A member of the Australian Defence Force assists people arriving at the Qudos Bank Arena NSW Health Vaccination Centre on August 16, 2021 in Sydney. Photo / Getty Images
A member of the Australian Defence Force assists people arriving at the Qudos Bank Arena NSW Health Vaccination Centre on August 16, 2021 in Sydney. Photo / Getty Images
NSW has recorded 1533 new community Covid-19 cases and four more Covid-related deaths.
A man in his 60s from western Sydney died at home; a woman in her 80s from south-west Sydney died at Fairfield Hospital; a man in his 50s from western Sydney died at Westmead Hospital; and a man in his 70s from south-west Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital. None were fully vaccinated.
There are currently 1041 Covid patients in NSW hospitals - 173 of them in intensive care, 62 of whom require ventilation.
There have been 123 Covid-related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021, and 179 since the start of the pandemic.
NSW recorded 1,533 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/dIpI8UflmP
Almost 40 per cent of people in NSW are now fully vaccinated, state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
"New South Wales residents are still getting out there and getting vaccinated at a great rate of speed. There were almost 130,000 vaccines yesterday.
"Seventy-two per cent of people aged over 16 have received one dose in New South Wales. Just shy of 40 per cent are fully vaccinated."
Hazzard went on to thank the NSW community for coming out for their jabs, announcing a "super vaccination blitz" for police, fire and emergency services personnel who live in the 12 Sydney "hotspots".
Earlier today, it was reported that Sydney's healthcare system would be forced to undergo a facelift to cope with the Delta outbreak.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the NSW Government has a plan to inject a surge of workers into hospitals, drawing from universities and adjacent emergency services.
Firefighters and paramedic graduates are reportedly on standby to meet the response.
It comes as the state recorded 1431 cases on Friday and 12 deaths, and Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the worst was yet to come.
Victoria
Victoria has recorded 190 new cases of Covid-19 today.
Of that number, 103 are linked to known cases while 87 remain under investigation.
It follows the state recording 208 cases on Friday as numbers continue to climb despite a harsh sixth lockdown.
Premier Daniel Andrews warned earlier this week that Victorians "will not see these case numbers go down".
Reported yesterday: 190 new local cases and 0 new cases acquired overseas. - 35,464 vaccine doses were administered - 49,548 test results were received
He revealed on Friday that those vaccinated would be first in line for additional freedoms, with restrictions likely to ease for people with the jab once 70 to 80 per cent vaccination rates have been met.
"I'm not going to lock the whole state down to protect people who won't protect themselves," he said.
Victorians with the jab will be able to "participate in an economy, go to the pub, the cinema, to a sporting event.
"Things that an unvaccinated person will not be able to do."
Thirty-six per cent of Victorians are fully vaccinated, with 59 per cent having had the first dose.
Queensland
Queenslanders have been warned a lockdown is a possibility after a popular marketplace was listed as a close contact site from an existing Covid-19 case.
One new locally acquired case was officially recorded today – a four-year-old girl whose infection was announced on Friday.
She is linked to a truck driver who tested positive on Thursday.
1 case was locally acquired, which was announced yesterday afternoon (3 September). 1 case was overseas acquired and detected in hotel quarantine. pic.twitter.com/3whyVcU0PE
"It depends if we find cases who went to the Beenleigh Marketplace and have since then been out infectious in the community in an uncontrolled situation, then that would lead me to think we need to consider a lockdown," Dr Young said.
"Six hundred people checked into the Beenleigh Marketplace … I'm concerned that not everyone checked into that shopping centre.
"We know it can be fleeting transmission that leads to transmission of the Delta variant."
