Good evening and thanks for following our Australian news live coverage today. I’m Natassia Chrysanthos signing off until tomorrow.
To recap on an eventful day, particularly in terms of COVID-19 developments:
Four new cases have been identified in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. They are all from the same family, but split across three households in the City of Whittlesea. There are no new restrictions for Victoria as of yet, but the public has been warned to expect an expanding list of expsure sites and potential cases tomorrow.
The outbreak will put pressure on Australians to continue getting vaccinated. Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has written to Australian doctors to reassure them of the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, amid vaccine hesitancy among some Australians over 50. “It’s about protecting your own health, not sitting there waiting for an outbreak... The more we can get vaccinated now, the better situation we’ll be in,” he said this afternoon.
South Australia will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to people over the age of 16 in regional areas from tomorrow, but there are no widespread plans to vaccinate younger populations.
And in breaking news this evening, Senior NSW Labor figures say a deal has been struck which will see the party’s general secretary Bob Nanva ask Opposition Leader Jodi McKay to stand down. Pressure on Ms McKay’s leadership has intensified after the party’s disastrous byelection loss in Upper Hunter on Saturday.
We’ll be back again tomorrow morning, with my colleague Broede Carmody on deck from 6.30am. Have a lovely evening.
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