Victorian authorities urge partygoers to come forward for testing as COVID-19 cluster grows
Victorian health officials now have 15,000 primary and secondary contacts linked to the current COVID-19 outbreak and yet again saw record testing rates yesterday, but they are also well aware that not everyone is checking into venues with QR codes.
With the state now in its first day of lockdown after four new cases were reported yesterday taking the current cluster to 30, the number of exposure sites continues to rise but there are five in particular that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is homing in on.
DHHS Deputy Secretary Jeroen Weimar says it is believed one of the new cases identified yesterday contracted the virus at the The Sporting Globe in the beachside suburb of Mordialloc between 6:15pm and 9:45pm on Sunday, 23 May.
"We now see the significant risk, particularly at those social venues - the bars and clubs that our exposure list has - and we're very keen to ensure that people who have been to those places at those times come forward very quickly," Weimar said.
These five venues include The Sporting Globe in Mordialloc at the stated times, as well as the following:
The Three Monkeys bar, Prahran - 9:10pm-11pm on Saturday, 22 May and 12:30-2am Sunday, 23 May.
Somewhere Bar, Prahran - 10:30pm-1am on the night of Saturday, 22 May and Sunday, 23 May.
The Palace Hotel, South Melbourne - 5:45-6:45pm on Saturday, 22 May.
The Local, Port Melbourne - 1:30-3:30pm on Friday, 21 May.
"If you've been to those locations, you've been out partying with somebody who was COVID-positive at the same time in that space," he said.
"Our real focus over the next day or two is going to be on identifying any additional people that ignored the current QR code systems - if you did not check in, we really need you to come forward to make sure that we can get you tested and isolated."
Updated at 11:29am AEST on 28 May, 2021.
Urgent call for vaccinations as seven-day snap lockdown confirmed for Victoria
Unlike previous lockdowns when people were allowed four reasons to leave the home, Victorian authorities have today announced a critical fifth exception for the stay-at-home measures that will take effect at 11:59pm tonight - getting vaccinated.
With 150 exposure sites across Greater Melbourne and other parts of the state relating to the latest COVID-19 cluster that has now risen to 26, as well as the identification of 10,000 contacts connected to them, Acting Premier James Merlino confirmed an anticipated one-week lockdown for Victoria.
"Unless something drastic happens, this will become increasingly uncontrollable. This vaccine rollout has been slower than we hoped - that is a fact," Merlino said.
"If more people were vaccinated, we might be facing a very different set of circumstances than we are today. But sadly, we are not. If we make the wrong choice now, if we wait too long, this thing will get away from us."
After a record-breaking 40,411 people got tested yesterday and contact tracers were able to identify and lock down, first, second and third rings of contacts within 24 hours, the concerning issue is that the current variant transmits much more quickly than others that Australia has had to handle.
Merlino said the serial interval, meaning the time it took between the onset of symptoms between first and secondary cases, was sometimes averaging just over a day.
"Now to put that in some perspective, the usual transmission is about five to six days. In some of these cases, within a day it's been transmitted," he said.
"And in just 24 hours the number of cases has doubled," he said, also noting one of the recent cases is in serious condition in an intensive care unit (ICU).
What are the changes?
Victoria's seven-day lockdown is expected to last until 11:59pm next Thursday, however Merlino said if they could be eased earlier then that will be done. He gave the following five reasons why people would be allowed to leave the home once the lockdown comes into effect:
Shopping for necessary goods and services;
Authorised work or permitted education;
Exercise with a two-hour maximum with one other person;
Caregiving, compassionate and medical reasons;
Getting vaccinated.
Merlino said vaccines were "the only pathway through this pandemic", and to help the effort the state-run vaccination facilities will now be opening their doors to the 40-49 age bracket for Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccinations.
Victorians will not be able to go outside of a 5km perimeter from their homes, unless their nearest shops are further away than that.
"Masks must be worn everywhere, indoors and outdoors, anywhere other than your home unless an exemption applies," he said.
"There are to be no visitors to your home, other than an intimate partner, but single bubbles will be permitted. If you live alone, you can make a bubble with another person.
"There are to be no public gatherings."
He said restaurants, pubs and cafes were allowed to be open for takeaway only, while essential retail could be open such as supermarkets, food stores, petrol stations, banks, bottle shops and pharmacies. Other retail stores can provide click and collect.
Childcare and kindergartens will be open as per the last circuit-breaker lockdown, approved professional sporting events will proceed with no crowds, and schools will move to remote learning except for vulnerable children and the children of authorised workers.
Hotels, clubs, TABs and casinos will be closed.
"We know that this is going to be particularly difficult for businesses and events," Merlino said.
"I really encourage everyone if you are eligible, get vaccinated. The reason why we are dealing with this outbreak today is because of a hotel breach in South Australia.
"That is not a criticism, it is just a fact. We've had breaches in hotel quarantine right around our country. The only way through this pandemic is everyone getting vaccinated as quickly as you are eligible and for the Commonwealth to agree to an alternative quarantine arrangement, particularly for high risk individuals."
"If we had an alternative to hotel [quarantine] for this particular variant of concern, we would not be here today. If we had the Commonwealth's vaccine program effectively rolled out, we would not be here today talking about these circuit-breaker restrictions that we must impose to keep our community safe."
The Victorian Government is also establishing six new testing sites today in Brighton, Cheltenham, Ascot Vale, East Reservoir and East Coburg.
States and Territories react
Western Australia has just announced its border to Victoria is closed, following South Australia's restrictions on travellers coming from Greater Melbourne that was implemented last night.
Anyone who has arrived in WA since 16 May must get tested and go into isolation until they receive a negative result. Anyone wishing to arrive who has been to Victoria since May 16 is no longer allowed to enter Western Australia.
At 6:30am today, the Essendon AFL team who arrived in WA yesterday all returned negative results.
"Our thoughts are with the people of Victoria and we have every confidence Victoria will quickly get on top of this," WA Premier Mark McGowan said.
Overnight, the Northern Territory designated VIC as a COVID-19 hotspot, meaning any travellers into the top end must now complete 14 days of mandatory quarantine at their own expense on arrival.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein will establish all of Victoria as a high-risk area from 2pm AEST today. Anyone who arrives before then can enter unless they have been to Whittlesea LGA or VIC exposure sites.
Only people designated as essential travellers will be permitted to enter Tasmania after 2pm, but they will still have to complete two weeks of quarantine.
Queensland has declared Victoria a hotspot, so anyone who arrives in the Sunshine State from Victoria after 1am tonight will need to enter hotel quarantine. Anyone who has been in Victoria within the past 14 days, or arrives from Victoria before the cut-off tonight, will still need to observe the same stay-at-home rules as Victorians while in Queensland.
"On behalf of Queenslan we wish Victoria all the very best, and I know that the next seven days we're going to be with you every step of the way," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said there had been an increase in testing rates, and she urged anyone with symptoms to get tested.
New South Wales has issued a stay-at-home order to anyone travelling to the state from Victoria, effective 4pm AEST today.
The measure means anyone arriving in NSW who has been in VIC since 4pm today must remain at their home or place of residence in NSW for the seven-day duration of the lockdown.
People will only be permitted to leave their places of residence for limited reasons, including shopping for essential items, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise, and essential work or education, if you cannot do it from home.
For NSW residents living along the VIC border, the seven-day stay-at-home requirement will only apply to people who have been outside the border region in VIC from 4pm today.
"People subject to the stay-at-home measures in Victoria should not be travelling to NSW unless they are permitted to do so," NSW Health.
Updated at 11:43am AEST on 27 May.
NSW Health issues COVID-19 alert for Riverina sports club
NSW Health has issued an alert for an event of concern in Victoria close to the state's border, which was attended by a NSW sporting club based in the western Riverina town of Tooleybuc.
Last night authorities announced they were urgently contacting people from the club who had attended a sporting event in Cohuna, Victoria on Saturday 22 May from 12 to 5pm. It is understood that both football and netball matches were played at the event.
"This event was attended by a confirmed case of COVID-19. Anyone who attended is requested to immediately self-isolate and await further advice from NSW Health," the authorities said in the alert.
"NSW Health is working to set up increased capacity for testing in the area and thanks the community for their cooperation."
People in NSW are advised to postpone non-urgent travel to Greater Melbourne and Bendigo, as Victorian health authorities continue to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak.
Click here for the full list of exposure sites in Victoria, which is constantly being updated and includes several location in Greater Melbourne and Bendigo, including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, many hospitality venues and retail stores.
Marvel Stadium in Docklands has also recently been added to the list of sites, as well as Stratton Finance in Port Melbourne, popular Italian restaurant Criniti's Southbank.
Updated at 7:42am AEST on 27 May 2021.
SA border to Greater Melbourne closed from tonight
Effective from 6pm today, anyone from Greater Melbourne will not be permitted to enter South Australia as the southern state responds to a growing outbreak of COVID-19 in the Victorian capital.
Returning South Australians will be permitted to cross the border after 6pm today, but they must complete two weeks of self-quarantine on arrival back home.
In addition to the border closure, SA Premier Steven Marshall announced anyone who has returned from Greater Melbourne since 20 May will need to arrange a COVID-19 test and isolate until a negative result is received. They will also be required to get tested on days five and 13 from their arrival into SA.
Further, travellers from Bendigo into SA will also need to abide by new COVID-19 rules. While they are permitted to enter the state, they must get tested on days one, five and 13 on arrival into SA and isolate until a negative result is received.
"Australia is doing extraordinarily well in tackling the coronavirus compared to just about any jurisdiction in the world, so we've got to work together to make sure that we don't have any further outbreaks," SA Premier Marshall said.
"Our thoughts are with everybody in Victoria, particularly those in Melbourne."
SA's decision to slam the border shut makes it the only Australian state or territory to take such action thus far.
Western Australia currently requires all travellers arriving from Victoria to be tested for COVID-19 and isolate until a negative result is returned.
The Northern Territory is asking only those who have been to any Victorian Tier 1 public exposure sites to undertake 14 days of quarantine in their home or a suitable place on arrival. Those who have been to Tier 2 sites must get get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
The City of Whittlesea local government area has been declared a COVID-19 hotspot by the Queensland Government, meaning anyone who has been to that area and travelled to QLD must go into hotel quarantine.
New South Wales has asked people to postpone non-urgent travel to Victoria while the outbreak is investigated, and Tasmania requires anyone who has been to a venue of concern to isolate and call the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 to organise testing.
Updated at 5.44pm AEST on 26 May 2021.
Six new locally acquired cases in Victoria, infected person attended AFL match at MCG
The Victorian Department of Health has confirmed 11 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections connected with the latest outbreak to 15.
The 11 new cases include the five reported yesterday, with the 15th case notified to VIC Health just prior to a press conference this morning from Acting Premier James Merlino. That case will be included in tomorrow's figures.
Merlino said all the confirmed cases could be connected at this point in time.
"These cases are linked and that's a good thing," said Merlino.
"But we are very concerned by the number and the kind of exposure sites."
The announcement coincides with an alert from VIC Health that a person infected with COVID-19 attended an AFL match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday 23 May.
According to the Department of Health, the positive case attended the Collingwood vs Port Adelaide game at the MCG on Sunday 23 May, sitting in Zone 4, Level 1 of the Great Southern Stand.
People seated in that zone - those with a bay between M1 & M6 on their match ticket - will be contacted directly with advice to get tested and isolate until negative.
A positive case attended the Collingwood/Port Adelaide game at the MCG on Sunday, 23 May sitting in Zone 4, Level 1 of the Great Southern Stand (the Punt Rd end of the stand).
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"The AFL and the MCG have prepared for this moment. There's been extensive work over a long period of time between our public health team and stadium management," Merlino said.
"We're very grateful that we had the data on hand very shortly after it came to our attention so we could contact all of those affected."
A number of venues and businesses have been added to the official public exposure sites list as the outbreak unfolds, including in regional Victoria.
The Hairfolk Salon in Bendigo is considered a Tier 2 exposure site for people who visited between 9.40am and 10.10am on Saturday, May 22.
In addition, the Axedale Tavern in Axedale, just outside of Bendigo, is a Tier 1 exposure site for people who attended the pub between 11.45am and 1.30pm on 23 May.
The Three Monkeys Bar on Chapel Street has announced on its Instagram page that a positive COVID-19 case attended the venue on Saturday night, between 9.10 pm to 1.30am.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said many of the recently listed Tier 1 sites were of concern, in particular:
Circus Bar at 199 Commercial Road, South Yarra, between 1:30am and 4:15am on Sunday May 23
The Three Monkeys bar at 210 Chapel Street, Prahran, between 9:10pm and 11:00pm on Saturday May 22 and 12:30am and 2:00am Sunday May 23
Somewhere Bar at 181 Chapel Street, Prahran, between 10:30pm and 1:00am on Saturday May 22
The news comes after Victoria introduced new COVID-19 restrictions at 6pm yesterday, limiting visitors to households and requiring face masks to be worn indoors. These rules will also apply to people leaving Greater Melbourne to other parts of the state. Schools and workplaces will remain open.
There are no more changes to restrictions today, but Merlino said he would not rule out tougher rules for Victorians if the situation worsens.
"I cannot rule out taking further action," he said.
"The next 24 hours are going to be critical if we're going to make any changes beyond the changes we made yesterday."
In response to this latest outbreak, Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese criticised the Federal Government's handling of the hotel quarantine program on Twitter, and called on the PM to establish a dedicated quarantine facility in every state and territory in Australia.
His criticism comes after this latest outbreak in Victoria is believed to be connected to a COVID-19 leak from Adelaide's hotel quarantine system, whereby a man in his 30s left quarantine in South Australia but developed symptoms and ultimately tested positive to the virus while in Melbourne.
Leaks from hotel quarantine: 17
Plans to fix quarantine from Scott Morrison: Zero
New Zealand pauses travel bubble with Victoria as new cluster rises to nine cases
Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Victoria has been paused while investigators search for the source of a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne's north.
It comes as the Whittlesea City COVID-19 cluster grows to nine cases today, with the ABC reporting Victoria has recorded another four new COVID-19 infections this afternoon. Several more exposure sites have also been listed by Victorian health authorities, including stores at the Highpoint Shopping Centre.
The four are in addition to a man in his 60s who tested positive and was linked to the first case reported yesterday. Victorian health officials introduced new COVID-19 restrictions in response to the growing cluster, including mandatory mask wearing indoors and limits on home gatherings.
The ABC reports this afternoon's four new cases are all family contacts of the man in his 60s.
The travel bubble pause, enforced by New Zealand health authorities, will come into effect from 7.59pm NZT and be in place for 72 hours initially.
"While the case announced today is not unexpected as a contact of a case announced yesterday, New Zealand officials have assessed that the most cautious option is to pause the travel bubble with Victoria as there are still several unknowns with the outbreak," the New Zealand government said.
"The Government understands the disruption this will temporarily cause affected passengers. It was a close call but the correct one given the current unknowns. The decision follows the travel bubble framework."
Health authorities across the ditch are concerned that an epidemiological link has not yet been established connecting some of the recent cases in Melbourne.
"Whole genome sequencing has identified that the cases reported yesterday are closely linked to a previous case identified in the community in Wollert on 11 May after leaving managed isolation in South Australia," the New Zealand government said.
"An epidemiological link has yet to be determined between these cases and there is currently no known link between people in the current outbreak and any of the exposure sites from Wollert."
Anyone in New Zealand who has been at a location of interest in Melbourne at the specified time should contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 as soon as possible for advice on isolating and testing.
Further, anyone who has visited Melbourne since 11 May should monitor for symptoms and seek advice from Healthline if any symptoms develop.
New Zealand put a pause on the travel bubble with New South Wales earlier this month due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in Sydney in order to give authorities time to search for a missing link of infection.
That pause lasted for just three days after New Zealand health officials determined the risk to public health from NSW travellers was low.
McDonald's Clifton Hill - 22 May from 6-7pm (Tier 1)
ALDI Epping - 23 May from 6-7pm (Tier 2)
Chemist Depot Epping, Pacific Epping Shopping Centre - 23 May from 11.15am-12pm (Tier 2)
Smiggle, Highpoint Shopping Centre - 20 May from 5.55-6.30pm (Tier 1)
Kidstuff, Highpoint Shopping Centre - 20 May from 5.20-5.55pm (Tier 1)
Ishka, Highpoint Shopping Centre - 20 May from 5.45-6.20pm (Tier 1)
Lush Cosmetics, Highpoint Shopping Centre - 20 May from 6.05-6.35pm (Tier 1)
Toyworld, Highpoint Shopping Centre - 20 May from 5.30-6.20pm (Tier 1)
Bamboo House, Melbourne - 21 May from 11-11.50am (Tier 1)
Adams Reserve Playground, Preston - 23 May from 2.15-3.45pm (Tier 2)
ALDI Preston South - 23 May from 3.45-4.25pm (Tier 2)
The new exposure sites are in addition to already announced locations including:
Futsal Brunswick - 23 May from 9-10am (Tier 2)
Nando's Epping (Dalton Rd) - 19 May from 8:30-9:20pm (Tier 1)
Epping North Shopping Centre - 22 May from 4:45-5:50pm (Tier 2)
House and Party (store) - 22 May from 5:15-5:50pm (Tier 2)
Woolworths Epping North - 22 May from 4:45-5:45pm (Tier 1)
Urban Diner Food Court, Pacific Epping Shopping Centre - 23 May from 1:15-2:30pm (Tier 2)
Shell Coles Express Reservoir - 18 May from 3:15-4:15pm (Tier 2)
B.T. Connor Reserve - 21 May from 8-11:30pm (Tier 2)
Updated at 3.19pm AEST on 25 May 2021.
One new case in Melbourne as more exposure sites listed
UPDATE [4.17pm AEST 25 May]: The Whittlesea City COVID-19 cluster has since grown by four more cases. Read more here.
Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino has advised of a fifth case in the latest Whittlesea City COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne's north - a man in his 60s who has also been linked to the first case reported yesterday.
"Importantly, he reports being symptomatic before case one developed symptoms, meaning this could be a possible source case," Merlino said.
"But of course a full investigation and interview process is underway - it has to run its course.
"Following early investigations, this case, like the four that we announced yesterday, has not identified any link to any of the exposure sites from the Wollert case two weeks ago."
However, the acting Premier explained genetic sequencing for this outbreak has been completed and in that sense it is closely related to the Wollert outbreak, which occurred with a returning traveller who became COVID symptomatic after completing quarantine in Adelaide.
In response to the situation and on the advice of health officials, from 6pm tonight private gatherings in Greater Melbourne will be limited to a maximum of five visitors, public gatherings will be capped at 30 people, and face masks will be required indoors.
These rules will also apply to people leaving Greater Melbourne to other parts of the state. Schools and workplaces will remain open.
Melburnians and travellers who have been in Greater Melbourne recently are encouraged to keep an eye on the official list of exposure sites, which following interviews with the latest case is expected to grow.
Since Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong and 'Jump! Swim Schools' at Bundoora were added yesterday afternoon, more venues and locations have been added including:
Futsal Brunswick - 23 May from 9-10am (Tier 2)
Nando's Epping (Dalton Rd) - 19 May from 8:30-9:20pm (Tier 1)
Epping North Shopping Centre - 22 May from 4:45-5:50pm (Tier 2)
House and Party (store) - 22 May from 5:15-5:50pm (Tier 2)
Woolworths Epping North - 22 May from 4:45-5:45pm (Tier 1)
Urban Diner Food Court, Pacific Epping Shopping Centre - 23 May from 1:15-2:30pm
Shell Coles Express Reservoir - 18 May from 3:15-4:15pm (Tier 2)
B.T. Connor Reserve - 21 May from 8-11:30pm
Anyone who has been to a Tier 1 site at the stated times must get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure, while anyone who has attended Tier 2 sites at the listed times needs to also get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
Updated at 10:17am on 25 May 2021.
Shopping centre and swim school listed as new Melbourne COVID-19 exposure sites
One of Australia's largest shopping centres and a swim school in the suburb of Bundoora have been listed as Tier 1 exposure sites for COVID-19, as further positive cases have been reported in the Victorian capital.
Following this morning's news of two likely coronavirus-positive cases in Melbourne's north, tests of family members - one adult woman and a child - have also come back positive, taking the number of new locally-acquired cases to four.
The epicentre of locations has moved slightly south from Epping where the majority of previous venues were concentrated, with a case having Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong on 20 May from 5pm to 8pm, as well as 'Jump! Swim Schools' at Bundoora on 21 May between 8:55am and 10:15am.
Both locations have been given a Tier 1 designation but with different conditions attached.
Anyone who visited the swim school at the stated times must get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure.
Those who visited the shopping centre must also get tested, however they have been directed to isolate until further notice rather than going into quarantine.
"I can advise that one of the individuals lives within the wastewater catchment areas that produced the strong detection that we reported last Friday," Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said.
"There is as yet no indication that these individuals are linked to any exposure sites from the previous alert case, but investigations are ongoing.
"I do indicate there are likely to be more sites as further investigations continue."
In response to the evolving situation, NSW Health has issued a health alert for Melbourne, urging people who have attended the listed exposure sites at the stated times to contact the agency immediately on 1800 943 553
People arriving in NSW from the Greater Melbourne area are reminded that they must complete a declaration confirming they have not attended one of these venues of concern.
"Declaration forms can be completed within the 24-hour period prior to entering NSW, or on entry to NSW," NSW Health said.
"People who have been in the Whittlesea Local Government Area should not visit residential aged care facilities, or hospitals unless seeking medical attention.
"The Whittlesea LGA includes the suburbs and rural localities of Beveridge, Donnybrook, Doreen, Eden Park, Epping, Humevale, Kinglake West, Lalor, Mernda, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown, Whittlesea, Wollert, Woodstock and Yan Yean."
The Queensland Government has declared anyone already in the state or arriving before 1am on 26 May, who has been at the Melbourne Tier 1 exposure sites at the stated times, must quarantine at their home or other suitable accommodation until 14 days have passed since their exposure.
Anyone who has been to the relevant sites and the listed times and arrives in Queensland after 1am on 26 May, will need to enter Queensland Government-arranged quarantine accommodation.
Meanwhile in Tasmania, any recent arrivals into the state from Victoria who have been at any of the listed exposure sites must immediately self-isolate and contact the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 to organise testing.
Further, anyone who has been to any of the locations of concern will not be permitted to enter Tasmania unless approved as an essential traveller.
Updated at 4:48pm AEST on 24 May 2021.
Victoria reports two likely COVID-19 cases in Melbourne's northern suburbs
Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is conducting a full investigation into two likely positive COVID-19 cases in Melbourne's northern suburbs, around two weeks after the state's last outbreak began.
The department was made aware of the issue this morning, and it is currently understood that both individuals are connected.
"A full investigation is underway into these results, and initial public health actions are being put in place while both individuals isolate and are urgently tested," the DHHS said in a statement.
"We will communicate any specific public health actions the community needs to undertake as soon as possible when investigations and case interviews are complete."
The announcement follows an intensification of testing in the Epping area after authorities realised they had posted Woolworths Epping as an exposure site, when a case earlier this month had in fact visited the Woolworths at Epping North.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the latest cases can be traced back to the earlier case, whereby a man in his 30s left quarantine in South Australia but developed symptoms and ultimately tested positive to the virus while in Melbourne.
Click here for an updated version of Victoria's exposure sites, and anyone with symptoms is encouraged to get tested.
Updated at 11:28am AEST on 24 May 2021.
Have researchers developed an effective COVID-19 treatment? Maybe, but we need human trials
The world is now 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and we've yet to find a single drug that can stop the virus. At best, we can treat the effects of the virus through oxygen therapy for those who can't breathe, and with drugs that reduce the inflammation associated with the infection.
The technology is based on "short interfering RNA", which prevents the virus from replicating inside human cells. They found a 99.9% drop in the number of virus particles in the mice they studied.
The researchers hypothesise the drug could be injected into patients daily for up to five days, for example for sick patients in hospital, or as a once-off if someone has just been exposed to the coronavirus; however, there's no data on this specifically, so it's speculative for now.
While the results are very promising, the technology has only been tested in mice. Human clinical trials will take some time to complete before we know whether a drug will be approved by the government.
How viruses work
Viruses are tricky to treat because they are biological molecules made of the same types of materials as the human body. Virus particles are just packets of information on how to make more virus, encoded in a molecule called "ribonucleic acid" or RNA (although some contain DNA instead) within a protein coating.
Once a virus particle penetrates into a cell, it either hijacks the machinery of the cell to make copies of itself, or in some cases, has its RNA copied into the host cell's DNA. Either way, the cell becomes a manufacturing facility making hundreds and thousands of copies of the virus.
So the best way to stop a virus is to stop its RNA information being copied and transcribed by the cell.
We already have drugs capable of doing this for specific viruses. A drug called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is available as a prophylactic against infection with HIV and the development of AIDS. A prophylactic can prevent a disease before it takes hold in the body.
The PrEP medicine works because the two active ingredients it contains, tenofovir and emtricitabine, block a molecule called reverse transcriptase which the virus needs to be replicated. Unfortunately, neither drug works to block COVID-19.
Short interfering RNA
Unlike PrEP, the new technology is particularly clever because it uses a molecule called short/small interfering RNA or "siRNA" to prevent the reading and copying of the virus information. This siRNA was specifically designed to recognise a sequence of the coronavirus' own RNA that is common across COVID-variants.
This means the siRNA can seek out and lock onto the viral RNA because it perfectly complements it, regardless of the COVID-19 strain. When it locks with the virus RNA, the viral information becomes trapped and can't be copied, or it causes the RNA to be cut and degraded.
At this point there is no virus production, and our immune system can just mop up the small number of virus particles floating around the body.
To prove their technology, the researchers enclosed their siRNA in lipid nanoparticles, which are essentially tiny fat-like particles. Without this protective coating, the siRNA would be destroyed in the blood stream before it could lock onto the virus. Lipid nanoparticles are also used in the formulation of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
With the protective nanoparticle shell, the siRNA could then be delivered via a water-based injection into veins.
When the researchers administered the siRNA to mice that had been infected with COVID-19, they found the mice didn't lose as much weight when compared with untreated mice. Weight loss was an indicator of how sick the mice were.
The researchers also found a 99.9% drop in the number of virus particles in the mice.
On occasion, when biological molecules are injected into the blood stream, this can trigger a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Importantly, the researchers found their siRNA didn't trigger an immune response in the mice, and therefore will be unlikely to cause anaphylaxis.
So as well as being effective, the technology appears to be relatively safe.
Will this drug be available soon?
As promising as the results are, we shouldn't get our hopes up that a drug will be available any time soon. Data derived from animal tests doesn't always translate to success in humans. Often, the way an animal's body processes a drug can be different from the human body, and it ends up being ineffective.
Also, animal tests are just the first step in a long regulatory process to prove a drug works and is safe. Even with accelerated clinical trials and fast-tracked assessment from governments, an approved drug is still a year or more away.
Experimental antiviral COVID-19 therapy developed at Griffith University
An international team of scientists has developed an experimental antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19 which has been shown to reduce the viral load by 99.9 per cent and improve the rate of survival in mice.
Developed by researchers from the Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) at Griffith University and the Beckman Research Institute in Los Angeles, the next-generation approach to antiviral therapy has been designed to treat the original virus that causes COVID-19 and any new variants that may arise in the future.
It builds on existing antiviral treatments like Tamiflu, zanamivir and remdesivir that reduce symptoms of COVID-19 and help people recover earlier.
The therapy uses gene-silencing RNA technology called siRNA (small-interfering RNA) to attack the virus' genome directly, which stops the virus from replicating, as well as lipid nanoparticles designed at Griffith and the Beckman Research Institute's City of Hope centre to deliver the siRNA to the lungs - the critical site of infection.
"Treatment with virus-specific siRNA reduces viral load by 99.9 per cent. These stealth nanoparticles can be delivered to a wide range of lung cells and silence viral genes,'' MHIQ co-lead researcher Professor Nigel McMillan said about the team's research published in scientific journal Molecular Therapy.
"Treatment with the therapy in SARS-Cov-2 infected mice improved survival and loss of disease. Remarkably, in treated survivors, no virus could be detected in the lungs.''
Co-lead researcher from both City of Hope and Griffith University Professor Kevin Morris said the experimental treatment is able to adapt to new COVID-19 variants and can be stored at room temperature.
"This treatment is designed to work on all betacoronaviruses such as the original SARS virus (SARS-CoV-1) as well as SARS-CoV-2 and any new variants that may arise in the future because it targets ultra-conserved regions in the virus' genome," Professor Morris said.
"We have also shown that these nanoparticles are stable at 4°C for 12 months and at room temperature for greater than one month, meaning this agent could be used in low-resource settings to treat infected patients."
The results suggest that siRNA-nanoparticle formulations can be developed as a therapy to treat COVID-19 patients, as well as used for future coronavirus infections by targeting the virus' genome directly.
"These nanoparticles are scalable and relatively cost-effective to produce in bulk," Professor Morris said.
"This work was funded as an urgent call by Medical Research Futures Fund and is the type of RNA medicine that can be manufactured locally in Australia."
Updated at 12.20pm AEST on 18 May 2021.
Australia orders 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Moderna
Biotechnology company Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA) has entered into a new supply agreement with the Australian government for 25 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, serving as the foundation of the nation's booster and variant strategy.
The order includes 10 million doses of the original jab against the ancestral strain (mRNA-1273) to be delivered in 2021, and 15 million doses of Moderna's updated variant booster vaccine candidate to be delivered in 2022.
Purchase of the 25 million doses is subject to Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval, and Moderna says it will submit an application to the regulator shortly.
The deal comes after the US-based biotech announced plans to scale its commercial network and open a subsidiary in Australia this year where it would manufacture messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.
"We appreciate the partnership and support from the government of Australia with this first supply agreement for doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and our variant booster candidates," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said.
"As we seek to protect people around the world with our COVID-19 vaccine and potentially our variant booster candidates, we look forward to continuing discussions with Australia about establishing potential local manufacturing opportunities."
Moderna's COVID-19 jab is an mRNA vaccine co-developed by the biotech and investigators for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) Vaccine Research Centre.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says securing the 25 million doses serves two purposes for Australia.
"Firstly, as a reserve supply for this year if other elements of the supply chain were to run into any challenges," says Hunt.
"Secondly, they are our foundation of a booster and variants strategy. Moderna is, on the advice that we have, the most advanced of the vaccine products with relation to the capacity to adapt to booster or variant requirements.
"So today is the next stage of future proofing and preparing for the future."
Department of Health secretary Professor Brendan Murphy says the supply agreement gives Australia additional redundancy.
"Whilst we know we have more than enough vaccine already ordered to cover our primary vaccination program this year this provides some additional redundancy which we've always sought and also provides the capacity now for us to develop a strategy for following years where boosters and varying cover may be required," says Professor Murphy.
"The evidence, as you all well know, is that this virus has shown some variance over the course of the last year, and whilst we think all of the vaccines are likely to be highly effective at preventing severe disease, even with variants, even with the vaccines we're rolling out now, we do need to be prepared and be in a position where if we need boosters against variants or different strains of the virus we're in a position to have those orders in place.
"This is a highly effective vaccine in clinical trials, highly effective in preventing severe disease and likely to be very effective at preventing transmission, so this is an exciting development."
The government remains in discussions with Moderna in relation to establishing a manufacturing facility in Australia for mRNA vaccines, noting onshore manufacturing would ensure a secure and long-term supply of the biotech's inoculations including booster jabs.
The Morderna shot is the second mRNA vaccine to be purchased by the government after the Pfizer jab.
To date, the Moderna vaccine has shown overall efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 of 94.1 per cent, and 100 per cent efficacy against severe COVID-19. It has also shown strong protection of 90 per cent efficacy against COVID-19 for at least six months after the second dose.
It has been approved by leading regulatory authorities across the world and is being used successfully in the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Singapore.
A complete course of Moderna's vaccination is likely to be two doses given 28 days apart.
Updated at 9.38am AEST on 13 May 2021.
The pressure is on for Australia to accept the coronavirus really can spread in the air we breathe
More than a year into the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centers for Disease Control finallychanged their guidance to acknowledge SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be transmitted through the air we breathe.
In Australia, we've just had the latest leak from hotel quarantine, this time in South Australia. Investigations are under way to find out whether a man may have caught the virus from someone in the hotel room next to his, before travelling to Victoria, and whether airborne transmission played a role.
These examples are further fuelling calls for Australia to officially recognise the role of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Such recognition would have widespread implications for how health-care workers are protected, how hotel quarantine is managed, not to mention public health advice more broadly.
Indeed, we're waiting to hear whether official Australian guidelines will acknowledge the latest evidence on airborne transmission, and amend its advice about how best to protect front-line workers.
The evidence has changed and so must our advice
At the beginning of the pandemic, in the absence of any scientific studies, the WHO said the virus was spread by "large droplets" and promoted handwashing. Authorities around the world even discouraged us from wearing masks.
A false narrative dominated public discussion for over a year. This resulted in hygiene theatre scrubbing of hands and surfaces for little gain while the pandemic wreaked mass destruction on the world.
But handwashing did not mitigate the most catastrophic pandemic of our lifetime. And the airborne deniers have continually shifted the goalposts of the burden of proof of airborne spread as the evidence has accrued.
What does the evidence say?
SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that multiplies in the respiratory tract. So it is spread by the respiratory route via breathing, speaking, singing, coughing or sneezing.
Two other coronaviruses the ones that cause MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory sydrome) and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) are also spread this way. Both are accepted as being airborne.
In fact, experimental studies show SARS-CoV-2 is as airborne as these other coronaviruses, if not more so, and can be found in the air 16 hours after being aerosolised.
Several hospital studies have also found viable virus in the air on a COVID-19 ward.
Established criteria for whether a pathogen is airborne scores SARS-CoV-2 highly for airborne spread, in the same range as tuberculosis, which is universally accepted as airborne.
A group of experts has also recently outlined the top ten reasons why SARS-CoV-2 is airborne.
So why has airborne denialism persisted for so long?
The role of airborne transmission has been denied for so long partly because expert groups that advise government have not included engineers, aerosol scientists, occupational hygienists and multidisciplinary environmental health experts.
Partly it is because the role of airborne transmission for other respiratory viruses has been denied for decades, accompanied by a long history of denial of adequate respiratory protection for health workers. For example, during the SARS outbreak in Canada in 2003, denial of protection against airborne spread for health workers in Toronto resulted in a fatal outbreak.
What's the difference between aerosols and droplets?
The distinction between aerosols and droplets is largely artificial and driven by infection control dogma, not science.
This dogma says large droplets (defined by WHO as larger than 5 micrometres across) settle to the ground and are emitted within 2 metres of an infected person. Meanwhile, fine particles under 5 micrometres across can become airborne and exist further away.
There is in fact no scientific basis for this belief. Most studies that looked at how far large droplets travelled found the horizontal distance is greater than 2 metres. And the size threshold that dictates whether droplets fall or float is actually 100 micrometres, not 5 micrometres. In other words, larger droplets travel further than what we've been led to believe.
Leading aerosol scientists explain the historical basis of these false beliefs, which go back nearly a century.
And in further evidence the droplet theory is false, we showed that even for infections believed to be spread by droplets, a N95 respirator protects better than a surgical mask. In fact airborne precautions are needed for most respiratory infections.
Why does this difference matter?
Accepting how SARS-CoV-2 spreads means we can better prevent transmission and protect people, using the right types of masks and better ventilation.
Breathing and speaking generate aerosols. So an infected person in a closed indoor space without good ventilation will generate an accumulation of aerosols over time, just like cigarette smoke accumulates.
A church outbreak in Australia saw spread indoors up to 15 metres from the sick person, without any close contact.
Masks work, both by preventing sick people from emitting infected aerosols, and by preventing well people from getting infected. A study in Hong Kong found most transmission occurred when masks weren't worn inside, such as at home and in restaurants.
Coughing generates more aerosols
The old dogma of droplet infection includes a belief that only "aerosol generating procedures" such as inserting a tube into someone's throat and windpipe to help them breathe pose a risk of airborne transmission. But research shows a coughing patient generates more aerosols than one of these procedures.
At the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where many health worker infections occurred in 2020, understanding airflow in the COVID ward helped explain how health workers got infected.
Think about it. Airborne deniers tell us infection occurs after a ballistic strike by a single large droplet hitting the eye, nose or mouth. The statistical probability of this is much lower than simply breathing in accumulated, contaminated air.
The ballistic strike theory has driven an industry in plastic barriers and face shields, which offer no protection against airborne spread. In Switzerland, only hospitality workers using just a face shield got infected and those wearing masks were protected.
We need to select quarantine venues based on adequacy of ventilation, test ventilation and mitigate areas of poor ventilation. Opening a window, drawing in fresh air or using air purifiers dramatically reduce virus in the air.
We need to provide N95 respirators to health, aged-care and quarantine workers who are at risk of high-dose exposure, and not place them in poorly ventilated areas.
It's time to accept the evidence and tighten protection accordingly, to keep Australia safe from SARS-CoV-2 and more dangerous variants of concern, some of which are vaccine resistant.
C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW
Qantas delays planned resumption of international flights to late December
With the exception of flights to and from New Zealand, Australians will not be hopping onto regular Qantas (ASX: QAN) flight services overseas until at least late December 2021 after the airline delayed its planned resumption of international travel today.
The update comes after the Federal Government last night revised its anticipated timeline for the completion of Australia's vaccine rollout to end-2021 and its timeline for significantly reopening our international borders to mid-2022.
As such, Qantas has scrapped an end-October 2021 goal to get international flights back up in the air.
"We remain optimistic that additional bubbles will open once Australia's vaccine rollout is complete to countries who, by then, are in a similar position, but it's difficult to predict which ones at this stage," says Qantas.
"This planning assumption will allow the Qantas Group and Australia to be ready to take advantage of pockets of tourism and trade opportunity as they emerge in a post-COVID world.
"We will keep reviewing these plans as we move towards December and circumstances evolve."
Any customers with a booking between 31 October 2021 and 19 December 2021 will be contacted by the airline.
"In the meantime, the Qantas Group will continue to provide critical repatriation and freight flights overseas, and support the recovery of travel at home," says Qantas.
"The resurgence of domestic travel remains the most important element of the Group's recovery."
Shares in Qantas are down 3.43 per cent to $4.50 per share at 3.27pm AEST.
Updated at 3.50pm AEST on 12 May 2021.
Melbourne COVID-19 exposure sites include CBD restaurant, three Epping locations
Update: since this story was published Victorian authorities have clarified the Woolworths exposure site was in Epping North, rathern than Epping as previously reported.
Melbourne's first local case of COVID-19 in months visited one CBD restaurant and two stores in Epping while infectious, according to a list of exposure sites published by Victorian health authorities this afternoon.
A second test has confirmed the man in his 30s - who returned to Victoria from hotel quarantine in Adelaide on 4 May - does indeed have the virus, but tests for his three primary household contacts have all come back negative.
Officials have released four tier 1 exposure sites, and anyone who visited these locations at the times mentioned will need to get tested and quarantine for 14 days from the exposure:
Pact Retail Accessories (until recently called TIC Group) front office in Altona North on 6 May, 12:01am-11:59pm
Indiagate Spices and Groceries, Epping on 6 May, 5-6pm
Curry Vault Indian Restaurant & Bar in the CBD on 7 May, 6:30-9:30pm
Woolworths Epping North on 8 May, 5:40-6:38pm
The following venues have been listed as tier 2, meaning anyone who visited at the indicated time will need to get tested urgently and isolate until they receive a negative result.
Pact Retail Accessories (until recently called TIC Group) warehouse section in Altona North on 6 May, 12:01am-11:59pm
7-Eleven Epping on 6 May, 6:30-7pm
7-Eleven Epping on 8 May, 11:10-11:40am
Updated at 3:58pm AEST on 11 May 2021.
Victorian resident tests positive to COVID-19 a week after leaving hotel quarantine in SA
UPDATE (4.02pm AEST, 11 May 2021): Victorian health authorities have since published a list of exposure sites visited by the latest COVID-19 case. Click here to read more.
A returned traveller who undertook hotel quarantine in South Australia has today tested positive to COVID-19, a week after getting back home to the Melbourne suburb of Wollert.
The man in his 30s arrived in Melbourne on 4 May, developed symptoms four days later and got tested yesterday, returning a positive result this morning.
Contact tracing is underway along with the verification of exposure sites, which will be published once they are confirmed.
"The individual who was tested positive is isolating at home. His household primary close contacts are also isolating, being interviewed, and will be urgently tested," the Victorian Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS) said in an update today.
"The Department is working with interstate counterparts to determine the likely source of this infection.
"If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 - such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, chills or sweats, or change in sense of smell or taste - get a test immediately."
South Australia's Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier has confirmed an interjurisdictional outbreak investigation is underway, noting the individual concerned tested negative to COVID-19 on days 1, 5, 9 and 13 during his stay.
As the infectious period tends to be two days before symptoms develop, Spurrier says it does not look as if the man was symptomatic while in the Adelaide community.
"What we do know is this man, this new case in Victoria, was at the Playford Medihotel alongside another traveller who was one of our cases," she says.
That person who tested positive in hotel quarantine was then transferred to the dedicated COVID-positive facility Tom's Court Hotel.
"It is possible that after that man was released that there was some form of transmission of the virus," she says.
"It's very evident now that COVID can be transferred through aerosols and that these droplets may hang around in the air for a period of time."
South Australian authorities are now investigating the potential for transmission via hotel room ventilation as well as passageways, and will compare genomic testing results between the two COVID-positive cases.
"Be as that may, this is at this point in time a hypothesis," she says, noting it is also possible that the person was exposed to the coronavirus before arriving in Australia.
She added CCTV footage showed no evidence of breaches of protocol.
Updated at 2:15pm AEST on 11 May 2021.
IHME estimates COVID deaths more than double official reports
It is widely known that COVID-19 deaths worldwide are likely vastly underreported due to reasons such as health system limitations, but now a highly regarded research institute at the University of Washington School of Medicine has sought to quantify how great the difference really is.
New analysis released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has found COVID-19 deaths are significantly underreported in almost every country, estimating the pandemic has caused 6.9 million deaths.
This compares to 3.27 million reported deaths from the virus since the outbreak began.
The IHME reached its conclusion based on its long-standing methodology for measuring the burden of diseases on a global scale, which it has been running to calculate the total human cost of diseases since 1990.
The process starts with a benchmark of what death rates would have looked like if there were no pandemic, comparing the actual number of all-cause deaths with anticipated deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends.
This subtraction gives an "excess mortality" figure, which is then adjusted to remove deaths that are indirectly attributable to the pandemic such as people with non-COVID conditions avoiding health care facilities.
The resulting number is then followed by an adjustment for an estimated number of deaths averted by the pandemic itself, for example traffic death declines due to lower mobility.
The institute's researchers believe this method yields a better reflection of how many deaths are directly due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19.
"As terrible as the COVID-19 pandemic appears, this analysis shows that the actual toll is significantly worse," said IHME's director Dr Chris Murray.
"Understanding the true number of COVID-19 deaths not only helps us appreciate the magnitude of this global crisis, but also provides valuable information to policymakers developing response and recovery plans."
The updated analysis shows the US has had more COVID-19 deaths to-date than any other country, with a total of more than 950,000.
Among the world's worst-hit nations, the IHME estimates real death numbers are close to triple the reported levels for India, Mexico and South Africa, and more than five times greater for Russia.
Many deaths from COVID-19 go unreported because countries only report deaths that occur in hospitals or in patients with a confirmed infection. In many places, weak health reporting systems and low access to health care magnify this challenge.
IHME's analysis found that the largest number of unreported deaths occurred in countries that have had the largest epidemics to-date. However, some countries with relatively smaller epidemics saw a large increase in the death rate when accounting for unreported deaths. This analysis shows that they may be at greater risk for a wider epidemic than previously thought.
"Many countries have devoted exceptional effort to measuring the pandemic's toll, but our analysis shows how difficult it is to accurately track a new and rapidly spreading infectious disease," Murray said.
"We hope that today's report will encourage governments to identify and address gaps in their COVID-19 mortality reporting, so that they can more accurately direct pandemic resources."
The institute is forecasting more than 5 million reported deaths from COVID-19 by 1 August, although through its burden of disease analysis trend line the death toll could reach more than 9 million by then.
Updated at 4:46pm AEST on 7 May 2021.
Victoria to ease density limits for SME venues
Victoria's live music venues, restaurants, bars and nightclubs will be able to welcome more patrons from 28 May as the one person per two square metres rule is lifted for small-to-medium sized venues across the state.
Provided people continue to check in at locations through the Service Victoria app with COVID marshals in place to ensure the rules are followed, these venues will be able to have up to 200 people per space without any density limit.
The app and electronic record keeping will be mandatory for all venues and businesses from the same date, with the relaxation applying for spaces that are 400 square metres or smaller. Density limits will remain for anything larger.
Density quotients will also be removed for outdoor non-seated venues such as recreation facilities, community sport, pools, tourism services and non-seated outdoor entertainment such as zoos.
While many Victorians are doing the right thing, public health officials remain concerned about low rates of check-ins. All Victorians are encouraged to download the Service Victoria app to make checking in as fast and easy as possible.
A recent survey showed only 41 per cent of visitors to hospitality venues checked in every time, while 24 per cent of sites visited by Authorised Officers between 30 April and 2 May were warned or received notices due to lack of compliance with electronic record keeping.
The Victorian Government will communicate with third party providers who engaged with the Visitation API process and ensuring continued strong management of any check-in data held during a three-week transition and implementation period.
"This change means checking in will be quick and easy and ensure the data is high-quality and easily available to our contract tracers, should any venue be listed as an exposure site," says the state's Minister for Health Martin Foley.
"This is great news for many live music venues, restaurants and nightclubs who can open the doors to up to 200 people per space - but getting every Victorian to check in using the QR code service is the goal."
Meanwhile, in NSW contact tracers continue to scramble to find the mystery link behind two community transmission cases that have emerged in Sydney, but at least in the 24 hours to 8pm last night there were no new locally acquired cases.
Indian repatriation flights announced
Following a backlash against its harsh measures threatening imprisonment for Australian citizens who return from India during the travel suspension with the South Asian country, the Federal Government has today announced repatriation flights will resume on May 15.
These flights from India will take returning Australians to the Northern Territory, where they will be placed in quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet was advised yesterday that the pause was working and that this would allow the repatriation flights to resume after May 15.
The temporary ban will remain in place until that time, as intended.
The number of COVID-19 positive cases in the Howard Springs has fallen to 21, from more than 50 cases a week ago, and positive cases associated with previous facilitated flights from India are on track to reach zero by 14 May.
Repatriation flights into the Howard Springs will resume on May 15 with one flight per 7-9 days, with an estimated 1,000 Australians returning by the end of June. Vulnerable Australians will be prioritised on these flights.
An initial repatriation flight to Darwin will leave India on May 15. Two further repatriation flights to the Northern Territory from India will be scheduled during May.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the flight pause has given the quarantine system space to operate safely and to protect Australians from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the travel pause remaining in place until May 15 with no changes.
"The global COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage outside Australia's borders and the temporary pause on flights continues to give our quarantine facilities time to reduce infection rates and reduce the risk of COVID escaping into the community," the Prime Minister said.
"Closing our international borders and the use of quarantine for returning Australians has protected the health of all Australians during the pandemic and given us a way of life that is the envy of the world.
"I have written to state and territory leaders to invite their participation in receiving direct repatriation flights from India over the coming weeks to further assist the efforts in Howard Springs.
"I want to thank the Gunner Government, NT Health and our AUSMAT teams for continuing to provide safe and effective quarantine facilities at Howard Springs that is the best facility in the world."
New measures will be in place for all resuming flights from India into the Northern Territory, which will require passengers to return both a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and a negative rapid antigen test before boarding.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said these measures ensure the Commonwealth and Territory Governments can continue to get Australians home from India safely, while ensuring the case load at Howard Springs remains manageable.
"The Territory always stands ready to help our fellow Australians and we were there to help those first Aussies home from Wuhan at the start of this pandemic," Chief Minister Gunner said.
"There is a humanitarian crisis in India and we have the gold standard facility with the health care heroes the country needs at our Centre for National Resilience to help get Australians home safely.
"We are pleased with the drop in the active COVID-19 case load we have seen at Howard Springs since the temporary pause on re-entry from India, and our clinical advice is that it is now safe to resume flights."
Commonwealth and Northern Territory health experts will assess the effectiveness of new pre-flight testing and isolation measures on infectivity rates in returning Australians on these May repatriation flights from India.
Updated at 12:44pm AEST on 7 May 2021.
NZ puts travel bubble with NSW on hold due to Sydney outbreak
The latest cases of community transmission in Sydney have led New Zealand to pause quarantine-free travel from New South Wales while authorities search for the missing link of infection.
From day one of the trans-Tasman bubble scheme the New Zealand Government emphasised a "flyer beware approach" whereby arrangements could be suspended in the event of an outbreak, with no compensation provided should hotel quarantine suddenly be required. However, measures announced today don't appear to be that drastic.
New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says anyone who was at one of the locations of interest in New South Wales at the relevant time should isolate and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on getting tested for COVID-19.
"Anyone who is in Australia who has been at one of the locations of interest is subject to the requirements of the New South Wales Government and should not travel to New Zealand," he says.
"The Government is aware this will cause some disruption to travellers but strongly believes a cautious approach is the best course of action while investigations continue."
Hipkins notes whole genome sequencing has linked the case yesterday to a recent returnee who arrived in Australia from the United States, and a household contact of yesterday's case has also returned a positive test.
"An epidemiological link is yet to be determined between yesterday's case and the recent returnee," he says.
"While the new case announced today is not unexpected as a household contact of yesterday's case, officials have assessed that with several outstanding unknowns in the situation in Sydney it is safest to pause QFT for any flights leaving New South Wales after 11.59pm tonight. This will be under constant review."
Updated at 4:36pm AEST on 6 May 2021.
New restrictions for Greater Sydney in effect from 5pm today as second COVID case discovered
New "precautionary" restrictions will come into force from 5pm today until midnight on Monday 10 May in Greater Sydney after a household contact of yesterday's community transmission case of COVID-19 also tested positive overnight.
The restrictions will see masks once again mandatory in indoor settings, a 20 person limit for household gatherings, singing and dancing banned in venues, and consumption of alcohol must be done while seated.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the new restrictions, in effect for just three days, are a proportionate response to this latest COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney and will give health officials the opportunity to discover a missing link in the chain of transmission.
"What we're doing is a very proportionate response over the next three days," says Premier Berejiklian.
"We know that at least one person with the virus has been going around their business and we haven't found them yet. We don't know where they've been. We don't know if they've been to major events. We don't know who they've sat next to.
"We're not shutting down the city. We're not changing the two square metre rule quite the contrary. We're saying to everybody: business as usual, but just do a few things extra."
NSW Health officials today announced two new locally acquired cases of COVID-19: the man in his 50s who was revealed as positive yesterday afternoon and a household contact of his.
The man in his 50s had 10 close contacts, all of which have been tested. Excluding the household contact, the remaining nine all tested negative for COVID-19.
In the past 24 hours health officials also identified nine positive infections in hotel quarantine, and 11,579 COVID-19 tests were conducted.
In response to the outbreak Queensland has issued new advice for arrivals into the state from Greater Sydney. As of 1am on Friday 7 May anyone who has been to any of the venues of concern at the specified times must go into hotel quarantine for 14 days.
QLD Minister for Health Yvette D'Ath has called on those who have been to Sydney recently to continue checking venue additions in NSW.
NSW Health looking for the "missing link"
Health authorities are currently on the lookout for a "missing link" that would explain how the man from Sydney's eastern suburbs became infected with COVID-19.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said genomic sequencing of the man's infection matched with an overseas case who travelled from the US and stayed at the Park Royal hotel in Darling Harbour.
The traveller tested positive for COVID-19 on his first day in quarantine and was then moved to a specialised facility on 28 April.
Dr Chant says the man from Sydney's eastern suburbs has had no contact with any hotel quarantine workers or medical staff before becoming infected, so contact tracers and health officials are trying to determine how the infection managed to reach the man.
"What we're concerned about is that there's a missing link," says Dr Chant.
"We can't find any direct link between our case, so what we're concerned about is that there is another person that is yet unidentified that infected our case. And then, the hypothesis is that our case then passed it onto the household."
NSW Health is reviewing CCTV footage to find out how the transmission occurred.
Dr Chant says because the overseas traveller arrived on 26 April health officials can narrow down how and when the man from the eastern suburbs was exposed.
"Usually we have to go back 14 days, but because of the link to the geonomics we now know that he was most likely, taking those sequence of infections, around that end of April," says Dr Chant.
Dr Chant says that has allowed contact tracers to identify another list of venues that the man in his 50s attended before he was infectious and where he was most likely exposed to the virus.
As such, anyone who attended the following venues at the specified times has been asked to get tested and isolate:
Fratelli Fresh in the Sydney CBD on Tuesday 27 April between 1.15-2.15pm
Bondi Trattoria in Bondi Beach on Thursday 29 April between 12.45-1.30pm
Updated at 11:41am AEST on 6 May 2021.
NSW Health identifies more venues of concern visited by latest COVID-19 community case
A number of additional venues of concern have been identified by NSW Health overnight as part of an ongoing investigation into a case of COVID-19 community transmission reported yesterday.
The update comes as all Australian states and territories have asked those who were at the venues at the same time as the infected man to get tested for COVID-19 and isolate for 14 days.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times specified has been asked to get tested and isolate until NSW Health provides further advice including those who have been partially or fully vaccinated:
The Stadium Club in Moore Park on Monday 3 May between 11.30am-12.30pm
Azure Café in Moore Park on Monday 3 May between 12.30-1pm
The Royal Sydney Golf Club in Rose Bay on Monday 3 May between 5.30-9pm
Rug Cleaning Repairs Hand Rug Wash Sydney in Brookvale on Tuesday 4 May between 1-1.30pm
Alfresco Emporium in Collaroy on Tuesday 4 May between 1-1.30pm
SMITH MADE in Balgowlah on Tuesday 4 May between 2.30-2.45pm
Chemist Warehouse in Double Bay on Tuesday 4 May between 3.45-4pm
Woolworths in Double Bay on Tuesday 4 May between 4.05-4.15pm
The addition of these venues sees the total list of locations of concern to NSW Health grow to 19, joining the following venues announced yesterday:
A screening of The Courier at Event Cinemas in Westfield Bondi Junction on Friday 30 April between 6-8pm
Figo Restaurant in Rushcutters Bay on Friday 30 April between 8.45-11pm
Joe's Barbeques & Heating in Silverwater on Saturday 1 May between 1-1.45pm
Tuckers Barbeques in Silverwater on Saturday 1 May between 1-1.45pm
Barbeques Galore in Annandale on Saturday 1 May between 2-3pm
Barbeques Galore in Casula on Saturday 1 May between 4-5pm
BP Mascot in Mascot on Saturday 1 May between 4.30-5pm
The Meat Store in Bondi Junction on Sunday 2 May between 3-4pm
District Brasserie in Sydney CBD on Friday 30 April between 11-11.45am
HineSight Optometrist in Sydney CBD on Friday 30 April between 12-1pm
Barbetta in Paddington on Friday 30 April between 1.30-2.30pm
NSW Health was notified overnight that fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been detected in the Marrickville Sewage Network.
This catchment includes about 42,000 people and takes sewage from the following suburbs: Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Summer Hill, Lewisham, Ashfield, Haberfield, Petersham, Lilyfield and Leichhardt.
NSW Health is asking everyone in these areas to be especially vigilant in monitoring for symptoms, and if they appear get tested and isolate immediately until a negative result is received.
Updated at 9.50am AEST on 6 May 2021.
COVID-19 community case detected in Sydney's eastern suburbs
UPDATE (5.44pm AEST 5 May 2021): NSW Health has released new venues of concern in Sydney's eastern suburbs and CBD visited by the confirmed case of COVID-19. See below for details.
NSW health authorities are undertaking urgent investigations after a man unconnected to the state's hotel quarantine system or health services tested positive for COVID-19.
The man visited a number of locations around Sydney including a cinema, multiple BBQ stores, and a Rushcutters Bay restaurant.
The man in his 50s from Sydney's eastern suburbs underwent testing yesterday and returned a positive result today.
Because he has not travelled overseas in recent times and he does not work in a hotel quarantine, border or health role, NSW Health is conducting genomic sequencing to determine how the man contracted the virus. Results are expected in the next 24 hours.
Close contacts are being urgently contacted, tested, and ordered into isolation.
The man visited a number of venues while potentially infectious. As such, anyone who attended any of the following venues at the times specified have been asked to immediately get tested and isolate until NSW Health provides further information, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not:
A screening of The Courier at Event Cinemas in Westfield Bondi Junction on Friday 30 April between 6-8pm
Figo Restaurant in Rushcutters Bay on Friday 30 April between 8.45-11pm
Joe's Barbeques & Heating in Silverwater on Saturday 1 May between 1-1.45pm
Tuckers Barbeques in Silverwater on Saturday 1 May between 1-1.45pm
Barbeques Galore in Annandale on Saturday 1 May between 2-3pm
Barbeques Galore in Casula on Saturday 1 May between 4-5pm
BP Mascot in Mascot on Saturday 1 May between 4.30-5pm
The Meat Store in Bondi Junction on Sunday 2 May between 3-4pm
UPDATE: NSW Health has released new venues of concern in Sydney's eastern suburbs and CBD visited by the confirmed case of COVID-19:
District Brasserie in Sydney CBD on Friday 30 April between 11-11.45am
HineSight Optometrist in Sydney CBD on Friday 30 April between 12-1pm
Barbetta in Paddington on Friday 30 April between 1.30-2.30pm
Updated at 2.21pm AEST on 5 May 2021.
Leading Aussie tech firms launch COVID relief campaign for India
Leading Australian technology companies including Canva, SafetyCulture and Airtasker are rallying their networks to lend a helping hand in India, where the COVID-19 crisis is rapidly deteriorating with almost 383,000 new cases recorded yesterday.
The country is struggling with an under-resourced health system as daily COVID-19 deaths reached a new record yesterday of more than 3,780. If that rate continues, total reported deaths from the pandemic in India would hit a quarter of a million within the week.
In less than 24 hours more than $400,000 has already been pledged to the Aussie Tech for India initiative, which is also supported by AirTree Ventures and Blackbird Ventures.
The initiative has been launched in partnership with the organisation Medical Oxygen for All which is sourcing medical supplies and coordinating their distribution on the ground.
"The evolving COVID-19 challenges in India aren't about a global shortage of oxygen the challenge is economical," says Canva's co-founder and COO Cliff Obrecht.
"The medical supplies are out there immediate and decisive action is required to save lives," he says.
"We have both a social and moral responsibility to do as much as we can to support our community in India."
Starting today, all proceeds from media purchases on Canva will be donated directly to relief efforts in India, with a message appearing in the Canva editor helping raise awareness across the company's global community of more than 55 million people.
The company has also launched a range of new India-specific templates with information from the local government and World Health Organisation to assist public health officials with sharing accurate and timely information.
"While each oxygen unit costs thousands of dollars, it only takes $92 to provide enough oxygen to save a life. We've been amazed by how quickly tech leaders in Australia have rallied together in response to the crisis unfolding in India," adds Anish Sinha, a co-founder and coordinator behind the Medical Oxygen for All program.
The Aussie Tech for India program has already seen a number of business and technology leaders across Australia join the campaign, highlighting the important role and responsibility of the Australian tech ecosystem to use its network and resources to support the global community in times of crisis and need.
"It's imperative we support India's critical care facilities as the situation escalates. I started SafetyCulture intent on finding a way to keep people in the workplace safe. We're committed to this challenge every day and eager to join the tech community in taking positive, pragmatic steps towards supporting this crisis," says Luke Anear, founder and chief executive officer of SafetyCulture.
"Our hearts go out to the people of India during this incredibly challenging time. One of our values at Airtasker is 'people matter' and we're grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside Aussie tech companies to support the people of India," adds Tim Fung, co-founder and chief executive officer of Airtasker.
Blackbird and Airtree Ventures have also reaffirmed that the technology ecosystem is a global community, with an important responsibility to have a positive impact on the world.
"This is an incredible initiative. We are more than happy to support this work and hope together we can save some lives in India - a country that is a friend and neighbour of Australia," said Daniel Petre, co-founder and chair at AirTree Ventures.
"The technology ecosystem is a global community. We all have a responsibility to come together and do what we can to help India during this health crisis," says Rick Baker, general partner at Blackbird Ventures.
Not only is Indian culture an integral part of modern Australia - including the business community - but the nation is also one of our leading trading partners with two-way trade worth almost AUD$14 billion in 2020, according to UN Comtrade statistics.
WA on high alert after COVID-infected food delivery drivers visited 100 restaurants
Western Australia is on high alert after three locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 were detected over the weekend, including two Uber Eats drivers who visited around 100 restaurants while infectious.
The revelation came today from WA Premier Mark McGowan, alongside the good news that there are no more instances community transmission in the state today.
The delivery drivers are two close contacts of a COVID-positive security guard who is a contractor at the Pan Pacific Hotel - a quarantine facility in Perth. The guard tested positive on 1 May after developing symptoms on 29 April.
According to McGowan, the two food delivery drivers visited around 100 restaurants while infectious and delivered food to 100 different people.
The Premier says these 100 locations are considered "very low risk" by the state's health authorities. Nevertheless, the 100 people who received food from the two delivery drivers are considered casual contacts and must get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until a negative result is received.
WA Health says anyone who accepted a delivery from Uber Eats or Menulog between 29 April and 1 May or visited a restaurant in the list of sites during the times indicated should monitor for COVID symptoms.
McGowan also detailed that the three most recent cases of community transmission have 58 close contacts. All 58 are required to quarantine for two weeks, and so far 26 of the close contacts have received negative test results.
In addition, 217 casual contacts have been identified, of which 43 have received negative test results.
After the three new community transmission cases were identified in Perth on Saturday the Premier implemented new restrictions, including the immediate closure of nightclubs, the banning of crowds at the AFL, and closing the main gambling floor at Crown Casino.
Everyone in the state has been asked to wear a mask until 12.01am on Saturday 8 May when the restrictions expire.
The news comes as Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout was expanded today, with those over 50 now permitted to get the jab.
Updated at 11.57am AEST on 3 May 2021.
Could new findings put Mesoblast back in the COVID treatment race?
Mesoblast was dealt a blow in December when a US trial failed to meet its 30-day goal of a 43 per cent reduction in mortality for patients suffering from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19 infection, cutting enrolments short for the study as well as the group's share price.
But the company founded and led by Dr Silviu Itescu pressed on with its 222 enrolled patients, and today revealed age could be a determining factor for the success of its stem cell treatment remestemcel-L.
Today's results demonstrate a 46 per cent reduction in mortality for patients aged under 65 who are treated with remestemcel-L, but not for those aged 65 and older.
When combined with the corticosteroid dexamethasone which has become part of standard care for critically ill COVID-19 patients on mechanical ventilation, Remestemcel-L was found to reduce mortality by 75 per cent in the under 65 demographic.
"Reduction in mortality in mechanically ventilated patients under 65 years old remains a critical unmet need since as many as 72 per cent of currently hospitalised patients across the US with COVID-19 are in this age category," says Itescu.
"This is similar to other causes of viral ARDS such as influenza where 70-80 per cent of patients in intensive care units are under 65.
"The reduction in mortality seen with remestemcel-L in this age group highlights the potential to make a meaningful difference in the treatment of diseases of excessive inflammation."
Itescu emphasises the complementary effects of Mesoblast's treatment with dexamethasone are particularly noteworthy, acting to target the inflammatory cytokine process driven by inflammatory macrophages and T-cells.
"Mechanistically, there is an understanding of synergy between the two. That probably in part explains why we've seen such exciting results in mortality reduction," he says.
Mesoblast's experts have formed the view that the negative third interim analysis that set back it plans may have resulted from a progressively ageing cohort of patients with more co-morbidities, whose median age rose from 59 in the first half to 67 in the second half.
The company believes a different dosing regimen might be needed to achieve mortality reduction in patients aged over 65 with co-morbidities.
"The mortality benefit observed with remestemcel-L in ventilator-dependent patients younger than 65, particularly in combination with dexamethasone, has the potential to change the treatment regimen in this critical patient population," says Mesoblast chief medical officer Dr Fred Grossman.
"As cases continue to surge in younger patients across the US, we plan to meet with the FDA to discuss next steps in the regulatory process."
Itescu says if remestemcel-L were to be approved for emergency use, Mesoblast still has a commercial agreement in place with Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.
"We have plans for a factory scale-up, we have proprietary media that contains recombinant cytokines that enables substantial yield improvement, and potentially we could move from two-dimensional to three-dimensional bioreactor production," he says.
"We are preparing ahead of the curve, should we be in a position to launch such a product, particularly in the US."
He says vaccine roll-outs in places can be very effective, reducing new cases by as much as potentially 80 per cent, but that still leaves room for treatments like remestemcel-L should it be given the green light.
"Nonetheless, the continued emergence of variants, particularly from third world countries, the continued social interactions particularly in younger people who in the northern summer now will be outdoors and enjoying life I think means there will be continued endemic cases of this virus in various pockets," he explains.
"There will be continued surges, resurgences, etcetera and there will be a steady state of patients who will need ICU care, mechanical ventilation, and treatments for the worst outcomes and the highest mortality risks of COVID-19 - ARDS.
"We clearly see this as a potential therapeutic for the steady state, even in the setting of large numbers of patients being vaccinated.
"Even if an 80 per cent reduction in infectivity is a success through vaccination, that still will result in a large number of potential fatalities that could be prevented by the use of remestemcel-L, together with dexomethasone."
Updated at 10:04am AEST on 30 April 2021.
Post-lockdown restrictions in Perth and Peel to ease at midnight tonight
The regions of Perth and Peel in Western Australia will snap back to life tomorrow when many COVID-19 restrictions ease, but minor transitional controls will remain in place for another week.
The easing of restrictions from 12.01am on Saturday 1 May will see the two regions move closer to the return of pre-lockdown life, but the state's chief health officer says Perth and Peel will need to see through the full 14-day incubation period before all restrictions can be removed.
The changes come after the WA regions emerged from a three-day lockdown at 12.01am on Tuesday 28 April, imposed in response to the state recording a case of COVID-19 last week - WA's first instance of community transmission in over a year.
The following eased transitional restrictions will take effect from tomorrow until 8 May:
Masks are not required outside except where physical distancing is not possible;
Masks are mandatory for indoor public venues, including in the workplace and on public transport.
Anyone who has been in the Perth or Peel regions since April 17 but has since travelled to another region must also wear a mask subject to the above conditions;
30-person limit in all homes for private gatherings;
Nightclubs can open subject to the four square metre rule, with masks mandatory;
Indoor and outdoor community sport can resume with spectators;
Indoor weddings and funerals permitted for up to 200 guests without an exemption;
Outdoor gatherings can take place with up to 500 people without a COVID event plan;
One household can visit a patient per day in a hospital, aged care or disability facility; and
Major stadiums, including Optus Stadium, RAC Arena and HBF Park can operate at 75 per cent capacity.
The following pre-lockdown measures will resume from 12.01am Saturday, 1 May:
Seated hospitality venues, including restaurants, cafés, food courts and bars that provide seated service only, can open at 75 per cent capacity or apply the 2sqm rule - whichever is greater;
Gyms, fitness centres, dance studios, beauty salons and hairdressers can open with the two square metre rule in place; and
Public venues, including community centres, libraries, museums, galleries and recreation centres, can open with the two square metre rule in place.
Schools and childcare centres will remain open with the mandatory mask rule applying to all school staff and secondary students.
Further, all elective surgeries can resume, and places of worship can reopen to 100 per cent capacity.
"I'd like to personally thank each and every person in the Perth and Peel regions for their efforts during this difficult time. We are not out of the woods yet but so far things are looking very positive," says WA Premier Mark McGowan.
"The easing of restrictions means all businesses and workplaces will be able to reopen. It will see some of our hardest hit sectors - like hospitality - snap back to pre-lockdown restrictions - providing welcome relief for many small operators.
"It is my hope - and my expectation - that from Saturday, May 8, these relatively minor restrictions will be able to come off - and we completely return to where we were at before the lockdown."
Updated at 9.53am AEST on 30 April 2021.
Victorian Government selects site for purpose-built quarantine facility
Planning for a new purpose-built quarantine accommodation hub in Victoria will soon be underway after the state government settled on a preferred site in Mickleham for the proposed facility today.
Subject to the Commonwealth Government agreeing to cover construction costs and taking ultimate ownership of the hub, planning will start on the 500-bed quarantine facility at Donnybrook Road, Mickleham.
The Victorian Government expects the planning stage of the new project will cost around $15 million - a price it is ready to pay considering the delayed vaccine rollout in Australia and an increasingly dire COVID-19 situation around the world.
The preferred site is on Commonwealth land and is next to an existing animal quarantine facility.
If the Commonwealth agrees, it will operate the facility like it does Australia's only other standalone quarantine site - Howard Springs in the Northern Territory. To date, no outbreaks of COVID-19 into the community have been traced back to the hub near Darwin.
The final decision on whether to proceed with construction will be made in September, pending support from the Commonwealth and future insight on a range of matters, including the progress of the vaccine rollout, the efficacy of vaccines in preventing COVID-19 transmission, and Commonwealth decisions on rules governing travel into and out of Australia.
"It's clear this virus will be with us for some time," VIC Acting Premier James Merlino said.
"While we can't control how well or how fast other countries deal with the pandemic or their vaccine rollout, we can make sure our own quarantine system is as strong and safe as possible."
"The best time to start work on a standalone quarantine hub would have been 12 months ago - the second-best time is now."
The master plan for the new hub includes dedicated onsite services, including catering, that will support strong infection control and prevention measures. It is also designed with the ability to increase to up to 3,000 beds as part of a scalable build if a larger facility is determined to be required at any point.
The new hub will also be designed with relocatable cabins so that it can be utilised for alternative and future needs, including ongoing quarantine arrangements, crisis accommodation and other emergencies.
"We've seen how wildly unpredictable and dangerous this virus can be. This is our insurance policy to make sure we're doing everything we can to keep Victoria and Australia safe," Acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services Danny Pearson said.
"We've done the work to stack this project up and now we're asking the Commonwealth to get on board and help deliver it."
Updated at 1.15pm AEST on 29 April 2021.
AnteoTech launches 15-minute COVID-19 test in Europe
Brisbane-based biotech firm AnteoTech (ASX: ADO) has officially launched its overseas expansion today following a trademark breakthrough in Europe two weeks ago for its low-cost, high-sensitivity rapid COVID-19 test.
The company's 'AnteoBind' technology - originally developed to test for the life-threatening infection Sepsis - already forms part of its customer Ellume's at-home COVID-19 diagnostics platform that is sold to the US, but now the group plans to sell its own product directly in the EU and UK.
Marketed as the 'EuGeni COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test', AnteoTech's single-use, disposable product will be rolled out across Europe where more than 46 million people have contracted COVID-19.
Unlike Ellume's tests which can be sold over the counter in the US at pharmacies such as CVS, EuGeni is currently only marketed as intended for healhcare professionals.
AnteoTech also plans to make the product available by mid-year in Australia, where strict rules are in place that prevent at-home testing for notifiable diseases such as COVID-19.
To fund its European expansion plans, AnteoTech has announced firm commitments to raise $12 million by issuing new shares at $0.26 each, representing a 20 per cent discount to the weighted average over the past 10 days. This will be followed by a $4 million share purchase plan (SPP) opening on 4 May.
Investors appeared undeterred by the capital raising discount however. At the time of writing, shares had surged 12 per cent this morning to $0.465 each.
"AnteoTech now has the necessary financial flexibility to scale up operations and accelerate its roll-out of its EuGeni reader platform and COVID-19 ART test, as well as our growing pipeline of other assay tests which will provide us with a considerable competitive advantage in the current market," AnteoTech CEO Derek Thompson said.
"This is a major milestone for the company, with our sights set on finalising approvals here in Australia and in the US where our technology is already being used by another Brisbane company (Ellume) to target the home test market."
AnteoTech's technology attracted the support of the Queensland Government, which provided a $1.4 million grant to help progress the COVID-19 rapid test through to commercialisation.
Thomson said as well as capturing a large slice of the European rapid test market, AnteoTech was ready to roll out a saliva-based version of the test, ending the need for invasive nasal swabs.
"We believe we have a superior test with high sensitivity and specificity based on our unique AnteoBind technology," Thomson said.
"We will soon enhance this offering with a saliva use case and new COVID-19/Flu A/FluB Multiplex test, which will give us a very strong competitive advantage over other products currently on the market."
Thomson added the company would also be delivering the vital Sepsis test, which is a very time-critical condition that is often missed, resulting in a very high global morbidity rate.
"From very humble beginnings, our very small scientific team has been working around the clock to bring forward this test platform, given its importance in helping to tackle the global pandemic," says Thompson, whose company had less than 20 employees a year ago.
"I also thank the Queensland Government for its contribution to the commercialisation of the test and platform."
The Federal Government has announced a temporary pause for incoming flights from India, where a new wave of COVID-19 has pushed hospitals to breaking point with one person reportedly dying from the virus every four minutes in New Delhi alone.
Given the pressure returning travellers from India are placing on hotel quarantine, the government has put flights from the South Asian country on hold until 15 May.
In the meantime, Australia will also be sending medical supplies to India, including one millions surgical masks and 500 ventilators.
The Prime Minister said it was a concern to see an increase in the percentage of cases in hotel quarantine with origins from India.
From 16 April there was a jump in hotel quarantine numbers from all origins, rising from 90 in a week to 143 in the most recent week.
"In this past week we saw that rise, and that was particularly in areas such as the Northern Territory and New South Wales, where we have direct flights into both of those areas.," the Prime Minister said.
"Proportionally, we saw higher numbers in Western Australia and South Australia, but in terms of the total number of cases originating in India then the overwhelming majority of those were in New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
"We don't think the answer is to forsake those Australians in India and just shut them off as some seem to suggest - that's not what my government's going to do. We will stand with the Indian community here and our friends in India as one of our closest and most strategic partners."
He said the pause was necessary to enable those quarantine facilities, particularly in the Northern Territory, to work through the system and return to lower case levels so that direct flights can resume and repatriate Australians.
"One of the challenges going forward is the testing regime for those embarking on flights, and so having the rapid antigen testing in place we think will support that, but that will give us several weeks to put those arrangements in place with the commercial operators," he said.
"Qantas has already indicated that they're able to do that, but working with other operators we'd want to be assured that those mitigations were in place."
The Prime Minister said the situation was escalating rapidly, and he welcomed the fact embarkation points such as Kuala Lumpur and Singapore had also been closed off.
"Those flights that were coming from Malaysia and other places were carrying Australians back from other parts of the world where the risk is not as great as it is in India, and so that means Australians will still be able to come home through those flights.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said more than 19,400 Australians have returned from India since March last year.
"Since March of last year we have facilitated 38 flights out of India - 28 flights with Qantas from Delhi, from Chennai and from Kolkata, which have brought back 5,000 passengers," she said.
"When circumstances do allow through this temporary pause, we will resume those flights and if possible seek to review those flights and if possible seek to increase their frequency if we are able to," she said.
"We currently have just over 9,000 Australians registered in India - 650 of those are registered as vulnerable. As you would expect in the circumstances, this number will certainly increase in the coming days and weeks as people's circumstances change."
Minister Payne assured Australians in India and Indian-Australians here that four Indian network posts remain staffed by Australian diplomats who will continue to provide consular assistance to Australians in distress, including through DFAT's financial assistance program.
"Our posts will also be redoubling their efforts to maintain contact with Australian citizens in India to ensure that they are informed about travel settings, about any changes and about assistance programs."
Those consular contact numbers are 1300555135 from within Australia and (+61) 62613205 when calling from outside the country.
"I also want to reaffirm the great leadership and generosity that India has shown to the global community and throughout this pandemic," Minister Payne added.
"They have in fact exported over 66 million WHO-approved vaccines across the world. I know in our own region how important this has been in the Pacific - it includes gifting vaccine doses to Nauru and to Fiji. It has has also manufactured vaccine doses for Papua New Guinea, for the Solomon Islands, which have been delivered through the COVAX facility.
Updated at 3:30pm AEST on 27 April 2021.
Perth and Peel to enter three-day lockdown
Update (27 April): The lockdown was lifted overnight, but Western Australians must continue to wear masks in public at indoor and outdoor areas, practise physical distancing where possible, and maintain good personal hygiene at all times. Fitness clubs, gyms, casinos and nightclubs will remain closed, while other business will have a four square metre capacity rule and 20 patron limit in place. "The lockdown was the circuit breaker that we needed to help crush and contain the virus, and keep the community safe," WA Premier Mark McGowan said.
The Western Australian Government has called a snap three-day lockdown from midnight in the Perth and Peel regions, after a year-long run of no community transmission was broken by a hotel quarantine intra-room infection that has led to two known positive cases.
People in these areas will need to wear masks from 6pm tonight, and must remain home except for the usual exceptions such as essential work, shopping for essentials including groceries, medical or health care needs, and exercise with a maximum of four people.
Anyone who has left Perth or Peel since 17 April will need to wear self-isolate and the same mask rules will apply outside where they are staying.
The decision was made after it was revealed a man in his 50s who completed 14 days of quarantine at Perth's Mercure Hotel tested positive to the virus once he arrived in Melbourne this morning.
The man had tested negative on day 12 of hotel quarantine, was released on 17 April and according to Premier Mark McGowan is presumed to have been infectious in the community for five days.
After leaving hotel quarantine, the individual stayed with a friend and her two children in the Perth suburb of Kardinya and went to a Malaysian restaurant.
That friend tested positive to the virus after taking a rapid COVID-19 test today.
"We need to act and do what is necessary to prevent further community transmission," says Premier McGowan.
"We've gone more than 12 months of no community transmission and our lives in Western Australia have been normal compared to what we have seen around the world.
"We need to do everything we can to protect our way of life. That's why from midnight tonight, Perth and Peel will enter a three-day lockdown over the weekend until Monday night."
The decision also means ANZAC Day services will be cancelled, but the Premier urged people to take part in a driveway dawn service again this year.
"I know this is hard to take, and I wish we didn't need to be doing this, but we can't take any chances with the virus. We just can't," he said.
Premier McGowan confirmed the first case had also visited a swimming pool in Perth's southern suburbs on 18 April, had coffee in Leeming, ate dinner in Northbridge and stayed at St Catherine's College at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
"On the 19th he visited a Chinese traditional medical doctor, went to Northbridge again, and again stayed at St Catherine's College that night," McGowan said.
"On the 20th he visited Kings Park and Northbridge again, on the 21st he had breakfast in a common area at St. Catherine's College, before being driven by his friend to the airport."
The man then boarded flight QF778 from Perth to Melbourne at 1:05pm that day. Victoria Health is in the process of contact tracing the 257 passengers who were on board that flight.
"Locations for both the Victorian case and his friend will be finalised and released publicly as soon as possible. If you have been to these locations during the times listed, you will need to get tested and isolate until you return a negative test result," McGowan said.
"If people are deemed a close contact by public health officials, you will be tested and required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
"We're also obtaining CCTV vision to piece together more details. We know his accommodation at St Catherine's College at UWA has a separate bathroom, which is good news."
The Premier said contact tracing and COVID testing teams were being scaled up, with health officials to visit St Catherine's College to test people.
"Anyone at UWA if you're feeling unwell, you need to get tested as soon as possible," he said.
From tomorrow pubs, clubs, cafes and bars will close but will be allowed to provide takeaway food and beverages.
There will also be closures for gyms and indoor sporting venues, playgrounds and skateparks, cinemas, casinos, places of worship, libraries and other cultural institutions.
However, weddings and funerals will be allowed to go ahead with a maximum of 100 attendees (not including staff), but masks must be worn.
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