Health News at Your Fingertips

Labor’s Brian Mitchell will retain the seat of Lyons, bringing the party ever closer to a majority government.

Pathologists are sounding the alarm over the low uptake of coronavirus vaccine boosters as the national immunisation group suggests a fourth dose for some Australians, AAP reports.

The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia says third doses are particularly low in Queensland and NSW even as Covid-19 cases rise.

RCPA fellow professor William Rawlinson said it was particularly vital to remain up to date with boosters with winter approaching.

The RCPA recently highlighted that it is very likely that we will experience far more influenza cases in Australia this winter. This, combined with the current, rising trend of Covid-19 cases is likely to put an extraordinary strain on the healthcare system.

Western Australia has the highest uptake of third doses at about 80%, while Queensland is the lowest at 58%. Nationally, about two-thirds of eligible Australians have received a booster.

On Wednesday, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation expanded eligibility for a second booster to people with health conditions or a disability.

Previously, the fourth dose has only been available to people 65 and over, those in aged or disability care, the severely immunocompromised or Indigenous people aged over 50.

A timely reminder the pandemic is far from over.

Tamsin Rose

Queensland to roll out simultaneous flu and Covid testing

Sick people will soon be tested for Covid and the flu simultaneously at state-run fever clinics and hospitals across Queensland as authorities scramble to get a hold on rising cases.

Simultaneous testing for Covid, influenza and other respiratory illnesses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is also now in place in hospitals across New South Wales.

Queensland Health confirmed its plan to roll out simultaneous testing to the Guardian on Wednesday, two days after it announced flu vaccines would be free for the next month in a move NSW and Victoria flagged they would follow.

Read more here, and get your flu vaccine:

Queensland to introduce further gambling reforms

Queensland will tighten controls around the gaming industry in response to recent inquiries into casinos in other states.

The state attorney general and minister for justice, Shannon Fentiman, said the proposed reforms to the Casino Control and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 would improve compliance requirements, increase penalties and seek to minimise gambling harm.

These reforms seek to address concerns which have emerged from the public inquiries into casinos operated by Crown Resorts in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, as well as investigations underway into the Star Entertainment Group.

As a result of the changes, there will be significant pecuniary penalties as a disciplinary action of up to $50m.

These reforms are considered to be examples of best-practice casino regulation and will be in place before the opening of the new casino at Queen’s Wharf to be operated by The Star.

Further changes may be considered at conclusion of current investigations into the Star Entertainment Group.

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 71 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 911
• In hospital: 85 (with 1 people in ICU)

NSW

• Deaths: 30
• Cases: 10,926
• In hospital: 1,204 (with 38 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 330
• In hospital: 12 (with no people in ICU)

Queensland

• Deaths: 19
• Cases: 5,246
• In hospital: 445 (with 12 people in ICU)

South Australia

• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 3,837
• In hospital: 238 (with 9 people in ICU)

Tasmania

• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 946
• In hospital: 50 (with 1 person in ICU)

Victoria

• Deaths: 19
• Cases: 12,421
• In hospital: 559 (with 34 people in ICU)

Western Australia

• Deaths: 2
• Cases: 11,832
• In hospital: 312 (with 6 people in ICU)

Queensland Health has provided today’s daily Covid update.

There have been 5,246 new Covid cases detected.

There have been 19 further deaths.

There are 445 people being treated in hospital with the virus including 12 in ICU.

NSW Paramedics union to take industrial action next week

The New South Wales paramedics union has announced it will take renewed industrial action next week to demand an expanded workforce and a real pay rise.

Widespread staff shortages in the sector have been placing strain on the state’s health system, worsened by Covid waves, with influenza on the horizon.

The union says there are no transport ambulances available in a large swathe of the state, and just eight in the entirety of Sydney.

Westpac group raises rates on fixed-rate loans

Interest rates are on the rise again with Westpac, the No 2 lender by size, today raising the rates on its fixed-rate loans for owner-occupiers and investors by as much as 0.8 percentage points.

The bank’s subsidiaries St George, Bank of Melbourne and Bank SA followed suit, as you’d expect, with the result that none of the fixed rates have a “2” at the start.

Westpac’s one-year fixed loans are at 3.59%, up by 80 basis points, while five-year ones are at 4.89% or 0.3 percentage points higher, RateCity.com.au said.

As a result of today’s changes, Westpac no longer offers a fixed rate starting with a “2”. Here’s how they stack up, versus the other big rivals.

Sally Tindall, the data group’s research director, predicts more rises are coming:

Westpac’s hikes are a sign of things to come. Over the next few months we could see a number of the big banks’ longer-term fixed rates climb above the 5% mark, even on their most competitive loans.

Interestingly, ABS lending data shows fixed rates have continued to lose popularity. Just 22% of all new loans in March were fixed, down from the peak in July 2021 when 46% of new lending were fixed, RateCity says.

The cost of borrowing – and as we saw earlier, power prices – are on the rise. Here’s how investors are tipping the Reserve Bank’s cash rate to move. Could we really be two percentage points higher by the end of year?

South Australia Health has released todays Covid update.

There have been 3,837 new Covid cases detected.

There has been one further death.

There are 238 people being treated in hospital with the virus including nine people in ICU.

Greens call for national compensation scheme for survivors of the stolen generation

The Greens have renewed calls for a national compensation scheme to be rolled out for survivors of the stolen generation on the 25th anniversary of the Bringing them Home report.

The scheme would provide a one-off $200,000 payment, plus an additional $7,000 for funeral expenses.

The Greens spokesperson for justice and First Nations and Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung senator, Lidia Thorpe, said no government had ever brought peace to stolen generation survivors.

They stole our children to break our people. Our pain continues and we can see that today. My mum was a co-commissioner on the Inquiry in the 90s. Just this week, she was giving testimony at the coronial inquest of a Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman who died in police custody. We need to break the cycle and stop the trauma.

Sorry means you don’t do it again. Today, there’s more First Nations kids in out of home care now than when Kevin Rudd apologised to the stolen generations. We call on the Albanese government to compensate survivors and stop a new stolen generation.

WA Health has released todays Covid update. There have been 11,832 new cases detected to 8pm last night.

Two further deaths have been recorded dating back to 20 May and reported to WA Health yesterday, including a man in his 70s and a man in his 80s.

There are 312 people being treated in hospital with the virus including six people in ICU.

Caitlin Cassidy

Many thanks to the marvellous Mostafa Rachwani for keeping us informed and entertained. I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon.

Mostafa Rachwani

And with that, I will leave the blog with the always brilliant Caitlin Cassidy. Thanks for reading.

And the Australian Capital Territory has reported 911 new cases overnight.

Daniel Andrews: Victorian schools to remain open despite staff shortages

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has maintained that schools will remain open for the time being, amid calls for a return to remote learning.

The Independent Education Union had earlier called on Victorian schools to close due to staff shortages caused by influenza and Covid-19. It also comes amid a spike in Covid deaths and cases.

But Andrews maintained that the colder weather and increased risk of getting sick would not change the government’s position:

School was open on day one of term one, it has remained open all throughout the year and we’re going to keep it open, and we’re going to keep it as close to normal as we possibly can.

The Victorian education minister, James Merlino, was also at the press conference, and acknowledged the challenges facing schools during the winter months.

We said at the beginning of the year when we committed to getting students back … that schools will look a bit differently this year, and there will be challenges, and there have been.

We’ve got Covid, and we’ve got a nasty flu season, so people are getting crook. But we’ve got principals and assistant principals teaching, we’ve got a pool of retired teachers and principals coming back to school to teach … so it’s all hands on deck.

It’s about making sure that our kids stay at school, our schools remain open, and it’s best for our students that they get that peer-to-peer experience.

Frank Bainimarama, the prime minister of Fiji, has laid out his schedule for the next couple of days: