Thread by @AnnaVidot

ACT COVID update 1 Sept

23 new cases
14 linked (mostly household)
9 under investigation
11 in quarantine throughout
11 at least partly infectious in community

13 in hospital
4 in ICU
None fully vaccinated

3763 tests conducted

Barr: "Please get tested if you have any symptoms"

Barr address the "What is non-organised recreation?" question.

Says it is NOT organised boot camps, sport comps, team training, golf, tennis, "those sorts of organised sporting activities"

Why the increase to 5?

Barr says it's so singles and couples can have some interaction. Confirms can be from 5 different households. But must be done outside, wearing masks, max 2 hours. And outside of that, stay as far away from other people as possible, Barr says.

VACCINATION update re the 500k additional Pfizer doses as part of Singapore swap, to be distributed on per capita basis

ACT will receive 8344 doses

That's roughly the equivalent of a big single day of vaccination across all ACT gov hubs, GPs, pharmacies, Barr says.

(We're trying the whole WFH/broadcast-from-home thing again today btw... so... this thread will be more sparse than usual.....)

ACT Gov to sign off on commercial and residential tenancy protections this afternoon

Covid Business commissioner reappointed

More info on gov tax incentives tied to commercial rent reductions (rates, land tax, similar to last year) to be announced in coming days, Barr says.

Dep CHO Johnston
23 new
297 total
41 recovered (+9)
256 active cases

Of 23
14 linked
13 household/close social
1 to cluster
9 under early investigation
11 in quarantine throughout
11 infectious in cmnty
1 being assessed

1100 close contacts
3900 casual
200+ active exposure sites

Dep CHO

No further cases at Ainslie Village

ACT Health made contact w person they couldn't find, yesterday.

Cases have been relocated to ACT Health manged accom

No known cases remain on site at Ainslie Village

Still 12 public transmission sites
+5 cases now linked to Bright Bees Nichols
+3 Murchi Indian
+2 Lyneham HS
All household contacts

Of 13 in hospital:
4 ICU
1 ventilated
12 unvaccinated
1 one dose

9 have preexisting conditions
Youngest 18
Oldest 54
~70% are 18-44
~30% are 45-64

Dep CHO Johnston: "What we are doing is working. It's difficult and challenging but it's working. We just need to do it a little longer"

Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan says there were a couple of anti-vax, anti-lockdown protests in Canberra yesterday. 3 arrested, 2 vehicles directed to leave, expect further infringements will be issued

*leave the ACT

CPO: "Unfortunately, we expect those protests to continue" but says "ACT Policing with its partners is well placed to respond where and when those protests take place."

Chief Minister shattering* hopes and dreams:

"I wouldn't be planning a major event this year, no."

"I wouldn't be planning to go anywhere outside the ACT" these school holidays. You can probs be more confident about Dec/Jan

(*in case anyone was still hoping and/or dreaming)

Q Economic impact? Reworking budget?

Barr: Somewhat reworked, in that we've announced initiatives like yesterday's cost-shared (w Cwealth) biz support. "It's our intention in budget to invest very heavily in health services.">>

>>On economic impact broadly: ACT/Cwealth measures mean lots of money will flow into economy. Beyond that, it depends on your assumptions/forecasting of recovery. Last time there was a very strong recovery. Expecting big Xmas spending from Canberrans saving now (I'm paraphrasing)

Another round of testing at Ainslie Village today

A round of surveillance testing at Condamine Court yesterday found no further cases, Dep CHO Johnston says.

Q Outdoor setting risk
Dep CHO: Certainly there's concerns about large numbers of people gathering. We know over 18 months that outdoor congregation represents much lower risk. Mass outdoor gatherings (festivals, stadiums) are higher risk, ACT won't be reintroducing those quickly

>> Adds that the 5 person, outdoor, wearing masks new restriction from 5pm Thurs is lower risk, and balances mental health considerations etc

Q Is it worrying if cases can't be linked straight away?
Dep CHO: It's not particularly worrying because it can take days to investigate. Sometimes it goes to genomic sequencing, which can take time. Sometimes it's people remembering, reviewing where they were.

Dep CHO: What's worrying is when some weeks down the track, we've tried really hard and we just can't link cases.

There was a power outage which caused "broader issues right across the ACT Gov IT system" that affected the website for vaccination booking for 16-29s this morning, Health Minister says. Not just high demand.

16.5k made bookings by 11am, minister says. You can request call-back.

Q Capacity of Health Services
RSS: "We have the capacity to scale up in response to the need that is there in the community." Current standard ICU capacity across public hospitals is 28 beds. Flex (51 beds) and surge (110 beds) capacity starts to pull in private hospital capacity

But the idea is not to get to that point, Stephen-Smith says, using public health measures (lockdown, test, trace, isolate etc)

Q Offering bed capacity to NSW?
RSS: We are the regional hub for southern NSW, standard that we'd provide hospital care to surrounding region. Ongoing work w Southern/Murrumbidgee LHDs re those plans. Primary response is to keep hospitalised cases down, vaccination rates up.

CPO says "the national side of the AFP" has lent resources to ACT Policing given they're stretched by compliance measures

ACT Policing CPO: Anti-vax/mask/lockdown protesters "does make me angry". There's a right to protest, but this kind of protest at current time "not appropriate" especially "when they're not from Canberra".

"Don't come to Canberra" is CPO's message to those would-be protesters.

Vax update:
Aged care workers
87.5% 1 dose
54.3% 2 doses
(Almost doubled 1st dose rate in 3 weeks)

NDIS registered support workers
58% 1 dose
39.1% 2 doses

Group home residents w disability
73.8% 1 dose
66% 2 doses
("Good, but we want to see that increase further," RSS says.)

/END THREAD

Back on your radio from 3:30pm, broadcasting from ABC Radio Anna's Place.... as long as the tech works this time!