Covid-19 News Updates

Federal SME Recovery Loan Scheme expanded

More small and medium businesses (SMEs) will be able to receive funds under the Federal Government’s ‘SME Recovery Loan Scheme’ following changes to eligibility criteria announced today.

The Federal Government says, in recognition of the ongoing economic impacts caused by COVID-19 restrictions, requirements will be removed for SMEs to have received JobKeeper during the March quarter of 2021 or to have been a flood-affected business in order to be eligible under the Scheme.

As with the existing scheme, SMEs who are dealing with the economic impacts of the coronavirus with a turnover of less than $250 million will be able to access loans of up to $5 million over a term of up to 10 years.

In addition:

• The Government guarantee will be 80 per cent of the loan amount.
• Lenders are allowed to offer borrowers a repayment holiday of up to 24 months.
• Loans can be used for a broad range of business purposes, including to support investment.
• Loans may be used to refinance any pre-existing debt of an eligible borrower, including those from the SME Guarantee Scheme.
• Loans can be either unsecured or secured (excluding residential property).

The loans will be available through participating lenders until 31 December 2021.

More information about the SME Recovery Loan Scheme can be accessed via the Federal Treasury website.

Updated at 2.23pm AEST on 25 August 2021.

WA reopens to SA, introduces hard border with New Zealand

Western Australia’s border arrangements with South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand will be adjusted from midnight tonight (AWST) following the latest COVID-19 updates in Australia and across the ditch.

The changes will see WA reopen to SA entirely and a hard border imposed with New Zealand, reflecting the ever-changing COVID-19 situation.

South Australia will transition from 'low risk' to 'very low risk'. Under the 'very low risk' settings, safe travel is permitted into WA subject to the following conditions:

• completion of a G2G Pass declaration, stipulating the traveller does not have any COVID-19 symptoms and which jurisdictions they have visited in the previous 14 days;
• all Perth Airport arrivals to undergo a health screening and temperature test;
• travellers to be prepared to take a COVID-19 test, if deemed necessary by a health clinician (voluntary asymptomatic testing also available); and
• land arrivals to be met at the border checkpoint for a health screening and to have their G2G Pass declaration checked.   

"In promising news, after 34 days of no community cases, safe travel from South Australia is now permitted after tough lockdown measures enabled them to crush its local outbreak,” WA Premier Mark McGowan said.

With New Zealand’s COVID-19 outbreak now reaching 148 cases, WA will impose a hard border with the country, elevating it from ‘low risk’ to ‘medium risk’.

As such, travel from New Zealand will no longer be permitted except for approved travellers.

Approved travellers arriving in Western Australia from New Zealand must:

• self-quarantine in a suitable premise for 14 days;
• present for an initial COVID-19 test within 48 hours;
• present for a COVID-19 test if any symptoms develop during quarantine; and
• present for a COVID-19 test on day 12 after arrival in WA (if still in WA).    

"With growing case numbers in New Zealand, WA will be putting in place a hard border with New Zealand from midnight tonight,” McGowan said.

"The various outbreaks in Australia and in New Zealand are heartbreaking and our thoughts are with everyone impacted."

Also from midnight, Queensland will transition from 'medium risk' to 'low risk'. This means travel is permitted from Queensland with the following strict conditions: 

• present for a COVID-19 test on arrival (within 48 hours) and on day 12;
• self-quarantine for 14 days in a suitable premise;
• complete a G2G Pass declaration prior to arrival, stipulating they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and which jurisdictions they have visited in the previous 14 days;
• land arrivals to be met at the border checkpoint for a health screening and to have their G2G Pass declaration checked before proceeding to their self-quarantine. 

As previously announced, from midnight tonight New South Wales will be elevated to 'extreme risk'. Under the new 'extreme risk' category, travel from New South Wales to Western Australia will not be permitted.

"Western Australia's border controls have been our best defence in eliminating COVID-19 within our community, protecting our health and our economy,” WA Health Minister Roger Cook said.

"We need to stay vigilant with outbreaks growing as the deadly Delta strain continues to wreak havoc.

"It's so important that we continue to listen to the health advice. Please stay home if you're unwell, get tested if you develop symptoms and get the COVID-19 vaccine if you're eligible."

Updated at 2.06pm AEST on 25 August 2021.

NSW reports 919 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 case numbers in New South Wales have hit a new daily record today, with the state reporting 919 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Of the new cases, 178 are linked to a known case or cluster while the remaining 741 are under investigation.

106 were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 18 were in isolation for part of their infectious period. 37 cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 758 cases remains under investigation.

This takes active case numbers in NSW to around 12,000.

Health authorities today reported the deaths of two people who had COVID-19 - a woman in her 30s who died in her Western Sydney home and a man in his 80s who acquired his infection at the Greenwood Aged Care facility in Normanhurst.

This brings the state’s number of COVID-related deaths to 76 since 16 June 2021, and the number of lives lost due to the virus in NSW to 132 since the beginning of the pandemic.

The state’s vaccine rollout has been progressing well, with more than 45,000 vaccines administrated in the 24 hours to 8pm last night by NSW Health. The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 6,143,824.

NSW Health's ongoing sewage surveillance program has recently detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 at the sewage treatment plants in Bateau Bay, Toukley and Merimbula, which serve around 39,000, 29,000 and 15,500 people respectively.

Meanwhile Victoria today reported 45 local cases. 36 are linked to current outbreaks and 17 have been in quarantine throughout their infectious period.

The ACT has confirmed its lockdown will still last until at least 2 September after nine new cases were reported today, of which all but one are linked to current cases or clusters.

Of the cases in the Territory, 48 per cent are aged 18 to 44, and 38 per cent are aged zero to 18.

Updated at 11.31am AEST on 25 August 2021.

QLD relocation spike prompts two-week pause on interstate hotel quarantine arrivals

"We are scrambling for hotels, and this has got to stop. It's too much pressure so we have to put a pause," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

After recording no new COVID-19 cases overnight and declassifying the cases of two truck drivers whose status was under investigation, the Queensland Government is now taking steps to slow down the influx of Australians from locked-down areas relocating to the Sunshine State.

"Starting from noon today we are pausing arrivals into hotel quarantine for a period of two weeks," the Premier said.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said this meant anyone who is not already on a flight at midday will not be able to arrive in Queensland on a right of entry pass, although people with exemptions including compassionate or end-of-life reasons, or to attend funerals, will still have rooms made available.

"We are seeing a lot of people wanting to relocate to Queensland. We understand that, it’s a beautiful state, why wouldn’t you want to live here? But we just need a pause on that," D'Ath said.

"About 85 per cent of the people who have come under right of entry passes over the last two weeks of domestic travel are simply relocating to Queensland.

"Everybody who's got a right of entry pass who is a Queensland resident or is seeking to relocate will need to reapply for their pass, and over the next fortnight we will then issue passes but we will be allocating a time period that people will be able to arrive in Queensland."

The Premier said as of yesterday there were 5,114 people in hotel quarantine in Queensland across 22 hotels.

"That's a lot of people – 3,257 are domestic arrivals, 1,857 are from overseas," she said.

"Between August the 9^th and 20^th, 2,750 people got border passes to relocate to Queensland. That includes 1,983 people in just one week.

"International arrivals are sometimes double and we don't find out until the day, and we often don't know from day to day, how many people are coming into Queensland from other states – they just turn up."

There are currently 37 active cases in Queensland and the number of people still in home quarantine has been reduced to 762.

Updated at 10:41am AEST on 25 August 2021.

Retail sales fall as 'for lease' signs become more common in Sydney, Melbourne

Retail sales across the country dipped by 5.6 per cent in July month-on-month as lockdowns continued to impact the sector, according to new data released by MasterCard.

The MasterCard SpendingPulse report, which measures in-store and online sales across all forms of payment, also demonstrated retail sales were down 6.3 per cent in July compared to the same time last year.

However, when compared to July 2019, sales were actually up 6 per cent.

There were month-on-month falls in the retail categories of clothing (down 19.9 per cent), department stores (down 5.4 per cent) and food retailing (down 1.2 per cent). Household goods increased 0.8 per cent in July compared to the previous month (seasonally adjusted), however there were year-on-year falls across all retail categories.

Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra says lockdowns have a direct impact on retail sales and the pandemic pain will continue to be felt over the coming months.

“Delta is continuing to cause damage to businesses and livelihoods, in particular for our economic capital Sydney, where a nine-week lockdown is confirmed with no guarantee that restrictions will ease at the end of the month,” Zahra says.

“‘For lease’ signs are becoming a more common feature on CBD shop fronts in Sydney and Melbourne where the Delta devastation has been more severe and state and federal supports haven’t been enough to save businesses from closing their doors permanently.

“Lockdowns have a direct impact on retail sales as well as business and consumer confidence, and those impacts can be felt long after restrictions are eased, as it takes time for confidence and foot-traffic to build up again – it’s not an immediate snap back to the way things were.”

Updated at 12.25pm AEST on 23 August 2021.

Victoria unveils support package for lockdown-hit regional businesses

A package of automatic cash grants jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments will support businesses in regional Victoria after lockdown restrictions were expanded to cover the whole state on Saturday.

The package comprises a $100.9 million allocation to the Business Costs Assistance Program, $34.5 million for regional premises that have previously received Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund grants, and $11.2 million for the Alpine Resorts Winter Support Program.

It comes after Victoria recorded 65 new cases yesterday, 21 of which were in the regional town of Shepparton where a cluster has been growing quickly.

Today the state has recorded 71 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, of which 49 are linked to known outbreaks and 22 are under investigation.

The support programs are expected to assist 20,000 businesses throughout regional Victoria, joining more than 110,000 businesses in Melbourne.

Businesses in regional Victoria that do not qualify for this new support and have experienced a reduction in revenue of at least 70 per cent are encouraged to apply for the $252 million Small Business COVID Hardship Fund, which provides grants of $14,000 to successful applicants.

Commonwealth COVID-19 Disaster Payment support will apply to workers and eligible sole-trader businesses in regional areas, as they do in metropolitan areas. Since 1 July, almost $640 million in COVID-19 Disaster payments has flowed to Victoria supporting the incomes of more than 350,000 Victorians

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said that this support package will provide assurance to businesses in the State’s regions when they need it most.

“No one wanted to be in this position, but the rapid spread of the Delta strain and the emergence of cases in regional Victoria meant there was no choice,” Pallas said.

“We are acting quickly, decisively and on public health advice to get ahead of this outbreak so we can start our return to conditions more like we remember them before the pandemic.

“This package is about helping regional businesses at a really tough time as we continue to battle this current outbreak.”

More information about the business support programs is available at business.vic.gov.au. 

Elsewhere in Australia New South Wales recorded 830 locally acquired COVID-19 cases yesterday after 825 on Saturday, and the Australian Capital Territory reported 19 new cases of which six were infectious in the community.

WA introduces tourism industry support package

Tourism businesses impacted by COVID-19 in Western Australia will soon be able to apply for funding under a new package backed by the State and Federal Governments valued at up to $16.8 million.

Businesses will be able to apply for grants of up to $10,000 if they can demonstrate at least a 30 per cent reduction in turnover by comparing the period 15 May - 25 June with 10 July - 30 August.

The following funding amounts will be made available to eligible businesses:

• $2,000 grant for all sole traders and for employing businesses with an annual turnover between $50,000 and $100,000
• $5,000 grant for employing businesses with an annual turnover between $100,000 and $1 million
• $10,000 grant for employing businesses with an annual turnover between $1 million and $10 million

In order to be eligible, businesses must be:

• registered with Tourism WA as a previous grant recipient or as part of the agency’s marketing campaigns in 2020 or 2021; or
• a member of, or accredited through, a relevant tourism organisation (as of today); or
• a travel agent that has been offering domestic product to travellers.

“The continued acceleration of community spread in many parts of the country – particularly New South Wales – is now so severe it is having impacts on some WA tourism businesses,” Premier Mark McGowan.

“Western Australia’s work to keep COVID-19 largely out of the community has kept the State safe and open – enabling our tourism sector to operate in a way much of the world has been unable to over the past 18 months and fuelling an intrastate visitation boom.”

“The Tourism Assistance Grants will provide targeted support to the Western Australian businesses which have become innocent victims of community spread over east, through no fault of their own.”

City of Melbourne to absorb fee increase for ratepayers

The City of Melbourne is discounting rates for all commercial and residential ratepayers across the municipality at a total cost of $4.8 million in response to the impacts of COVID-19.

The City was entitled to implement the Victorian Government’s 1.5 per cent rate cap but made the decision to apply a 1.5 per cent rates discount, cancelling out the rates increase this year.

“Rates are necessary to support vital community services and infrastructure and we are legally required to issue them at this time, but we also know that conditions are incredibly tough, so we're doing what we can to take some pressure off for the second year in a row,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.

"This year, we're keeping rates low while delivering historic levels of infrastructure and initiatives to create jobs, support businesses and ensure Melbourne remains a safe, clean and resilient city.”

Finance, Governance and Risk lead, Councillor Philip Le Liu, said the decision to apply a discount to the rate increase was made earlier in the year when councillors endorsed the 2021-22 budget.

“All of the city’s 128,000 commercial and residential ratepayers will receive a discount, totalling $4.8 million. Around half of ratepayers will receive a discount between $10 and $50, with an average discount of $37,” Le Liu said.

“The discount will be clearly identified on a rates bill, but the amount of the discount on individual bills will differ depending on the valuation of their property.

“Rates change every year as property values change, so some ratepayers may still see their total bill go up because their property value may have changed relative to others.”

Updated at 9.41am AEST on 23 August 2021.

Victoria "right on the edge" as majority of 57 new COVID cases were infectious in community

"If we have a weekend this weekend like last weekend, well then next week it will be like Sydney. Simple as that. This will get away from us,"  Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said.

Victoria may be facing its toughest challenge yet in 2021 as the state reports 55 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases of whom only 25 were in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.

"That is a very significant challenge. That makes today a bad day," Premier Daniel Andrews said.

In the 24 hours to midnight last night there were also two new cases in hotel quarantine, and of all new cases 49 are linked to known outbreaks and six are currently mystery cases under investigation.

The Premier said the government could not have locked down any earlier than it did and is playing its part, but the rules are "only as good as the behaviour and the choices that each of us make".

"We've got too many mystery cases out there. We need people to come forward and get tested when they have symptom; not a day later, not three days later," he said.

"It's not about looking for every loophole, every exemption, every sort of blind corner where people can't see you, to do the wrong thing."

He said the Delta variant was so wildly infectious that it would find every breach of every rule and will potentially spread because of that.

"It's not just delicate, it's not just a tipping point. We are right on the edge of this getting away from us," he said.

"We all have to make choices that recognise how serious this is. There are 700 kids that have got COVID in NSW. There are kids that are in hospital in NSW that have got COVID - no children in our country are vaccinated.

"As a parent to every other parent, that should be motivation enough. We can't be certain what the impacts of this virus are on kids. We have got a substantial number of kids infected ourselves in this outbreak - it is spreading amongst younger people and it will continue to do that unless we all play our part."

There are currently 349 active cases of COVID-19 in the state.

In more positive news, there were almost 50,000 tests in Victoria yesterday and 28,601 vaccinations administered by state clinics.

"I thank all of those nearly 30,000 people who made an appointment, kept their appointment, turned up and got the jab. That's such an important thing or you to do," he said.

"There are appointments open as we speak. Thousands of them...if you go to the website you can book, and you can book with confidence."

Updated at 12:40pm AEST on 20 August 2021.

Greater Sydney lockdown extended until end of September, curfew from Monday in certain areas

With case numbers in New South Wales only continuing to rise, the state’s Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced Greater Sydney’s lockdown has been extended until the end of September.

In addition, local government areas (LGAs) of concern will be under even stricter rules from Monday, with a curfew to come into effect, exercise limited to just one hour per day, and more retail premises to close.

Further, across the entire state, mask wearing while outdoors will become mandatory from 30 August to avoid instances of fleeting transmission and aid police with compliance, and vaccines will become mandatory for those working in childcare or disability support for those that live or work in LGAs of concern.

It comes as NSW reported 642 cases of community transmission today and four new deaths related to COVID-19.

The Premier also announced that the Central Coast and Shellharbour will no longer be classified as ‘Greater Sydney’, but will instead become part of regional/rural NSW, giving residents in these areas hope that lockdown may end sooner than their counterparts in the NSW capital.

Lockdown in regional NSW is expected to last until at least 28 August.

The curfew will come into effect for the 12 LGAs of concern from Monday, meaning residents cannot leave the house between 9pm and 5am.

“In terms of the local government areas of concern, I can’t stress enough that we feel for you, we’ve imposed a lot of restrictions on you already,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

“But we don’t want to see more of you end up in hospital, we don’t want to see more of you lose loved ones, and it’s heartbreaking when you see disease rip through families - families who are unvaccinated and suffering the most.

“From Monday from 9pm to 5am you cannot leave your home, unless of course it is for authorised workers or emergencies.”

The Premier says the curfew is necessary based on police feedback that a small number of people are not doing the right thing at night, as well as the fact that the “overwhelming number” of cases are being reported in South and Southwest Sydney.

“As we said, Delta doesn’t leave any room for error,” Berejiklian said.

“I apologise deeply to the vast majority of people in those communities for doing the right thing, but for our own health and safety moving forward we need to make these difficult decisions.”

A number of retail premises must close except for click & collect services from Monday too, including garden centres, office supplies, hardware and building supplies, landscaping material supplies, rural supplies and pet supplies.

New rules for authorised workers living or working in the LGAs of concern will also be introduced, including for childcare and disability support workers, who must now have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by 30 August. 

The jump in case numbers follows reports of a gathering in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, where 11 people have since tested positive to COVID-19.

"I understand why people are tired and fatigued, but we just can't have that occurring," NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro also highlighted sewage detections in the state's regions which are giving authorities "advanced notice" of possible COVID-19 infection.

"We've touched on sewage detections and they're happening right across regional New South Wales," Barilaro said.

"But our concerns are in the areas of Cobar, Port Macquarie, Parkes and Coonamble and Bellambi down in the Illawarra.

"Clearly it's a tool that we use. Clearly it has shown us an advanced notice in areas of concern."

The news comes as the Queensland government today announced 120 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel will be deployed to police the NSW border from 25 August.

"We've also now had confirmed that the ADF will be assisting our police with the border," QLD Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.

"We welcome certainly welcome that support from the Commonwealth."

Updated at 11.22am AEST on 20 August 2021.

Lockdown lifted in Katherine as NT reports no new cases

The Northern Territory Government has confirmed stay-at-home orders in Katherine lifted from midday (ACST) today, one day after a lockdown in Darwin ended.

It comes as the Territory reported no new cases of COVID-19 today, giving authorities the confidence to lift remaining lockdown restrictions.

Some restrictions for Darwin and Katherine will remain in place until 12pm on 26 August for high-risk categories to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the community.

People will still need to wear masks in indoor settings such as retail, but they can be taken off while seated and eating or drinking, and will not be necessary in offices when physical distancing can be maintained.

Updated at 12.24pm AEST on 20 August 2021.

57 new local cases for Victoria, but "advanced warning system" points to undetected circulation

Victoria has reported 57 new local COVID-19 cases of whom 44 were in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period, but an epidemiologist from the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) explains how wastewater tests show signs the virus may be circulating under the radar.

Professor Benjamin Cowie of the RMH and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity highlights continued "unexpected detections" of COVID-19 in the wastewater system.

"While the testing program isn't necessarily a smoking gun, it does provide a really good signal and another line of intelligence for us to follow," Cowie told a press conference this morning.

"So we began targeted wastewater surveillance in high rise public housing towers and then received a detection at a complex at 480 Lygon Street in Carlton several days ago," he said.

"Based on that signal alone, we made the entire complex effectively a tier two exposure site and encouraged all the residents to get tested, and we uncovered a case living inside the building."

As a result, Cowie said authorities were able to provide that person with care and treatment, and to prevent other transmission, which he said demonstrated the potential use of use of wastewater detection as an "advanced warning system".

Often it is a case of someone shedding while no longer infectious, or epidemiologists know of someone who has COVID-19 and is isolating in the area connected to the sewage result, but at times the source is a mystery.

"That's when we really pay close attention," Cowie said.

"We have a few of these signals alerting us right now. In regional Victoria, we've seen three detections in Shepparton with our period of concern being between the 9th and the 16th of August, and I know the community in Shepparton has come out - testing numbers have increased substantially over the last few days."

There have also been wastewater detections in Lakes Entrance with a period of concern from 8-11 August, in Ardeer from 11-16 August, and new detections in the suburbs of Albion, Braybrook, St Albans, Sunshine, Sunshine North, Sunshine West and Tottenham from 15-17 August.

"And we've had three detections in some southeastern suburbs, including Dingley Village, Keysborough, Noble Park, Springvale and Springvalue South, with a period of concern being between the 11th and the 17th of August."

Photo: Professor Benjamin Cowie of the RMH and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

But the expert said of possibly the greatest concern was the strong and repeated detections from an industrial precinct in Sunshine West.

"Now, that's an area where nobody resides, there's no one living there, but a lot of people work there," he said.

"We've been working with businesses in this precinct on surveillance testing for the last few days, and we haven't uncovered any cases at this point, but essentially we're at the point where based on these repeat, strong detections, it becomes more likely than not that someone who works in this area actually does have coronavirus infection.

"That is clearly of concern to get them tested so we can look after them and provide them appropriate treatment and care, but to protect their colleagues and indeed the entire community. So my message is that if you work in that industrial precinct come forward to be tested now, even if you don't have symptoms."

Of today's 57 new cases reported, 54 are linked to known outbreaks, mostly Al-Taqwa College students and close contacts from that school outbreak.

"So we might see further cases that are exactly the same as a result of day 13 testing," Premier Daniel Andrews said.

"There are some 296 active cases across the state, 16 people are in hospital, three of those in ICU and I'm told one of those is on a ventilator.

"There were just under 50,000 test results received overnight," Andrews said, adding this was a significant uplift on numbers which were low a few days ago.

More drive-through vaccination clinics for Victoria

The Premier said 27,581 Victorians were vaccinated yesterday, taking the number of doses in the state to 2,050,042 in state-run centres.

Following the opening of Australia's first drive-through vaccination hub in Melton there have been around 1,200 doses administered at the site, and now the government will be opening up three more centres in this format.

The Premier has announced the new drive through clinics will open at the Former Ford Factory in Broadmeadows, at Sandown Racecourse in Springvale and at the Eagle Stadium in Werribee.

The new site at the Ford Factory in Broadmeadows will be soft launched this Sunday by invitation only, and will open to the public for booked appointments from Monday 23 August.

The Sandown Racecourse clinic will be adjacent to the existing Sandown Racecourse indoor vaccination hub and will run an invitation-only soft launch on Friday. It will open to the public for booked appointments from Saturday 21 August.

Combined, these sites will have 36 bays for drive-through but have the capacity to be ramped up if needed. Victorians will be able to make bookings online or through the Coronavirus hotline, which the government says are essential.

The new site at the Eagle Stadium in Werribee will have room for both drive through and indoor vaccinations, with an expected opening towards the end of the week.

In addition, a pop-up vaccination centre opened yesterday at Peanut Farm Reserve in St Kilda. It is a walk-in, no-booking site designed for locals who are eligible for the vaccine. It administered 170 doses in its first two hours. It will operate 9am to 5pm daily for the next week. Primary Close Contacts or people with symptoms cannot attend.

There are 300,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments available over the next four weeks and just over 80,000 Pfizer second dose appointments available. 

"There are a million things that we miss about life before the pandemic and a million things we’re looking forward to doing again once we’re through this outbreak – each of those is a reason to get vaccinated," Premier Andrews said.

"We’re imploring every single Victorian to come forward and get vaccinated as soon as you can – there’s appointments available and we need you to fill them."

"Getting vaccinated is our way out of this pandemic. These new drive through clinics are convenient and easy to access – Victorians should take full advantage of them to get themselves and their loved ones vaccinated," Health Minister Martin Foley added.

Updated at 12:34pm AEST on 19 August 2021.