Western Australia has reported 26 new local cases of COVID-19, with one other case still under investigation.
Key points:
The number are down from Friday's, but are widely expected to rise
The government is looking at further COVID restrictions
The AMA is urging it to look to South Australia's example as guidance
The source of six of those cases is not yet clear.
There were an additional 22 cases from returned travellers.
The number of local cases is down from the 51 reported on Friday, which was the biggest number of cases in WA in the pandemic so far.
But the number of people tested on Friday was very low.
Earlier in the week testing numbers were close to 15,000, but that fell to about 1,600 on Friday.
Case numbers expected to rise
Police Minister Paul Papalia said despite Saturday's fall in numbers, the government was expecting case totals to keep increasing.
"Omicron is here and it is only going to grow in numbers, there will be more cases and increasingly higher numbers," he said.
Police Minister Paul Papalia says case numbers will increase significantly.(ABC News: James Carmody)
Mr Papalia claimed case numbers would already be much higher had the border opened, as previously planned, a week ago.
"Had we not had our borders closed we would be at thousands of cases a day right now — possibly tens of thousands," Mr Papalia said.
"That is what happened in Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane when they opened.
"We are protecting vulnerable people and giving them an opportunity to get a booster."
The overall growth in case numbers in recent days has prompted the Australian Medical Association to again call for additional restrictions to be imposed to slow the spread of the virus.
Premier Mark McGowan said on Friday that extra restrictions, on top of the existing mask mandate, would be considered over the coming days.
On Saturday, Mr Papalia on flagged the possibility on density limits at venues.
"As case numbers increase dramatically, you take measures to lessen that impact on the health system and other services," he said.
The government is looking at extending the current COVID restrictions in WA.(ABC News: Keane Bourke)
"We will do other things, potentially things like capacity limits, as they're needed.
"There is no nirvana where you get through Omicron without having to have a degree of restriction on activity, you do the best you can to reduce the impact."
WA urged not to follow lead of NSW
AMA national president Omar Khorshid said WA needed to look at the South Australian approach of ensuring significant restrictions were in place early in an outbreak, to slow the spread.
"Without masks and without social distancing, it spreads incredibly fast, doubling every couple days," Dr Khorshid said.
"We saw in New South Wales, the very late reintroduction of masks and social distancing led to very rapid spread of COVID… the AMA would very much prefer we follow the lead of South Australia rather than New South Wales."
Dr Omar Korshid is urging the WA government to look to South Australia as an example of how to handle Omicron.(ABC News: Pamela Medlen)
When additional restrictions were previously in place over the festive season, bars were forced to operate as seated service only venues and nightclubs were required to close.
Opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam said the uncertainty over looming restrictions was causing "unnecessary chaos".
"What we do need is some clarity on what the path forward is," Ms Mettam said.
"It is essential that whatever these plans are that they are made very clearly and communicated appropriately to the community so we know what's happening next."
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Data shows many older Australians haven't had their booster
Black Fret was brought to Seattle in 2020. It has a unique funding approach where membership dues fund grants. Members in return get exclusive access to private events and concerts.
Ben London is the nonprofit’s executive director and is a local musician who has sat on a number of boards. He explains the importance of this new sort of approach to supporting the local music community.
"We have to be stewards of the things that we love," London said. "All the famous artists that come out of our communities at different levels, whether it's a Caitlin Sherman that's that's known in some circles, or it's a Brandi Carlile that's known around the world. They all come from somewhere, and we're all proud of them when they do stuff. We have to get them there."
Grant recipients span all genres. In its first year in Seattle, musicians included electronic artist Chong the Nomad, singer-songwriter Sera Cahoone, and the rock band The Black Tones — all of whom are considerably big names in the local music community. And that's for a reason.
"We're looking to work with, support or to engage with artists that have already, in some ways, pushed the boulder halfway up the hill," London said, "where these grants can really help kind of help push them to the next level."
This year's winners were just as diverse as last year's and included the self-professed "gunk-pop" group Black Ends, rapper Da Qween, and rock group Beverly Crusher. Cozell Wilson is the band's lead singer and guitarist. He couldn't stress just how much this money means to him and the band.
"When he called me, I felt like I should have screamed," Wilson said. "It basically they changed everything and literally erased the last two years of us not making that much money."
One of the first things the band did with the money? They bought a new van. Wilson described the immense amount of relief he felt with the news of getting the grant. He knows that to really grow, they need to get out and play in front of audiences beyond Seattle, something they haven't been able to do because of the pandemic, but also because of finances. Now with this grant, they can.
Learn more about Black Fret's Seattle chapter and membership here.
A man with COVID-19 has died in hospital as Western Australia recorded 51 new local cases of the virus in the community, its highest daily number to date.
Key points:
The Premier says the man in his 70s who died was unvaccinated
WA has recorded 99 new cases in total, including 48 returned travellers
There are concerns about aged care employees working at multiple sites
Premier Mark McGowan opened today's media conference saying he had a significant and tragic development to announce.
"Sadly, a man in his 70s with COVID-19 has passed away in Joondalup Hospital," he said.
"I'm advised that WA Health has no record of the man receiving a COVID-19 vaccination."
Mr McGowan said the man had underlying health conditions and acquired the virus in the community — believed to be at an event in Perth's northern suburbs.
The man who died at Joondalup Health Campus reportedly had no record of being vaccinated.(Supplied: John Holland)
It is the second death WA has recorded linked to community transmission of the virus throughout the entire pandemic.
A total of 99 new cases have been reported in WA, with another 48 returned overseas and interstate travellers also testing positive.
There are currently 482 active cases in WA.
"Omicron is well and truly here in Western Australia," Mr McGowan said.
About 40 per cent of West Australians have received their booster.(Supplied: WA Health)
Seven new local cases investigated
Of the 51 new local cases, 44 have been linked to close contacts and seven are under investigation.
There were 5,311 people tested at PCR clinics in WA yesterday.
Mr McGowan said the new cases included 23 self-reported positive rapid antigen tests (RAT), most of which were interstate arrivals.
The Premier said higher case numbers were expected in the weeks to come.
"Enhanced public health social measures are being considered," he said.
But he said he suspected current measures, including face masks, were helping to limit the current outbreak.
Concerns over aged care workers
WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said she was not aware of any more aged care centres in WA recording cases of COVID-19.
"But I would not be surprised if we see more," she said.
It comes after an outbreak at Juniper's Cygnet aged care facility in Bentley yesterday grew to six residents and two staff.
The first cases at the Cygnet aged care facility in Bentley emerged on Wednesday.(ABC News: Julian Robins)
Asked whether aged care workers in WA were permitted to work across multiple facilities, Ms Sanderson said she would need to confirm if that was the case.
"That is regulated by the Commonwealth," she said.
"It would not be ideal at all for aged care workers to be moving from site to site in this environment, and I would expect them to have those plans in place."
The ABC has heard from family members of residents in Juniper facilities who said they were worried because staff there were working across multiple sites.
Juniper has been contacted for comment about this claim.
In a letter to residents' families, Juniper CEO Chris Hall said the Commonwealth had provided the Cygnet facility with "an extra team of five registered nurses and two care workers".
He also said arrangements were being made to facilitate video conferences for residents and their loved ones.
Family buoyed by Friday's case figures
Rob Namestnik, whose mother is a resident at the facility, said he was buoyed by the fact there had been no new cases today, but was worried when he heard about the outbreak.
"When we first heard we thought geez that's unlucky, how could this happen to my mum, of all the places in Perth," he said.
"But then we came to grips with it, it's just one of those things, you can't help it."
Mr Namestnik said the provider had kept him well informed and he took confidence in his mother being triple vaccinated.
In WA, 88.5 per cent of aged care residents have had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 84.5 per cent have had two doses.
Mr McGowan claimed on Thursday the rates of third-dose vaccinations were significantly lower among aged care residents than in the wider population.
However, the Commonwealth later revealed that of the aged care residents eligible for a third dose in WA, 80.5 per cent had already received one.
A spokeswoman for Juniper's Cygnet facility said of its 40 residents, 38 were triple-dosed, one was double-dosed, and one had chosen not to be vaccinated.
New contact rules limiting exposure sites
The Health Minister also offered further explanation as to why fewer exposure sites were being listed on the Healthy WA website, after the number fell significantly this week.
"The shift in the definition of close contacts, that significantly limits the number of exposure sites," Ms Sanderson said.
"The public health team do a risk analysis and they are, at the moment, publishing the high-risk exposure sites."
Exposure sites where everyone present can be accounted for are not being published.(ABC News: Gian De Poloni)
Ms Sanderson said in many scenarios, the Health Department was able to establish everyone who was at an exposure site and contact them directly.
"For a school, for example, every visitor gets signed in and out. Students are known, staff are known, so movements people know.
"If it's the same with businesses, then they are not listed as an exposure site."
Ms Sanderson said anyone at an exposure site who was not a close contact would also be notified directly by WA Health and advised to monitor for symptoms.
"Where a business or a premise can account for every person who came in and out, including staff, then they are all contacted by WA Health and that is not listed," she said.
She said for that reason, it was important people continued to check in using the SafeWA or ServiceWA apps.
Perth Festival tickets 'selling well'
Among the local events facing less certainty as case numbers grow is the Perth Festival which launches this weekend.
Artistic Director, Iain Grandage, said despite the growing outbreak tickets had been selling well.
"Each day is a gift for us," he said.
Perth Festival artistic director Iain Grandage is not keen to speculate on whether the event is likely to run until its current end date of March 6.(Supplied: Perth Festival)
"We're always looking at that and always operating within health guidelines but any opportunity to be performing is grabbed with both hands."
He did not like to speculate whether the festival would run in its entirety through to March 6.
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Data shows many older Australians haven't had their booster
Some local fans are watching the Beijing Olympics in person, although it's not clear how they were selected for a visit inside the tightly controlled Olympic bubble.
As part of the strict measures intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the Games, athletes, reporters and others are being limited to a "closed loop" of dedicated Olympic venues and hotels.
Plans to sell tickets to the general public were scrapped before the Games began.
But organisers announced that about 150,000 local spectators including school children and foreign embassy staff would be allowed in some venues.
How they are selected is a bit of a mystery.
Jiarong Yan, a representative for Beijing organisers, said they apply and are invited by community organisations, educational institutions and other groups.
They're subject to protocols, including testing before they enter and health monitoring after they leave, but quarantining isn't required. They are kept separate from others inside the bubble.
On Thursday, some fans sat spaced apart inside the Capital Indoor Stadium to watch the men's figure skating free skate.
Cheers erupted for China's Jin Boyang and again when Nathan Chen of the United States delivered a free skate performance that won him the gold medal.
Microsoft is gearing up to roll out technology provided by Australian cyber security player FirstWave Cloud Technology to an initial tranche of 20,000 internet of things (IoT) devices, with scope to scale the deployment up over time.
The rollout, expected to take place in the third quarter of 2022, is part of an agreement struck by network management, automation and IT audit software provider Opmantek to provide in-depth monitoring and alarming for all of Microsoft’s devices.
Although headquartered in San Francisco, Opmantek was founded in Queensland, with its development team primarily based on the Gold Coast.
Indeed, the Microsoft deal had been struck prior to November last year, when Opmantek first revealed it had received the acquisition offer from FirstWave.
It had also previously struck a deal with NASA to supply services aimed at helping alongside the Artemis program, which will see the landing of the first woman and first person of colour on to the moon.
With Opmantek’s secure IoT management product being integrated into FirstWave’s proprietary CyberCision Platform and rolled out initially to the North American market, the acquired company’s deal with Microsoft has also become a win for FirstWave.
Now, FirstWave has broken out the details of the Microsoft deal and subsequent rollout, telling shareholders that the agreement will see FirstWave deploy its proprietary technology across Microsoft’s IoT network, a move that is expected to enhance the tech giant’s security practices and increase its network visibility to manage cyber security risk and minimise outages.
For FirstWave CEO, Danny Maher, the Microsoft agreement demonstrates the vast potential in the IoT market.
“The massive number and variety of IoT devices connected to networks creates significant security vulnerabilities and management complexities for IT operations teams globally – even for the world’s largest technology companies,” Maher said.
“FirstWave’s proprietary CyberCision cyber security platform, combined with the intellectual property acquired from Opmantek, enables companies of all sizes to manage and secure their IoT environment, whether they have one device or millions.”
Maher, who was previously Opmantek's executive chairman, became CEO of FirstWave as a result of the acquisition, replacing Neil Pollock, who had resigned earlier in the year.
The deal saw FirstWave acquire 100 per cent of Opmantek via an all-scrip takeover under which approximately 691 million new FirstWave shares were issued to Opmantek’s shareholders.
Western Australia has recorded its highest number of local COVID cases since the pandemic began as Omicron continues to spread in the community.
Premier Mark McGowan on Thursday said WA recorded 139 new Omicron cases overnight, 37 of which were new local cases.
Hear how the first shipment of Novavax arrived in Australia in the video above
He said this was the highest number of local cases WA had recorded over the last two years.
Contact tracers are scrambling to investigate where eight mystery cases became infected.
The other 29 community transmissions are linked to close contacts.
Another 102 cases are linked to returned interstate and international travellers.
Omicron has continued to spread in a Perth aged care home, as another six cases were confirmed at Juniper’s Cygnet Residential Aged Care Facility in Bentley on Thursday.
Five residents and one staff member have tested positive.
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Mr McGowan said Omicron was a “game changer” that had caused chaos on the east coast and across the world.
“Each day Western Australia is seeing an increase in the number of new cases of Omicron,” he said.
“Currently the bulk of new Omicron cases are from interstate and overseas arrivals.
“That is why, based on health advice, we made the decision to update our safe transition plan.”
The premier was set to open WA’s border to the world on February 5, but instead opted for a soft transition by expanding compassionate exemption criteria to buy West Australians more time to get vaccinated.
Under the current rules, people with direct family connections in WA and locals returning from visiting relatives in the eastern states are among those who can enter the state.
“Allowing thousands of arrivals into Western Australia with no testing or quarantining to seed the virus rapidly across our state would’ve been reckless and irresponsible,” Mr McGowan said.
“With the rapid spike in cases among returning West Australians in the last few days, one could only imagine the kind of seeding event that could’ve taken place under the original (border) plan with far higher arrivals and no quarantine.”
Premier Mark McGowan announced WA’s highest jump in local case numbers since the pandemic began.Credit: RICHARD WAINWRIGHT/AAPIMAGE
He said the hard border would be reviewed this month, but conceded WA’s third dose vaccination rate was still too low.
Around 98 per cent of eligible West Australians have had their first dose, 94 per cent have had their third dose, while only 48 per cent of people are triple dose vaccinated.
“It’s heading in the right direction, but not yet where we need it to be,” Mr McGowan said.
Premier slams threats
Mr McGowan has slammed the “coward” who sent a threatening letter and package of white powder to his Rockingham electorate office this week.
The premier’s office was cordoned off by police on Tuesday after a staff member reported a suspicious package.
Mr McGowan on Thursday said a letter, which had white powder in it, had been addressed to his wife with a “number of threats to harm her and my children and worse”.
Mr McGowan confirmed forensic testing found the substance was not harmful and said it was linked to the mandatory vaccination rules.
“Whoever did this is a coward of the highest order,” he said.
“I urge anyone with any information about this to please provide that to Crime Stoppers.”
Premier Mark McGowan has slammed the culprit behind a letter threatening his family.Credit: AAP
Support for struggling businesses
Businesses affected by the border delay have been thrown a new lifeline, with the premier announcing a $77 million support package.
“It’s a shot in the arm for businesses and organisations in international education, tourism, aviation and the events sectors, some of whom are doing it tough,” Mr McGowan said.
International education will be boosted by $6m in support for grants of $50,000 and $100,000 to assist education providers impacted by the international border closure.
An $8m student quarantine support program will help students arriving for September 1, along with a $2m boost for universities to deliver support for affected international students.
Eligible tourism businesses will be able to apply for either a $10,000 grant or $20,000 to offset expenses incurred while preparing for the border opening; or up to $50,000 to cover refunded deposits from cancelled interstate and international bookings.
Other travel-related support includes a $10 million to the aviation recovery fund and a $3m support fund for travel agents.
Support will also be offered to the events industry, with a $10m expansion of the Getting the Show Back on the Road Program to cover up to 75 per cent of lost ticket sales for some businesses.
