Equal record high, as 52 more infected with COVID-19 in ACT

October 2, 2021January 31, 2023 journo

The ACT has equalled its record high number of daily new COVID-19 cases, recording another 52 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday. Thirty are linked and the other 22 are under investigation. Ten of the infected people were in quarantine for their full infectious period, and at least 29 were infectious in the community. Thirteen people are in hospital, with three in intensive care and requiring ventilation. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said September had been a very tough month for Canberra. “But the signs are with a very strong vaccination program, by the end of October and going into November … and then into the summer, there will be better times ahead for our city,” he said. “There will be more opportunity for family and friends to be reunited and for more people to get back to work. “But we have the next four weeks of intense vaccinating to do in order to make that a much safer late spring and summer period for our city.” Mr Barr said there was no change to the roadmap to remove restrictions in coming weeks. The ACT government and health authorities will review over coming days the recent surge in cases and provide an update on Tuesday, but Mr Barr said the territory’s high vaccination rates were an encouraging sign. READ MORE: Mr Barr said he didn’t want to give the impression the ACT was about walk away from the planned easing of restrictions, but authorities were closely monitoring the situation. “Vaccination rates are a really significant way that we can protect the community. As always, we will take advice from [chief health officer] Dr [Kerryn] Coleman and the epidemiologists on the case load,” he said. “We are also very, very conscious of the impacts across our health system. And the other factor that has been there throughout, is what is happening on the other side of the border. I think Queanbeyan had a big number of cases again today and we have had [large number of cases from regional NSW]. “…I would prefer the case numbers were in the teens, not the 50s, but what we have seen from these cases is we know where they have contracted the virus, in large parts, and it is continuing a pattern we have seen throughout this wave of cases in the ACT, that once someone gets the virus, they bring it home with them and they infect everyone at home pretty much,” he said. He did not want the numbers to go from the 50s to the 100s, but “that’s in the hands of Canberrans”. “I would say to people don’t take risks this long weekend and don’t take risks over the next couple of weeks,” he said. He indicated there had been a shift in the ACT’s vaccination program on Friday. “There were more second doses of the vaccine delivered than first doses across ACT government clinics,” he said. “We are now at the point where 63 per cent of the eligible population are fully vaccinated, and we have nearly 92 per cent of our eligible population with a first dose of a vaccine,” he said. READ MORE: Mr Barr again appealed to those who had not yet booked a vaccination to do so as soon as they could. “There are appointments available over the coming days, over this long weekend and into next week. So please put your name against one of those bookings,” he said. There were 3241 tests undertaken on Friday and Mr Barr said this was a good level. Saturday’s figures follow the two deaths and what was then a record high 52 new COVID-19 cases reported in the daily update on Friday, when some lockdown restrictions eased across the territory. Among the changes, Canberrans are now allowed to have two guests come to their homes. Mr Barr described his initial reaction to the learning the ACT had again recorded 52 new cases as being, “in emoji terms, a bit of a wide-eyed response”. But he said he was encouraged that roughly 10 per cent of Canberrans with the virus were requiring hospitalisation, saying this percentage was lower than that of some other Australian jurisdictions. But the Chief Minister said the ACT’s health system was in need of support, with more money required to cope with the pressures on it. He said all state and territory health ministers had written to the federal government, “outlining a range of issues that will need to be urgently addressed to prepare the health system for what is coming”. “These are crisis funding for hospital demand pressures, support for management of COVID cases in the community, ways to address discharge delays for aged care and NDIS participants within the hospital system, funding to extend the operation of existing mental health crisis clinics, and extension of crisis supports across all Australian jurisdictions,” Mr Barr said. “The Commonwealth has been asked to consider these issues, and to respond to them as soon as they can.” Meanwhile, Dr Coleman said there had now been 939 total cases recorded in Canberra during the current outbreak. Of those, 617 people have recovered, which is five more than the figure given on Friday. There are 319 active cases. Of the 30 new linked cases, 14 are household contacts. The 13 people in hospital range in age from being in their 20s to their 80s. Eight of these are unvaccinated. Four have had a first dose, and one has an unknown vaccination status. Southern NSW has, meanwhile, reported 27 new cases on Saturday. Eleven of them were in the Queanbeyan-Palerang region, with seven linked to known cases. Looking for more information on exposure sites? Read the latest updates here. MORE COVID-19 NEWS: Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

Thirty are linked and the other 22 are under investigation.

Ten of the infected people were in quarantine for their full infectious period, and at least 29 were infectious in the community.

Thirteen people are in hospital, with three in intensive care and requiring ventilation.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said September had been a very tough month for Canberra.

“But the signs are with a very strong vaccination program, by the end of October and going into November … and then into the summer, there will be better times ahead for our city,” he said.

“There will be more opportunity for family and friends to be reunited and for more people to get back to work.

“But we have the next four weeks of intense vaccinating to do in order to make that a much safer late spring and summer period for our city.”

Mr Barr said there was no change to the roadmap to remove restrictions in coming weeks.

The ACT government and health authorities will review over coming days the recent surge in cases and provide an update on Tuesday, but Mr Barr said the territory’s high vaccination rates were an encouraging sign.

READ MORE:

Mr Barr said he didn’t want to give the impression the ACT was about walk away from the planned easing of restrictions, but authorities were closely monitoring the situation.

“Vaccination rates are a really significant way that we can protect the community. As always, we will take advice from [chief health officer] Dr [Kerryn] Coleman and the epidemiologists on the case load,” he said.

“We are also very, very conscious of the impacts across our health system. And the other factor that has been there throughout, is what is happening on the other side of the border. I think Queanbeyan had a big number of cases again today and we have had [large number of cases from regional NSW].

“…I would prefer the case numbers were in the teens, not the 50s, but what we have seen from these cases is we know where they have contracted the virus, in large parts, and it is continuing a pattern we have seen throughout this wave of cases in the ACT, that once someone gets the virus, they bring it home with them and they infect everyone at home pretty much,” he said.

He did not want the numbers to go from the 50s to the 100s, but “that’s in the hands of Canberrans”.

“I would say to people don’t take risks this long weekend and don’t take risks over the next couple of weeks,” he said.

He indicated there had been a shift in the ACT’s vaccination program on Friday.

“There were more second doses of the vaccine delivered than first doses across ACT government clinics,” he said.

“We are now at the point where 63 per cent of the eligible population are fully vaccinated, and we have nearly 92 per cent of our eligible population with a first dose of a vaccine,” he said.

READ MORE:

Mr Barr again appealed to those who had not yet booked a vaccination to do so as soon as they could.

“There are appointments available over the coming days, over this long weekend and into next week. So please put your name against one of those bookings,” he said.

There were 3241 tests undertaken on Friday and Mr Barr said this was a good level.

Among the changes, Canberrans are now allowed to have two guests come to their homes.

Mr Barr described his initial reaction to the learning the ACT had again recorded 52 new cases as being, “in emoji terms, a bit of a wide-eyed response”.

But he said he was encouraged that roughly 10 per cent of Canberrans with the virus were requiring hospitalisation, saying this percentage was lower than that of some other Australian jurisdictions.

But the Chief Minister said the ACT’s health system was in need of support, with more money required to cope with the pressures on it.

He said all state and territory health ministers had written to the federal government, “outlining a range of issues that will need to be urgently addressed to prepare the health system for what is coming”.

“These are crisis funding for hospital demand pressures, support for management of COVID cases in the community, ways to address discharge delays for aged care and NDIS participants within the hospital system, funding to extend the operation of existing mental health crisis clinics, and extension of crisis supports across all Australian jurisdictions,” Mr Barr said.

“The Commonwealth has been asked to consider these issues, and to respond to them as soon as they can.”

Meanwhile, Dr Coleman said there had now been 939 total cases recorded in Canberra during the current outbreak. Of those, 617 people have recovered, which is five more than the figure given on Friday.

There are 319 active cases. Of the 30 new linked cases, 14 are household contacts.

The 13 people in hospital range in age from being in their 20s to their 80s. Eight of these are unvaccinated. Four have had a first dose, and one has an unknown vaccination status.

Southern NSW has, meanwhile, reported 27 new cases on Saturday. Eleven of them were in the Queanbeyan-Palerang region, with seven linked to known cases.

MORE COVID-19 NEWS:

Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Picture: Elesa Kurtz