21 C
Byron Shire
March 19, 2024

The PM’s report from the National Cabinet meeting yesterday

Latest News

Man killed in car crash near Coffs Harbour

A 76-year-old man died when the car he was driving crashed about 35 kms northwest of Coffs Harbour last Friday afternoon, police said.

Other News

Wallum Q&A with Clarence Property CEO 

Will digging frog ponds and installing nest boxes really make a difference to the damage that large-scale development will have on the rare and endangered Wallum heathland in Bruns? 

Time for change

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Byron Shire Council (BSC) have agreed to close Tyagarah clothing-optional area on...

17 short films on ‘making’ to hit the screen in Murwillumbah 

Join in the upcoming short film festival at the Regent Cinema in Murwillumbah is looking at uncovering the traditions, skills and consequences of ‘making’.

Lismore South Public School rebuild to withstand future floods

Following consultation with the local community and other stakeholders the Lismore South Public School and the Ngulliboo Jarjums Preschool will be rebuilt.

Floodplains, drainage

I understand the owners of floodplain land wanting to fill and develop for money, and who work secretly with...

More calls for federal intervention in Wallum estate plans

Another ecologist has added their name to the community campaign against development on environmentally sensitive land in Brunswick Heads.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, with no mention of the Hillsong youth camp in Newcastle which was busted singing en masse – even though the current health advice is that there is to be no singing in large groups – has released a media statement about the meeting yesterday of the National Cabinet.

National Cabinet gathered to discuss the government’s response to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, approaches to testing, trace isolate and quarantine including the use of rapid antigen tests (RATs) and the vaccine rollout and booster programme.

The PM says that the Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly provided an update on the spread of the Omicron variant. Omicron case numbers continue to increase in Australia and globally. Omicron continues to show greater infectivity than the Delta variant, but with much less severity in terms of hospitalisations, ICU and ventilated patients.

Mr Morrison said that since the beginning of the pandemic there have been 1,195,158 confirmed cases in Australia. ‘Sadly, 2,522 people have died.

Australia’s fatality rate second lowest in OECD

‘Australia’s fatality rate continues to be the second-lowest in the OECD. Globally there have been over 315.4 million cases and sadly over 5.5 million deaths, with 2,265,922 new cases and 6,606 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The Omicron variant continues to surge in many countries around the world. The latest advice is the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, but significantly less severe than the Delta variant.’

Mr Morrison said said the National Cabinet reaffirmed the National Plan to Transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response and continue work to suppress the virus under Phase C of the National Plan – seeking to minimise serious illness, hospitalisation and fatalities as a result of COVID-19 with baseline restrictions.’

Lieutenant General John Frewen, DSC, AM, Coordinator General of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce (Operation COVID Shield) provided a detailed briefing on the major expansion in Australia’s vaccination rollout. 

45 million vaccine doses administered in Australia

To date over 45 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Australia, including 346,349 in the previous 24 hours. This was the third-highest daily vaccination total on record with record numbers of 254,112, boosters and 55,570 5 to 11-year-old vaccinations.

Almost 95 per cent of the Australian population aged 16 years and over have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including over 99 per cent of over 50-year-olds and more than 99 per cent of over 70-year-olds.

More than 92.3 per cent of Australians aged 16 years and over are now fully vaccinated including more than 97.3 per cent of over 50-year-olds and more than 99 per cent of Australians over 70 years of age.

Over 4.3 million booster doses have been administered. Australia has sufficient supplies of boosters, with 24 million mRNA booster doses in stock in Australia. Yesterday over 242,000 boosters were administered across Australia. Over 48 per cent of those eligible for boosters have had a booster and almost 42 per cent of Australians aged 70 years of age and over have had a booster in the last 9 weeks since the booster program commenced.

Vaccinations for 5 to 11 year olds commenced on Monday 10 January. In only  three days over 140,000 vaccinations have been administered to 5-11 years olds accounting for 6.2% of all 5-11 year olds.

Rapid Antigen Testing

National Cabinet noted that testing for people suspected to have COVID-19 or close contacts will continue to be provided for free through joint funding arrangements between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, utilising either PCR or Rapid Antigen Testing technologies.

National Cabinet noted that jurisdictions had placed significant orders for supplies of Rapid Antigen Tests with increasing numbers of tests available over coming weeks through state and territory clinics and the private sector. PCR tests continue to be available in all state and territory clinics with significant reductions in testing times across all jurisdictions.

National Cabinet agreed that priority access to the public provision of Rapid Antigen Testing is for health and aged care settings as well as people who are symptomatic, close contacts as well as vulnerable populations, such as remote Indigenous communities. The guidance for close contacts was updated on 30 December 2021, with close contacts defined as household contacts of confirmed cases.

National Cabinet agreed to the final arrangements for the Rapid Antigen Testing Concessional Access Program, funded jointly by the Commonwealth and states and territories.

Concession card holders to receive ten free tests

Through the program, eligible Commonwealth concession card holders will be permitted to receive a maximum of ten free tests in a three month period with a maximum of five tests in any one month through participating community pharmacies. Eligibility will include people with a Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold, White or Orange Card, Health Care Card, Low Income Health Card.

Community pharmacies will be reimbursed a set amount for the unit cost of the Rapid Antigen Tests (which will be $10 plus GST per test initially, with ongoing review of unit prices). For each supply transaction processed for an eligible person under this program (minimum of 2 tests and maximum of 5 tests per transaction), an Administration Handling and Infrastructure (AHI) fee of $4.30 per transaction will be reimbursed to the pharmacy, consistent with current AHI arrangements under the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement. Community Pharmacies will be responsible for sourcing supply for the program as they do for non-subsided rapid antigen tests.

Further implementation arrangements for the program will be published over the coming days following ongoing dialogue with the pharmacy profession.

The program to provide free Rapid Antigen Tests for concession card holders will become available through community pharmacies from 24 January 2022, noting that individual pharmacies will commence participation in the program as supply continues to become available in late January and early February 2022.

National Cabinet thanked community pharmacies and their representatives for their constructive efforts to date to implement this important program.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms and close contacts should attend a state clinic for free testing and not go to a pharmacy to receive a free test.

Essential Workers – Close Contact Furlough Arrangements by Sector and Workforce Impacts

National Cabinet received a detailed briefing from Secretary of the Commonwealth Treasury, Dr Steven Kennedy PSM on the impact of the Omicron variant on workforce availability.

Worker absenteeism due to symptomatic COVID-19 illness, identified asymptomatic infection and the required isolation of close contacts is impacting on critical supply sectors and supply chains across all states and territories.

Secretary Kennedy advised that current arrangements could see 10 per cent of Australia’s workforce including many workers in critical supply sectors withdrawn from the workforce. The potential impact of school closures on workforce absenteeism relating to caring responsibilities could see a further 5 per cent of Australia’s workforce withdrawn from the workforce.

The medical advice is that Omicron continues to show greater infectivity than the Delta variant, but with much less severity in terms of hospitalisations, ICU and ventilated patients. Given this it is important to continue to look at testing and isolation settings.

National Cabinet was briefed by the Director-General of Emergency Management Australia, Joe Buffone on the work of the National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) noting that transport, freight and logistics is a high priority. The Permissions and Restrictions for Essential Worker Interim Guidance will assist in workforce pressures across the supply chain.  The NCM will continue to work with all sectors across the Supply Chain to maintain essential goods and supplies.

National Cabinet agreed to the importance of keeping critical sectors open and agreed to extend the furlough arrangements in place for food and grocery supply chain workers to other sectors.

National Cabinet noted that the changes made to furlough arrangements for food and grocery supply chain workers is starting to improve supply chains.

Each state and territory will implement these changes to close contact arrangements for essential workers under respective state and territory public health orders and equivalent arrangements.

Changes will be made as soon as possible, where they have not already been made under state and territory public health arrangements, to include essential workers in:

  • All transport, freight, logistics and service stations

Changes will be made shortly, where they have not already been made under state and territory public health arrangements, to include: 

  • Health, welfare, care and support (including production and provision of medical, pharmaceutical and health supplies),
  • Emergency services, safety, law enforcement, justice and correctional services,
  • Energy, resources and water, and waste management,
  • Food, beverage, and other critical goods (including farming, production, and provision but not including hospitality),
  • Education and childcare; and
  • Telecommunications, data, broadcasting and media.

A full list of sectors is attached.

National Cabinet agreed to further consider expanding these sectors to priority 2 cohorts, pending further health advice.

National Cabinet further endorsed the AHPPC Permissions and Restrictions for workers in health care and aged care settings to ensure close contact essential workers in these sectors are able to return to safely work and ensure continuity of care and effective operations.

National Cabinet agreed to seek advice from AHPPC on further measures including the role of symptom screening and monitoring in addition to PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests, as the next step towards longer term management of COVID-19 as an infectious disease.

National Framework for Managing COVID-19 in Schools and Early Childhood Education and Care

National Cabinet agreed the National Framework for Managing COVID-19 in Schools and Early Childhood Education and Care. The Framework is based on six National Guiding Principles:

  • ECEC services and schools are essential and should be the first to open and the last to close wherever possible in outbreak situations, with face-to-face learning prioritised*;
  • Baseline public health measures continue to apply;
  • No vulnerable child or child of an essential worker is turned away;
  • Responses to be proportionate and health risk-based;
  • Equip ECEC services and schools to respond on the basis of public health advice and with support from public health authorities where required;
  • Wellbeing of children and education staff to be supported.

All Governments will come back to National Cabinet next week to set out the practical implementation of this Framework so that families can plan with certainty. This will include detailed operational plans, such as mask wearing and surveillance rapid antigen testing, including for teachers.

*The Queensland and South Australian Governments have delayed the start to their school years by two weeks due to the forecast peaks of the virus in those states. These schools will still be open for the children of essential workers during this period.

Further information is available in the attached Framework.

National Cabinet will meet again on Thursday 20 January 2022.


Recent stories, information and updates regarding COVID-19

COVID-19 pandemic has cut life expectancy globally

COVID-19 reversed earlier trends toward longer life expectancies. During the pandemic, life expectancies globally dropped by 1.6 years according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal.

1

COVID-19 update for New South Wales

Let’s not forget that Covid-19 is still a big issue in our community with 31,935 cases reported across Australia in the last week – an average of 4,562 cases per day.

9

Five graphs you need to see before the Global Carbon Budget...

The Global Carbon Budget is about to be refreshed, giving the world a critical insight into how efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are (or are not) progressing.

2

Public transport mask mandate to end

Masks will no longer be mandatory on public transport from tomorrow, Wednesday 21 September.

1

NSW Police: be COVID-vigilant at Splendour in the Grass

SW Police are urging festival-goers at this weekend’s music festival to celebrate in a safe and responsible manner, whilst also being aware of COVID-Safety measures.

2

COVID-19 update for the NNSWLHD – May 23

The Northern NSW Local Health District reports that to 4pm yesterday, Sunday May 22, there were 40 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with one of these in ICU.

0

AEC says COVID voters can phone from home

The AEC says that voters who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 will be able to phone in their vote in the federal election.

3

COVID-19 update: May 16

The Northern NSW Local Health District says that to 4pm yesterday, 15 May, 384 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the District, including 82 positive PCR tests and 302 positive rapid antigen tests.

0

It’s National Volunteer Week

Volunteering Australia says volleys are the backbone of the country in times of crisis and emergency.

1

COVID-19 update: May 9

Today there are 41 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with none of these in ICU.

0


Support The Echo

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week – or maybe more – we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Tweed hospital and playgrounds welcomed

State Labor politicians have officially welcomed two upgraded playgrounds and a new hospital built in the Tweed Shire.

Surf’s up for World Pro Adaptive Titles in Byron

Favourable conditions are expected for the World Pro-Adaptive Surfing Titles 2024, to be held at Byron Bay’s Main Beach from today.

More calls for federal intervention in Wallum estate plans

Another ecologist has added their name to the community campaign against development on environmentally sensitive land in Brunswick Heads.

Body found near Byron in search for missing man

A body believed to be that of a man reported missing last week has been found, police on the weekend said.