Australia news LIVE NSW Victoria and ACT COVID-19 cases continue to grow more Pfizer jabs on the way

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In case you missed it, Victorian health authorities identified more than 30 new COVID-19 exposure sites last night.

Among them were multiple tier-1 or close contact sites: the Quality Hotel at Carlton in Melbourne’s inner north, a law firm in the city’s outer east and Empire Screens in Craigieburn (in the northern suburbs).

Anyone who attended those sites during the specified timeframes has to immediately get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they receive a negative test result.

The Austin Hospital in Melbourne’s north east. Credit:Michelle Topple

The remainder of the new exposure sites identified late on Tuesday were tier-2 or casual contact sites.

They included the ambulance corridor at Austin Hospital at Heidelberg in Melbourne’s north east, an office building in Richmond and several supermarkets.

Coles at Brunswick East in the inner north was among the supermarkets. The Department of Health has warned it will contact some people who attended that site and will inform them they are, in fact, close contacts.

A full list of Victorian exposure sites can be found here.

Some of Australia’s largest companies, including the big banks, have issued an open letter to federal, state and territory governments urging them to stick to the national reopening plan.

As you’re probably aware, much has been made of what exactly should happen once national vaccination rates hit 70 and 80 per cent. The Prime Minister says the country needs to emerge from its lockdown “cave”, while some Labor premiers have flagged a more cautious approach (for example, when it comes to borders).

Businesses such as Coles, the Commonwealth Bank, Telstra and Qantas have all added their names to the open letter, which flags a mental health crisis as well as long-term economic impacts.

“As vaccination rates increase, it will become necessary to open up society and live with the virus in the same way that other countries have done,” the letter reads.

“We ask governments to work together to implement the national plan and chart a path out of the current lockdowns.

“Providing a light at the end of the tunnel will encourage more Australians to get vaccinated. We need to give people something to hope for, something to look forward to, something to plan around and to be confident about their futures.”

The state government has abandoned its COVID-zero strategy and is set to announce a modest easing of restrictions despite two COVID-19 deaths being reported on Tuesday â€" the first in Victoria this year.

Conceding the mental health effects of the latest lockdown had been “bloody tough”, Premier Daniel Andrews was in briefings with senior ministers and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Tuesday evening.

They were thrashing out which restrictions to ease later this week and how to plot a path to a fuller reopening once Victoria hits the national vaccination target of 80 per cent.

The development came as Victoria recorded its first COVID-19 deaths since November 30. Two women, one aged 49 from Northcote and the other in her 60s from Hume, died in their homes.

The state recorded 76 new cases on Tuesday and Mr Andrews said he understood Victoria could not continue its lockdown endlessly.

More on Victoria’s plans here.

Almost one in five clinical staff in the state’s public health system has not received a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as the September 30 deadline for every worker to have one shot looms.

Data from NSW Health shows 82 per cent of clinical staff â€" including nurses, doctors, midwives and allied health workers â€" have received the first dose of a vaccine, and 76 per cent are fully vaccinated.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has signed an order directing all health staff to have received one dose of vaccine by the end of September.Credit:Rhett Wyman

Vaccination rates were higher in staff at metropolitan health districts (86 per cent first dose and 81 per cent fully vaccinated) than in regional and rural districts (76 per cent first dose and 68 per cent fully vaccinated). Eighty-four per cent of NSW Ambulance staff had received one shot and 77 per cent were double-dosed.

A spate of infections in unvaccinated and partially vaccinated nurses has plunged hundreds of hospital staff into isolation in recent weeks, putting pressure on western Sydney’s health system.

Read the full story here.

American President Joe Biden has given his first public remarks about Afghanistan since the US military withdrew from the country earlier this week.

Monday’s withdrawal marked the end of America’s longest war.

In a speech earlier this morning (AEST), Biden said the US succeeded in what it set out to do in Afghanistan 20 years ago.

The President has been criticised for his handling of the evacuation.

The US has helped airlift more than 120,000 people from Kabul’s international airport in recent weeks, but more than 100 Americans were left behind due to the deteriorating situation.

Read more about the President’s remarks here.

Good morning and thanks for your company.

It’s Wednesday, September 1. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first day of spring.

Here’s everything you need to know before we get started.

The Victorian state government is set to announce the easing of some coronavirus restrictions later today. However, Premier Dan Andrews says any changes will be “modest”. Meanwhile, Melbourne has officially lost the AFL grand final to Perth. There were 76 new COVID-19 infections announced yesterday and two women have died (although we don’t know yet whether they were vaccinated or had underlying health conditions).

NSW reported 1164 new, locally acquired coronavirus cases yesterday. There are 871 coronavirus patients in NSW hospitals and 58 people are on ventilators. Data from NSW Health shows almost one in five clinical staff in the state’s public health system have not received a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Every worker must have their first shot by the end of this month.

The ACT recorded 12 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. The territory’s lockdown has been extended until at least Friday, September 17. Chief Minister Andrew Barr says the extension is necessary to keep driving down case numbers.

An extra 500,000 Pfizer vaccinations are on their way to Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a deal with Singapore yesterday. Ministers are calling the deal half a million “doses of hope”. We’ll have to return the favour later in the year, though.

In international news, NZ recorded 49 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday (the country’s lowest daily tally in six days). Auckland’s lockdown has been extended.

And US President Joe Biden labelled the Afghanistan evacuation a success in his first public remarks since the last troops were withdrawn from the country.

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