Morrison government ‘vulnerable’ on three fronts27/05/2021|9min
Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell says the Morrison government is vulnerable on quarantine, vaccination, and the rate of vaccines in aged care homes in Victoria.
The Morrison government has been partly blamed for the COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne which led to the announcement of a seven-day lockdown.
Federal Labor has pointed the finger at the prime minister for the lockdown, and argued the speed of the vaccine program in aged care facilities was a contributing factor to the decision to lockdown the entire state.
Mr Clennell said there were three areas “the feds are vulnerable on” and pointed to Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton, who said quarantine should not be in hotels in capital cities.
According to a report by
The Age, scientists will use genomic sequencing as a critical tool to track the outbreaks, similar to how they monitor the spread of COVID-19 infections.
The cause behind the sudden surge in infections remains unknown.
But epidemiologist Eric Chow - who has been studying the state s syphilis epidemic - told 9new.com.au more sexual health clinics were needed in the affected areas to help prevent the outbreak from spreading. Sexual health services need to be scaled up in those areas, he said. Public health messaging about how STIs are transmitted, also symptoms, awareness and recognition is important.
MCG capacity boosted in time for Anzac Day match23/04/2021|2min
Crowd capacity at Melbourne’s MCG has been boosted to allow 85,000 spectators to attend the highly anticipated Anzac Day AFL clash.
Victoria Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton signed off on the plan on Thursday afternoon, raising the stadium’s capacity from 75 per cent to 85 per cent.
If the Essendon-Collingwood match goes ahead at 85 per cent capacity, it will break the world record for the largest crowd at a sporting match since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other stadiums have also had their capacity increased, including John Cain Arena and AAMI Park.
Coronavirus vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna could be produced in Australia for the first time as the Victorian Government invests $50 million into the domestic manufacturing of mRNA vaccine technology.
The state government will work closely with the Commonwealth and world-leading experts to develop the first mRNA manufacturing facility in the Southern Hemisphere, which would be based in Melbourne.
In a statement, the government said mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna, were a promising alternative to traditional vaccines because of their high efficacy, capacity for rapid development, low-cost manufacture and safe administration.
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Coronavirus vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna could be produced in Australia for the first time.(AP)
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