“I am especially concerned about families in western and south-western Sydney who have very strict lockdown restrictions imposed on them at the moment. If there is some relief we can offer at any stage,including when we get to 70 per cent first doses,we will consider those,” she said.
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Dr Jeremy McAnulty from NSW Health said he understood there had been an increase in presentations for people with self-harm. “That is a trend that has happened over a long period and experts are still trying to untangle how much is COVID-19 related or due to other causes,” he said.
“It is very concerning and we all need to support those people who are presenting[and help] them manage their anxiety. COVID-19 is an extremely stressful time.”
Dr McAnulty also provided details about the deaths of six people:
- A man in his 80s from south-western Sydney died at Nepean Hospital;the fifth death linked to that outbreak. He was not vaccinated.
- A man in his 80s from Sydney’s inner west died at Concord Hospital;he is the fifth death linked to the Wyoming aged care facility. He was not vaccinated and had underlying illness.
- Two men in their 70s from south-west Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital.
- A man in his 70s and woman in her 80s died at Westmead Hospital.
The deaths and high case numbers follow the state recording 1035 new COVID-19 cases and two deathson Saturday.
Earlier on Sunday,federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said 18.9 million vaccination doses had been administered across Australia in total,and that 57.5 per cent of the population had received their first dose.
“To put it another way,to get to the 70 percent from where we are,it’s less than 2.7 million additional Australians stepping forward,” Mr Hunt said.
“To get to the 80 per cent on first doses,it’s less than 4.7 million Australians,and we’re already over the 80 per cent mark for everybody over 60. Within the week,we will be over the 80 per cent mark for everybody over 50. That shows it can be done. We are on the pathway,we are getting there.”
He also said the death rate from COVID-19 in NSW during this outbreak had been 10 per cent of that in Victoria in 2020,showing that vaccinations are critical to saving lives.
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“Just over 800 lives lost,agonisingly,last year[in Victoria]. Just over 80 lives lost,at this[similar] point in NSW. And there will be more,but the difference between those two is the vaccination rates,that’s what has saved lives,” Mr Hunt said.
He said COVID-zero was not an option,and that no country could avoid the virus forever. “There is no scenario under which any credible epidemiologist or advisor that I have seen says that any country can avoid this forever. And so,therefore,vaccination will save lives.”
Victoria recorded 92 new cases from 51,030 testson Sunday;the state’s highest total since September 3 last year,when Victoria recorded 112 new cases in one day.
Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed Victoria will not be exiting lockdown in the coming week.
Mr Andrews said there had been too many cases which had spent a long time in the community while infectious.
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“Essentially,we see far too many cases today for us to be able to seriously consider opening up later on this week,” he said.
“Obviously with almost 100 cases today,where many of them remain mysteries,many of them were out in the community during their infectious period,it’s just not going to be possible for us to be able to open up our Victorian community in just a couple of days.”