Weekly COVID news at a glance

1 Mandatory jab for authorised workers

This week, the Victorian government extended its requirement for vaccination of certain essential workers to all authorised workers in the state. This is a tough call but justified by a unique set of circumstances and the temporary nature of the mandate.

Mandatory vaccination has always been controversial because it comes with significant downsides. There are often better ways to get the high vaccination coverage needed. This new mandate makes access to work and income contingent on receiving this medical intervention for now 1.25 million Victorians.

Mandates challenge the foundations of valid consent which says vaccination should be given voluntarily. They can disproportionately affect those lacking access to vaccination or to accurate documentation of the vaccines they have had.

2 Victoria backs construction industry

The Victorian government has announced a multi-million-dollar support package to provide financial aid for the construction industry for the two weeks under lockdown.

$196-million-dollars will go towards one-off cash grants to eligible businesses, including sole traders. More than 700-thousand businesses in Melbourne, the City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire will be eligible. 

Sole traders will receive a $2-thousand-dollar one-off payment and other businesses will receive payments of between $2,800 up to $8,400 dollars based on their annual payroll. Applications for the program will open in mid-October and more information can be found by googling the Victorian Government’s Business Cost Assistance Program.

3 NSW set to hit vaccine milestone this week

NSW is just days away from hitting its 70 per cent double dose vaccination target, with a significant easing of restrictions set for October 11. Just over 67 per cent of residents over the age of 16 have had two jabs, with 88 per cent having their first dose.

The new freedoms for fully vaccinated residents will be triggered next Monday and are set to include eased household and outdoor gatherings, reopening hospitality, retail stores and gyms, reopening stadiums and theatres and increasing capacity limits for weddings and funerals.

From next week, fully vaccinated people who are identified as a close contact of a positive case will only need to isolate for seven days, down from 14.

4 Changing freedom roadmap plan refused 

The man expected to be NSW’s next premier, Dominic Perrottet, has refused to rule out making changes to the roadmap to freedom set out by his predecessor Gladys Berejiklian. Mr Perrottet will be running for the top job on Tuesday against Planning Minister Rob Stokes.

When announcing his candidacy in a press conference on Sunday, Mr Perrottet refused to confirm whether he would keep the current Covid roadmap if elected. Mr Stokes said he would keep the original freedom plan if he was to be elected Premier.

Under the current plan, a number of restrictions are due to ease for fully vaccinated residents on October 11, with even more freedoms to come at the 80 per cent vaccine milestone, including regional travel for Sydneysiders. Unvaccinated residents across the state will be required to live under lockdown restrictions until December 1.

5 Queensland could face NSW-style outbreak

An epidemiologist has issued a dire warning to Queensland as the state begins to look ahead to borders re-opening. Professor Nancy Baxter said despite the state’s recent successful attempts at containing Delta outbreaks, the worst could still be coming. 

“At some point Queensland’s luck will run out and end up in Sydney situation or a Melbourne situation,” she said. 

As of yesterday, Queensland had, along with Western Australia, the lowest vaccination rate in the country with numbers hovering around 48 per cent double dose. However, the state government allowed thousands to gather at Suncorp Stadium for the NRL grand final last night, though a late cap of 75 per cent capacity was imposed.

6 Vaccinated given the chance to win $1 million

Australians vaccinated against COVID-19 are being given the chance to win $1 million thanks to a new campaign dedicated to accelerating the country’s vaccination rates.

The Million Dollar Vax campaign will give away a total of $4.1 million worth of prizes to people vaccinated against the virus in the next four and a half weeks.

It will award $1000 gift cards to entrants daily on top of the ultimate $1 million prize, which will be given away on 5 November.

The campaign is the work of the Million Dollar Vax Alliance, a collaboration of philanthropists and corporations who want to drive vaccination rates above 80 per cent nationally as quickly as possible.