers must now have at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and be fully vaccinated by November 13.

All operators must formally attest their site complies with the new industry health directions before reopening.

The industry-wide vaccine mandate, and other restrictions brought in to curb transmission, sparked a protest outside the CFMEU’s Melbourne headquarters on September 20, the day the state government announced the sector would down tools.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said tens of thousands of construction workers had since come forward to meet the first-dose requirement, but could not say what proportion of the industry is now vaccinated.

He said the building industry was ready for Tuesday’s restart, having learned a “hard lesson” and reflected on compliance issues with masks and tearooms.

A COVID marshal will be placed at every worksite across the state and workforce caps remain, except for outdoor state government projects.

Meanwhile, final-year Victorian students are arriving at schools across the state on Tuesday for the rescheduled General Achievement Test.

Some 33 VCE students from COVID-19 hotspots were among Monday’s 1377 new cases, after 8000 were tested in the lead up to the annual test.

They will not be able to sit the GAT, an annual three-hour test that does not count towards their ATAR results, but can take their exams at a later date.

TWO COVID-19 CASES, NEW CHO FOR QUEENSLAND

Queensland has announced Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young’s successor as the state records two new virus cases while working to control another outbreak.

One of the new cases, a three-year-old girl, is linked to the aviation cluster in the state’s southeast and has been in quarantine during her entire infectious period.

The second is a Queensland resident given an exemption to return from Melbourne, who acquired the virus interstate and was notified as a positive case while on a flight on Monday.

Health authorities met the 19-year-old at the airport and transferred her directly to hospital.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said neither case posed significant risk of infection to the community.

The latest figures come as Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young prepares to hand the reins of the state’s pandemic response to infectious disease doctor Krispin Hajkowicz.

Dr Hajkowicz is currently the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Director of Infectious Diseases and will take over from Dr Young when she steps down on November 1.

Dr Young said her replacement had been heavily involved in the state’s response to the pandemic and was “the perfect person” to take on the role.

The new chief health officer will step in during a challenging period for Queensland, with questions being raised about state hospitals’ preparedness for COVID-10 outbreaks when borders re-open, and pressure to lift the vaccination rate.

“The virus will come in no matter what we do,” Dr Young said.

Dr Hajkowicz said he was “thrilled and honoured” to be the state’s next chief health officer and had been working on his hospital’s “frontline” of COVID-19 response for the past 18 months.

Dr Young is to become Governor of Queensland.

STATE-BY-STATE CASE BREAKDOWN

VIC - 1763 new local cases, four deaths

NSW - 608 new local cases, seven deaths

QLD - one new local case

ACT - TBA

WA - TBA

SA - TBA

TAS - TBA

NT - TBA

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