New South Wales reported another record number Covid cases, as the state ambulance service warned that it was overwhelmed by calls.
The state's 1,035 new cases were the highest daily total of coronavirus-related deaths in Australia since the pandemic. Two deaths were reported: a Nepean Blue Mountains woman in her 70s and Westmead woman in her 80s.
Four of the cases were found in far west NSW. They were all located in Wilcannia. This brings the total number of cases in the outbreak to 58.
There were 42 new cases reported in western NSW's health district. These included 34 in Dubbo and four in Bourke. One each in Mudgee, Bathurst, and Mudgee.
Gladys Berejiklians government announced that it would allow couples to marry in the presence five guests, with a slight relaxation of restrictions starting Friday, 3 September.
Brad Hazzard (the health minister) said that it was a balanced decision to allow couples to wed with minimal attendance.
He said that five additional guests will be allowed, in addition to the ones who are required for the actual service.
While we will be discussing that over the course of the week, I want everyone to know that you can get married as soon as Friday of this week.
He said that services such as hair or make-up are not allowed and should be performed by someone in the household.
Dominic Morgan, the head of the NSW Ambulance Service, stated that ambulance services were overwhelmed by calls about Covid-19. This included unnecessary requests such as transport for vaccination appointments.
He stated that triple-0 operators had received calls asking for food delivery to houses.
Morgan stated that the service received its second status-three alert Friday night. This means it is unable to keep up with demand.
He said that if we get calls that don't require an ambulance right away, it can lead to serious consequences. This week, I was informed that we took 25 minutes to respond to a cardiac arrest in an 18-year old boy. This is a terrible situation. This must be avoided whenever possible.
Susan Pearce (NSW Health deputy secretary) was responsible for the state's vaccine rollout. Parents who had made appointments to have their 12- to 15-year old children get the Pfizer vaccination on Friday night were unable to make their appointments.
Hazzard claimed that a bug in the computer booking system meant that some 12--15-year-olds were able to book earlier than they had intended. These appointments were previously confirmed by Berejiklian.
Pearce apologized for any inconvenience caused. We understand that parents want their children to be vaccinated as soon possible.
All eligible bookings will be honored. For others with children aged 12-15 years old who are generally eligible, we'll be coming out in weeks ahead to let you know when we can open these bookings.
Hazzard stated that health authorities were closely monitoring rising numbers in Camden LGA as well as the Penrith LGA areas not currently under the tighter lockdown orders.
In the 24 hour period, NSW administered 156,135 vaccines, which was a record for the state's vaccination hubs.
There were 26 new cases in the ACT. 15 had been in quarantine throughout their infectious period, and seven were in the community.
Twenty-six of the cases are linked, and six more are being investigated.
Andrew Barr, the chief minister of ACT, stated that his government hadn't made a decision on whether or not the lockdown in the territory would be lifted as planned on Thursday.
He said that this is a question that everyone wants to know the answer to. I don't have an answer right now. We must learn more about these six cases. We must find out what tomorrow's figures will look like, and what Monday's figures will look like.
We don't focus on the case number, but the infectious disease in the community.
We are now seeing household infection and close workplace infections as the main sources of new cases and numbers. This is why Covid-safe plans need to be made for restarting industries, and for ensuring that workplaces remain safe.
Barr stated that the ACT does not want to be in the exact same situation as Sydney, where workplace transmission has been a driving force of continued growth in cases.
He says that he understands that this is a difficult message to hear for businesses right now. We don't feel the need to put in these measures.
