Victoria records zero new local cases, musicians leave state after lockdown - The Age

No new local coronavirus cases were reported in Victoria on Sunday morning, as an infectious diseases expert says Australia’s ability to fight off another large outbreak would rely on the strength of the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout.

The state’s last “doughnut day” - where no new cases are discovered over a 24 hour period - was on Thursday.

There were more than 19,500 test results returned across Saturday, with 12,424 vaccine doses administered. Two new cases were reported in returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

The numbers come as music industry experts warn Victoria is being drained of talent, with musicians quitting the pursuit or leaving the state all together.

Burnet Institute director Brendan Crabb said there was an outbreak in Australia in the next six to nine months the rate of death and serious illness could be greatly influenced by the success or otherwise of the AstraZeneca rollout.

“The community has an inkling of this which is why they rushed to get vaccinated during the recent Victorian scare,” he said.

“But there’s no doubt (AstraZeneca’s) reputation is tarnished, perhaps even to the point of no return in Australia. I certainly hope that’s not the case because there’s a lot at stake here.”

As of Saturday, 27 per cent of Victorians aged in their 40s had received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 45 per cent of those in their 50s having at least their first jab, and 56 per cent for those over 70.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters yesterday that the advice was clear: “if you’ve received your first dose of AstraZeneca without any serious adverse reactions you really must get your second dose at 12 weeks”.

With Rachael Dexter, Aisha Dow and Melissa Cunningham

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Victoria records zero new local cases, musicians leave state after lockdown - The Age
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