Weekly COVID news at a glance

1  Potential community transmission

Leaders at both state and federal levels have expressed disappointment and serious concern over Saturday’s anti-lockdown protests in Sydney and Melbourne, with Victorian Covid Commander Jeroen Weimar saying this behaviour was very frustrating. 

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also warned that any potential community transmission cases which emerged from the rally could affect further easing of restrictions. On the basis of consistent contained cases, Premier Andrews said on Sunday he expects the lockdown to end as planned on Tuesday night, but it would be under specific restrictions.

State health authorities are waiting for test results from two clusters in the recent outbreak before any announcement is made. Mr Andrews said two factors that could impact that announcement are results from testing for an apartment block in Docklands and the final round of tests for primary close contacts at the Prahran Market. He also said regional Victorians should expect any easing of restrictions to be in line with those for Greater Melbourne.

2  Pregnant women now eligible to vaccination

Pregnant women can now receive the Pfizer vaccine after becoming a priority group in Phase 1B of the vaccine rollout. If pregnant women have had a first dose of AstraZeneca, they can receive Pfizer as their second dose. Women at any stage of their pregnancy no matter how old they are can get the free vaccine by contacting their GP. 

Previously, pregnant women under 40 could not access the vaccine. Vaccinating pregnant women ensures that COVID-19, if caught, cannot cause adverse health complications for both mothers and their babies. 

3  “No-questions-asked” mental health days

Senior students are calling for the right to take “no-questions-asked” mental health days each term, considering the uncertainty in their learning due to repeated lockdowns. Student body, the Victorian Student Representative Council, is urging the state’s Education Minister James Merlino to act in helping the mental burden for VCE students who have been in an out of lockdowns.

As well as calling for one or two mental health days permitted per term, the council is also recommending that the attendance rate required to pass VCE class time be lowered. Student Executive Advisory Committee member Linh Dang says it is unfair to be able to take time off for physical illness but not mental illness.

4  2021 Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence 

Applications for the 2021 Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence are now open. The awards are presented each year to individuals and organisations that have created connection and cross cultural understanding between different faith and cultural groups. 

Award categories include the Premier’s Award, Media, Business, Police, Local Government, Youth Leadership, Community Innovation, and Education Awards. There are also the Refugee Advocacy, Sport, Arts, Justice, Health, Emergency Services and the Community Response and Recovery Awards. Nominations are open until 5 September. 

5  Trans-Tasman bubble on paused

New Zealand’s quarantine free travel bubble with Australia has been shut down for eight weeks. New Zealand previously paused travel to and from New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia but the new shutdown includes all of Australia. The decision was made after the increasing case numbers in New South Wales. 

Managed return flights for New Zealanders who have a negative test pre-departure will run for a week. Returning residents from New South Wales and Victoria will need to quarantine and isolate.

6  Racism against Australian Muslims

The Australian Human Rights Commission has found that 80 per cent of Australian Muslims have experienced discrimination and prejudice. The Commission found that 50 per cent said they had dealt with unfair treatment from law enforcement. 48 per cent said they experienced racism in the workplace or when looking for work. 

The survey was conducted after the Christchurch attacks to understand the experiences of Australian Muslims. The Human Rights Commission wants national education campaigns and programs for employers. The Home Affairs Department said it was considering the report and would spend 63 million on social cohesion programs.