• TGA approves Pfizer booster shots
• Vic records 1534 cases, 13 deaths as infections ‘plateau’
• NSW records 304 new cases, three deaths
• Call for more detail in reopening plan
• ‘Bitterly disappointed’: Hospitality, business community criticise roadmap
• Unis praise plan to lift international quarantine requirements
• Exemptions scrapped for overseas travel
• SA Govt electric vehicle investment ‘long way behind’
• PM rejects calls to increase 2030 climate target
• WA could be closed to Australia by Christmas

TGA approves Pfizer booster shots

Australians will soon be able to get a COVID-19 booster shot after the medical regulator gave the green light to a third dose.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration on Wednesday granted provisional approval for those aged 18 and over to receive a top-up dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

The administration recommended the top-up be given six months after a person’s second dose.

Those in aged care and disability care will be given priority for the boosters, with Health Minister Greg Hunt indicating he expected the third dose to be made available to the general public no later than November 8.

“It’s a universal booster, so it’s available for people who have had Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna,” Hunt told reporters in Canberra.

“This is an important step and it will mean that Australia will be one of the most highly vaccinated societies in the world.”

Severely immunocompromised Australians are already eligible to receive booster shots.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation will provide further advice on boosters to the government shortly.

Hunt said there would be no targets set for the number of Australians who would get a booster shot and it would not be mandated by the Commonwealth.

“We don’t want to put any limits on that and we want every eligible Australian to do so,” Hunt said.

“There’s only one (booster) shot that’s required and there is sort of an unconstrained supply … we’re in a very strong situation.”

It is estimated that by January there will be 1.6 million people who will have been fully vaccinated for six months or more and will be eligible for the boosters.

The government expect Moderna will also make an application to the TGA to register their vaccine for booster approval.

Meanwhile, Therapeutic Goods Administration deputy secretary Professor John Skerritt said vaccine approval for five to 11-year-olds was imminent.

It comes after American authorities backed a proposal to allow the Pfizer vaccine to be made available to younger children.

Professor Skerritt said he expected to receive a full application for approval from Pfizer shortly.

“It will take a few weeks, but I would hope that we would get there (for approval) by the end of November,” he said.

Vic records 1534 cases, 13 deaths as infections ‘plateau’

Victoria’s daily COVID-19 case numbers have reached a “plateau”, health authorities say, two days before a further easing of restrictions.

The state recorded another 1534 locally acquired virus cases on Wednesday and 13 more deaths.

Victoria is now managing 24,164 active infections, 551 fewer than the previous day’s tally.

COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said it was encouraging to see the daily numbers stay about 1500 per day during the past three days.

“It does feel like we are at a plateau at the moment,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

While he said the plateau is “higher than we would like” it was slightly under the Burnet Institute’s modelling for this point in time.

Weimar said 85 per cent of Victoria’s new cases were among unvaccinated people.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus has also declined, with 748 reported on Wednesday. Of those, 138 are in intensive care with 87 on a ventilator.

The latest deaths take the toll from the current outbreak to 247.

More than 76 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated.

Victoria is less than two days away from new freedoms, which will see all non-essential retail reopen along with greater numbers being allowed inside hospitality venues.

NSW records 304 new cases, three deaths

COVID-19 cases have jumped in NSW, with 304 new locally acquired infections and three deaths, including a man in his 30s.

NSW Health said the man from Sydney’s inner west had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine shortly before testing positive and died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Tuesday.

It says the new cases were diagnosed from 89,875 tests undertaken in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday.

The number of people in NSW hospitals with COVID continues to decline.

There are now 418 COVID patients in hospital – down 39 from the previous day – and 97 people are in intensive care, while 43 are ventilated.

The 304 new local cases compares with 282 the previous day. The death toll from the current outbreak, which began in mid-June, is 506.

Of the NSW residents 16 and over, 93.2 per cent have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85.5 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.

In the 12-15-year-old age group, 78.3 per cent have had their first dose and 53 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Call for more detail in reopening plan

South Australia’s crucial new 90 per cent vaccination target will be “tough” to achieve before Christmas, according to the state’s peak doctors association which is calling for more detailed information on the state’s reopening plan.

Premier Steven Marshall and public health authorities yesterday detailed the state’s “COVID-ready” plan, revealing a November 23 opening date for domestic borders and a 90 per cent double dose vaccination target for all over-12s to trigger eased further eased restrictions.

SA's COVID-Ready Plan safely eases restrictions over the coming months and coordinates the health response to manage COVID-19.

It's important to continue to get tested for COVID-19 if you have any symptoms, physical distance, wash your hands, and stay home if you are sick. pic.twitter.com/khu0Tbvfkr

— SA Health (@SAHealth) October 26, 2021

As of Monday, 79.6 per cent of over-16s in South Australia have received one dose of a vaccine, while 63.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The November 23 date is when authorities project 80 per cent of South Australians over the age of 16 will be fully vaccinated, although it is more than a week earlier than previous official estimates.

Australian Medical Association SA President Dr Michelle Atchison said the plan needed more detail.

“I’ve had a look at the graphic that’s been put up around opening up which I have to say is scant and of limited information, but has the bones of what the government is planning to do,” Atchison said.

“This is a roadmap for opening up with vaccination, it’s not a roadmap for how the health system is going to cope.

“We need that one and we need it in place now, as quickly as possible … there’s a lot of work that needs to be done and we’re running out of time to do that.”

She reiterated the AMA’s position that the state should not open its borders to double vaccinated people from the eastern states until South Australia reaches 80 per cent vaccination plus two weeks.

“The 23rd of November is not the timing that we would use,” Atchison said.

“We would like to see that people are not just vaccinated, but their vaccinations are at full efficacy when we start opening up.

“Also, as I’ve said many times, the 80 per cent needs to be as across the board as it possibly can.”

Atchison also said the new 90 per cent vaccination target for all over-12s would be “a tough target to achieve”, despite Premier Steven Marshall telling reporters yesterday he expected to reach the benchmark before Christmas.

“There are still a large number of people who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons or who are too young [and] there’s vaccine hesitancy in the community,” she said.

“I think 90 per cent, is a tough target but if we’re going to try to put a target that helps maintain our health system, it’s a great target to have.

“I would be cautious in saying that that would be before Christmas.”

The inclusion of 12-15-year-olds in the 90 per cent target adds more than 82,000 people into the state’s vaccination equation, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

As of Monday, 15.5 per cent of children in South Australia within the 12-15 cohort are fully vaccinated, while 42.9 have received at least one dose.

InDaily reported on Tuesday that just over 20 per cent of children in South Australia are unlikely to get vaccinated due to vaccine hesitancy, according to a survey by the state’s Children’s Commissioner.

The Ambulance Employees Association also said it holds “grave concerns” over the state’s reopening plan, reiterating calls for a boost to ambulance capacity before South Australia opens up.

‘Bitterly disappointed’: Hospitality, business community criticise roadmap

Thebarton’s Southwark Hotel (Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily)

South Australia’s restrictions roadmap provides very little relief to the hospitality sector ahead of their busiest period of the year, industry groups say.

While the state’s “COVID-ready” plan will see domestic borders removed on November 23 and shorter quarantine requirements for international travellers, the only other restriction that will lift next month is the cap on home gatherings, which will increase from 20 to 30 people.

The roadmap states that once 90 per cent of over-12s in South Australia are vaccinated, restrictions “on most activities” will be lifted while dancing, stand-up drinking and nightclub will be “only available to people who are fully vaccinated”.

Australian Hotels Association SA Branch CEO Ian Horne said the new 90 per cent target “came as a shock” to the industry.

“It’s not an overstatement to say that the industry ranges from disappointed to bitterly disappointed,” he said.

“I guess the bigger issue is, let’s assume we do reach 90 per cent somewhere around Christmas, there is no detail as to what happens then.

“It’s a document that hasn’t brought a lot of joy to the hospitality industry.”

Horne said the restrictions were “unnecessarily harsh” given the restrictions roadmaps of Victoria and New South Wales, and the live music industry would continue to suffer.

Business SA Director of Policy and Advocacy Andrew McKenna said the restrictions roadmap was concerning given the hospitality industry is about to enter its busiest period

“What we are disappointed to see is there no reprieve for the hospitality sector heading into their busiest season,” McKenna said.

“That’s something we would like to see addressed or some additional financial support.”

The state’s chamber of commerce also says it is seeking further clarity on how the requirement for patrons to be vaccinated will affect hospitality business operators.

Business SA CEO Martin Haese said: “In this scenario, workplaces will have to force their staff to be vaccinated to comply with this rule, which will in effect be the same as an unofficial government mandate”.

“We are concerned that without a government-enforced mandatory vaccination program in place for certain industries, a 90 per cent double dose rate may be too ambitious for South Australia to achieve in a timely manner,” he said.

Unis praise plan to lift international quarantine requirements 

South Australia’s universities have welcomed the State Government’s plan to remove quarantine requirements on international arrivals, saying it paves the way for a full return of international students for the next academic year.

International quarantine requirements are set to be cut from 14 days to seven on November 23 for the fully vaccinated, and abolished once the state reaches 90 per cent double dose vaccination for all over-12s.

Flinders University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling, Chair of the SA Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, said this would be crucial to universities hosting international students onshore in 2022.

“If the roadmap proceeds as expected, we look forward to welcoming our international students back to Adelaide in time for the new academic year,” Stirling said.

“This is a strong signal to the many students who need to return to complete their studies, that they will soon be able to do so.

“We are looking forward to having them back onto our campuses where they have been sorely missed since the pandemic began.”

The announcement comes as hundreds of international students are set to return to South Australia in December and quarantine at Parafield Airport.

The SAVCC also said it was urging the government to do “all the that can be done” to accelerate the state’s path to its new 90 per cent vaccination target.

Prior to the pandemic, the international student economy was worth more than $2 billion as an export industry to South Australia.

Exemptions scrapped for overseas travel

Fully vaccinated Australians will no longer have to apply for travel exemptions to leave the country, as the country prepares to ease its international borders.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the exemption will no longer be in place from Wednesday, ahead of the resumption of international travel from November 1.

Meanwhile, Singapore announced overnight it would allow Australians to travel to the country without quarantine from November 8.

“Over half a million Australians have already been able to download the international vaccine certificate,” Morrison told the Seven Network.

“We are very close now to the reciprocal arrangements with Singapore.”

The prime minister said Australia’s first-dose vaccine rate had passed the rate in the US.

“The national plan is working. The national plan is about opening Australia up and that is because the vaccination rates are climbing so high,” Mr Morrison said.

The news comes with Australia poised to hit the 80 per cent full COVID-19 vaccination mark within a week, as at least four states gear up for quarantine-free international arrivals.

The latest forecast on covid19data.com.au has a best case scenario of 80 per cent – a target set by national cabinet for major changes to restrictions – being hit on November 2, which is also Melbourne Cup day.

The federal health department’s latest data shows 74.1 per cent of Australians over 16 are now fully vaccinated, with 87.1 per cent having received a first dose.

SA Govt electric vehicle investment ‘long way behind’

South Australia’s investment in electric vehicles has come under fire (Photo: Bension Siebert/InDaily)

The State Government’s electric vehicle infrastructure and subsidy package is only a third of an equivalent program in New South Wales, according to a new analysis from the Australia Institute, as the South Australian Upper House mulls legislation to introduce a new levy on low-emissions vehicles.

It comes after Treasurer Rob Lucas tabled legislation in September to levy a 2-cent per kilometre road user charge for plug-in hybrid vehicles and a 2.5-cent charge for electric vehicles, which will be added to an EV owner’s yearly vehicle registration.

The tax, scheduled to be debated in the Legislative Council on Thursday, will not be introduced until either 2027 or when EV purchases represent 30 per cent of South Australian new car sales.

The new charge is attached to a $3000 purchasing subsidy for 6000 new EVs – an investment totalling $18 million.

This is on top of an $18.3 million commitment to transition the State Government’s vehicle fleet to EVs and create a state-wide fast charging network.

But a new analysis from the Australia Institute says the South Australian Government’s investment package – when adjusted for population size, gross state product and number of passenger vehicles – falls around $70 million short compared to the NSW Government’s EV program.

The left-leaning thinktank says NSW’s $490 million EV investment program, which includes $3000 rebates for 25,000 EV purchases and the abolition of stamp duty, should be a minimum standard for South Australia’s

“If the State Government was genuine about being a national leader on EVs, it would at least be matching the policies being offered by their NSW Coalition counterparts,” Australia Institute SA Director Noah Shultz-Byard said.

“We are a long way behind the rest of the world when it comes to the uptake of EVs and this package, with very little support and a big new tax on the sector, isn’t going to get us to where we need to be.”

Labor and the Greens have already stated their opposition to the proposal, although SA-Best, who hold two crucial crossbench votes on the legislation, remain open to the proposal.

A near-identical EV levy in Victoria faces a high court challenge after two EV owners argued the charge is unconstitutional.

PM rejects calls to increase 2030 climate target

Scott Morrison will use COP26 climate talks to rebuff international demands for Australia to formally strengthen its 2030 emissions target after belatedly agreeing to net zero by 2050.

While new projections show Australia cutting emissions by up to 35 per cent on 2005 levels by the end of the decade, it won’t be formalised as a new target.

Australia’s 2050 net-zero emissions target comes five days out from COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, where mid-term commitments will be a strong focus.

“There’ll be a lot of words in Glasgow, but I’ll be able to point to the actions of Australia and achievements of Australia,” Morrison said.

The UK has committed to cutting emissions 68 per cent below 1990 levels this decade and the European Union 55 per cent.

The US has set a 2030 target of a 50 to 52 per cent reduction on 2005 levels.

Australia had been one of the last countries holding out on a formal commitment to net zero by 2050, alongside China, Singapore, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson labelled Australia’s 2050 target “heroic” for a country so reliant on fossil fuels.

Emissions reductions to date and existing policies from the coalition’s previously released “technology roadmap” are expected to account for 60 per cent of cuts by 2050.

Another 30 per cent relies on “further technology breakthroughs” and “global technology trends”. The remaining gap would be closed by domestic and international carbon offsets.

The plan resulting from drawn out negotiations with the Nationals has been criticised as vague and lacking the ambition needed to tackle Australia’s contribution to climate change.

Carbon Market Institute chief executive John Connor thinks Australia’s refusal to increase its 2030 target will handicap its negotiators at Glasgow.

“It’s important to indicate that we will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, but we still need a lot more detail on the plan,” he said.

“These projections will be met in a rather bemused way, I think, by the international community where the currency is the nationally determined contributions that are … increasingly part of international trade networks.”

Business groups want to see the modelling behind the government’s plan, which Morrison said would be released “eventually”, while conservation argue the prime minister’s plan does not go far enough.

WA could be closed to Australia by Christmas

Western Australia could be closed off to every other state and territory for Christmas as the rest of the nation advances reopening plans.

Despite South Australia on Tuesday becoming the latest state to release a roadmap, WA’s government has declined to set a date for reopening until more than 80 per cent of West Australians aged 12 and above are double-jabbed.

Premier Mark McGowan on Tuesday said the date would be some time in the first half of next year “beyond the school holidays” which finish at the end of January.

“We’re continuing … to get as many people vaccinated as we can, to make sure that we get through the Christmas period and the Christmas holidays before such time as we open to New South Wales and Victoria and potentially get cases,” he told reporters.

WA remains open to travellers from SA, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, while Queenslanders will no longer need to quarantine from Wednesday.

But the resumption of widespread domestic travel could prompt a return to total isolation in WA for the festive season.

“We’ll monitor what occurs in South Australia and whether they get cases and how soon they do,” McGowan said.

“They’ve got density limits on cafes, restaurants, bars, they’ve got seating requirements if you want to go and have a drink. They’ve got restrictions on fitness classes, they’ve got mask-wearing at a whole range of venues.

“That will be a massive burden on small businesses and it will impact Christmas in South Australia. We’re pretty keen to avoid that.”

The premier last week outlined mandatory vaccination requirements for most of the state’s workforce, including a January 31 deadline which would coincide with the end of the school holidays and potential reopening of borders.

Less than 60 per cent of West Australians are fully vaccinated.

-With AAP and Reuters