Weekly COVID news at a glance

1  New vaccine Moderna to use in Australia

Australia has secured pharmaceutical company Moderna’s new COVID-19 vaccine , changing the national vaccine rollout plans once again.

The new vaccine works similarly to Pfizer with mild side effects but requires a four week gap between shots instead of three. The Therapeutic Goods Administration still needs to approve it. Four potential vaccines are now available to Australians, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer and potentially Novavax. 

Once approved, 10-million Moderna shots are to be used as a backup to Pfizer vaccines, so people under 50 could receive the new vaccine later this year. Another 15-million shots of an updated version will be saved for booster shots in 2022 to cover new COVID-19 strains.

2  Warning of the risk of airborne infection

Experts want the Australian government to update its COVID-19 advice and emphasise the risk of airborne infection, after international health organisations did so earlier this month. The World Health Organisation and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention recently changed their advice, stating poorly ventilated spaces can allow small virus particles to linger in the air.

The Australian federal Health Department’s current COVID-19 advice does not suggest airborne spreading though it is suspected to have caused several recent hotel quarantine leaks. The government’s Infection Control Expert Group says aerosol spreading occurs in limited circumstances but doesn’t cause the majority of infections.

3  VIC announced new voucher Scheme

The Victorian government has a new voucher scheme to encourage people to eat out in Melbourne, to support pandemic impacted businesses. Announcements were made as part of the state budget, with Melbourne’s revival costing $100-million-dollars.

The City of Melbourne committed to matching the government’s contribution, providing a $200-million-dollar joint fund supporting CBD businesses and events. $7.5 million will go toward the vouchers, allowing people dining out in the metropolitan area to claim back 20 per cent of their meal price, up to $100-dollars in value.

4  No large return of migrants this year

Australia won’t see a return of migrants in large numbers for another year, according to projections in the federal budget papers. The government predicts “a gradual return” of both temporary and permanent migrants from the middle of 2022, with international students expected to return via small, phased programs later this year.

Australia’s migration program will remain as was set in 2020, at 160-thousand places, divided between skilled migrants and family reunions. New migrants granted permanent residency after January 1, 2022, will also have to wait four years for most social security payments. The measure is set to create over 670 million dollars in savings for the government over five years which will be redirected “to fund policy priorities” instead.

5  VIC shows disappointment to federal budget

The Victorian State government has expressed its disappointment that the proposed funding for a dedicated quarantine facility in Melbourne’s north had not been provided in the federal budget.

It had requested the provision of at least $200 million to build the centre at Mickleham, which would be managed by the state. In addition, Victorian hospitals have been hit with a 93-million-dollar cut in this week’s budget announcement.

Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley said that the funding cut will mean less nurses and less doctors in the state’s hospitals. RMIT Emeritus Professor David Hayward also said Victoria should feel disappointed by the federal budget, especially on infrastructure.

6  Difficulty of VIC state’s QR code system

The Victorian government says it will be tougher on businesses and patrons who don’t use the state’s QR code system. This follows the news that dozens of people who dined in a city restaurant at the same time as a man now identified as having been positive for COVID-19, had not checked in.

The Department of Health’s contact tracers have been working to find the details of all patrons who visited the Curry Vault Indian Restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD last Friday between 6.30pm and 9.30pm, when the man dined there. Twenty-eight people who were at the restaurant have been identified as primary close contacts, and 16 have tested negative to COVID-19 so far.