Australia Covid information dwell replace: hundreds of thousands extra Australians eligible for boosters; Morrison warned about speedy take a look at scarcity months in the past

Brett Holmes is the Common Secretary at NSW Nurses and Midwives Affiliation.

He’s in The Sydney Morning Herald this morning speaking in regards to the state of affairs in NSW hospitals.

Listed below are a number of strains from it:

“Over the weekend, an ICU nurse at an outer-metropolitan hospital declared, “We’re falling like flies.” Within the state’s north, an ICU nurse stated, “We’ve had two years to organize for this and it’s nonetheless shit in all places”; one other mirrored, “There’s nothing left within the tank.”

“Staffing has grow to be so dangerous that many ICUs are working with out crew leaders or the nurses they want along with bedside nurses to maintain the items working seamlessly.”

He says nurses have been instructed to not take away their masks or glasses once they’re collectively – even when socially distanced.

“If pulled from residence isolation, they’ll solely journey to and from work, with strictly no stops. They aren’t supplied with speedy antigen kits for residence use, having to do these exams at work below supervision.

“Some have been ready three days or extra for his or her PCR take a look at outcomes, even for testing that has been fast-tracked for well being employees.”

Amy Remeikis is Guardian Australia’s political reporter.

She is on RN proper now and that is what she needed to say in regards to the election:

“We glance again on the election cycle at this level final time, and most of the people had made up their thoughts about Invoice Shorten.

“Many had determined who he was and whether or not or not they favored him and he was an unpopular chief. This time round with Anthony Albanese, some individuals like him, some individuals don’t however there’s nonetheless a giant chunk of voters who’re undecided and Labor sees that as lots simpler to beat.”

She was additionally requested which seats the election will likely be fought and gained in:

“New South Wales and Western Sydney specifically. I feel that’s going to be an important jurisdiction of the election, and you’ll see that from how a lot time each leaders are already spending there.”

Australian Medical Labs has shut 28 PCR testing clinics round Sydney “till additional discover” due to the backlog in exams.

The closures imply the corporate is now solely working its Bella Vista clinic for paid worldwide journey exams, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The 28 websites embrace each drive-through and walk-in clinics.

The corporate stated:

These closures have been crucial because of the important enhance in testing volumes throughout the State.

Labor MP Linda Burney has been on the ABC this morning calling for the federal authorities to make RATs free:

If individuals want the take a look at and they’re required to have it, then they need to be capable of have it at an reasonably priced worth and they need to be capable of have entry to it. I’ve by no means seen such a bungled coverage stuff-up in my life.

AMA vice-president Chris Moy was on RN Breakfast this morning. He stated the AMA had instructed the federal authorities in regards to the scarcity months in the past:

Good morning. That is Cait Kelly and I will likely be taking you thru as we speak’s information.

Listed below are the large tales up to now:

Hundreds of thousands extra Aussies are actually eligible for his or her booster shot with the time-frame between second and third doses lowering to 4 months from as we speak.

About 7.5 million Australians are actually eligible, up from round 4.1 million on the finish of 2021.

Boosters will likely be introduced ahead to 4 months after the second dose, down from 5 months. From 31 January, individuals can get boosters after three months.

NSW is probably going quickly to set a brand new report for Covid-19 hospitalisations because it nears the determine reached on the top of the Delta outbreak in September.

There have been 1,204 individuals within the state’s hospitals with Covid on Monday, 62 shy of the report set on 21 September when NSW was within the grip of the Delta wave.

And Victorians are being warned to anticipate surging circumstances numbers and hospitalisations. Victoria’s Covid-19 response commander, Jeroen Weimar, has warned that the variety of individuals hospitalised with the virus, now at 491, is anticipated to extend “fairly quickly” in coming days.

The combat about free speedy exams additionally continues, with the exams being tough to purchase regardless of forming the spine of Australia’s new testing regime.

Scott Morrison has up to now resisted calls to make the exams free, regardless of some states transferring to take action.

“We’re now at a stage of the pandemic the place you may’t simply make every part free,” the prime minister stated, whereas the AMA has revealed it warned the federal authorities a few scarcity of RATs final September.

With that – let’s get into it.