Health News at Your Fingertips

The Northern Territory has recorded 968 new Covid-19 cases today and no deaths.

An additional 173 cases have been added to Friday’s tally – bringing the total number of cases announced today to 1,141.

Hospitalisations, too, have risen. There are 151 people being treated in hospital with the virus, including four people requiring intensive care.

It comes with the mask mandate in the territory to lift from 6pm.

A statement from the NT government says territorians have shown “high levels” of personal responsibility and compliance with mask-wearing. It is still recommended people over 12 wear a mask outdoors when physical distancing isn’t possible.

The indoor mask mandate remains in place.

Andrew McDonald will be appointed interim head coach of the Australian men’s cricket team following the resignation of Justin Langer.

A young man has fallen to his death from a cliff on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, AAP reports.

The 22-year-old plummeted into the water near Ocean Boulevard at Jan Juc just after 2am this morning.

His body was found by SES and search and rescue crews about 7.30am. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

WA premier Mark McGowan has just delivered a press conference giving updates on food supplies, bushfires and Covid.

McGowan urged residents not to panic-buy, while he stood in a freight yard in Perth where a train was arriving with supplies to ease a shortage caused by road closures due to flooding.

He said there were unconfirmed reports of property damage from an out-of-control bushfire near Denmark in the state’s south-east, where 60 firefighters were on the ground.

McGowan reported the state had seen 26 new Covid cases, adding residents could now apply for a $320 payment if they had to isolate while waiting for a PCR test result.

Back to the news of the resignation of Australian men’s cricket coach Justin Langer. Former Australian cricket captain and batting legend Ricky Ponting isn’t impressed.

Ponting has been speaking to the ABC this morning, where the batting legend and now pundit described Cricket Australia’s handling of the situation as “embarassing”.

Ponting, who described Langer as “like a brother”, said the decision appeared to have been taken at a “very strange time” in the wake of a 4-0 Ashes win over England.

“I think it’s a really sad day as far as Australian cricket is concerned.”

“It’s been a really poor six months with the way Cricket Australia have handled some of the better people in Australian cricket.”

“Those being Justin Langer and Tim Paine. I think it’s been almost embarrassing the way they handled those two cases.”

Ponting said he thought it had been a small number of players and backroom staff that had expressed dissatisfaction with Langer’s coaching style.

When asked if he thought new captain Pat Cummins should have backed Langer earlier this week, he said Cummins had been put in a difficult position.

With that, I will pass you deftly, and briefly, into the hands of Graham Readfearn.

ACT Police estimates the anti-vaccination crowd gathered in the territory is in excess of 2,000.

A reminder, the ACT’s double-vaccination rate is 98.6% among over 12-year-olds.

You do the maths! (I can’t).