Weekly COVID news at a glance

1 Victoria could be like NSW

Victorian health authorities have warned the number of COVID-19 cases could keep rising like New South Wales if people keep breaking lockdown rules and delaying getting tested.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the state’s lockdown was stopping the spread of the virus until people get vaccinated. Medical research group Burnet Institute’s modelling shows Victoria could have experienced more than 3-thousand daily cases in September if it weren’t for the lockdown.

The government has confirmed the path out of lockdown would hinge on vaccination rates, rather than driving these Delta cases down to zero. None of the 76 people in hospital with the virus are fully vaccinated. The government says Victorians need to take the opportunity to get vaccinated and protect themselves while cases are low.

2 Australian Novavax trial participants unrecognised

Australians who participated in clinical trials of the Novavax Covid vaccine are being told their vaccinations cannot currently be recognised on Australia’s immunisation register.

Hundreds of Australians took part in clinical trials for the Novavax jab last year, hoping to help the world chart a way out of the pandemic. But the participants have since faced significant uncertainty over their vaccination status, unsure whether their doses would be recognised by Australia.

The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) does not currently recognise vaccines administered to the Novavax trial participants. That is because only vaccines approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and available for use in Australia can be added to the register.

3 Vaccination hub for the homeless

A new vaccine hub is opening at Melbourne Town Hall, dedicated to vaccinating Melbourne’s most vulnerable groups. The new drop-in vaccine hub will be set up to help vaccinate the city’s homeless population, residents who speak English as a second language, international students, and refugees.

Chief executive of Cohealth, Nicole Bartholomeusz, said language difficulties, cost and stigma are just some of the barriers that have prevented vulnerable groups from accessing the mainstream health services which offer vaccinations. Ms Bartholomeusz said outreach work from support workers and making accommodating vaccination spaces is important in vaccinating people experiencing homelessness and who are therefore at higher risk of exposure to COVID.

4 Culturally appropriate vaccination clinics 

Community led and culturally appropriate pop up vaccine clinics are being held across Melbourne. This weekend one of the clinics will be at the Hindu Temple in Mill Park. 

Community translators and medical staff will be at the site for four days to provide translation in Hindi and Gujarati languages Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said these programs were proving to be very successful with several multicultural communities.

Last weekend, the Greek community had one at their local Orthodox church with similar sites for the Jewish Community and the Samoan community. Health authorities say the program has built on work in the Western Suburbs led by Doctor Mukesh Haikerwal and others.

5 Vaccine passports to be trialled in regional Victoria

As the government prepares to ease restrictions across parts of the state that are free from COVID infection, they have identified regional Victoria as the perfect testing site.

“We think that in terms of a trial for those sort of small gatherings which might be done in a double-vaccinated only environment, we think it makes sense for that to start in regional Victoria,” Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula said.

Restaurants, retail shopping, theatres and sporting events have spruiked as rewards for double vaccinated Victorians under the proposed system.

5 More 500,000 Pfizer doses secured

The man in charge of Australia’s vaccine rollout is confident supply woes have been conquered after more Pfizer doses landed.

Lieutenant General John Frewen has turned his focus to stamping out lingering pockets of wariness in the community. Almost 500,000 Pfizer doses secured under a vaccine swap deal with the UK touched down in Sydney on Sunday night.

Another 3.5 million from the agreement are due to arrive this month, while one million doses of Moderna are also expected to land in about a week. Supply issues have been one of the major handbrakes on Australia’s vaccine rollout which remains well behind other developed nations. But momentum has built amid outbreaks in NSW, Victoria and the ACT.