• Adelaide United coach tests positive
• Nation passes grim pandemic milestone
• Police Commissioner isolating after positive test
• Malinauskas: ‘Everything is going wrong’
• SA close contacts revised
• Millions eligible for booster from today
• Police officer dragged by car after arrest attempt
• Boland retains Ashes spot, Khawaja in for Head
• Tomljanovic wins season opener in Adelaide

Adelaide United coach tests positive

Adelaide United coach Carl Veart and two more players has tested positive for COVID-19 after a daily mandated rapid antigen test this morning.

The A-League club said in a statement today the coach is fully vaccinated and has since undertaken a PCR test and is awaiting the result.

Assistant Ross Aloisi will assume the role of interim Head Coach for tomorrow night’s FFA Cup Quarter Final against Melbourne Victory and subsequent away league meeting on Saturday evening, the club said.

It comes as another two players tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

It follows a spate of players testing positive in recent days, including Josh Cavallo, Mohamed Toure and goalkeeper Joe Gauci.

Nation passes grim pandemic milestone

Australia has passed the grim milestone of more than 500,000 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

The mark was passed on Tuesday after both NSW and Victoria registered record daily case numbers.

NSW had 23,131 new cases, with a further two deaths.

The state has 1344 patients in hospital, up by 139 from the day before, with 105 in intensive care, up by 10.

There were 14,020 cases in Victoria, the first time the state has recorded a one-day total of above 10,000.

There were another two deaths in the state, with 516 patients in hospital – a rise of 25 – while there are four more patients in intensive care, taking the total to 108.

Police Commissioner isolating after positive test

South Australia’s Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has tested positive for COVID-19 as cases continue to rise in the state with a record 2552 new infections reported on Monday and a warning the surge is yet to reach its peak.

SA Police said the commissioner attended a testing site after getting a sore throat and on Monday evening he was informed he had tested positive for coronavirus.

“He is isolating in a private residence and he will continue to carry out his role while completing the required isolation period,” a statement said.

Premier Steven Marshall said earlier on Monday that 94 people were now in hospital, up from 82 on Sunday, with nine of those in intensive care.

The Premier also cautioned that cases would continue to rise with the peak of daily infections not likely until later in January.

“We still haven’t got anywhere near the peak in our state. We are seeing large surges in other parts of the world, in other parts of the country,” Marshall said.

“We don’t have a projection in terms of the numbers, but we do have forecasting which will be coming back to us towards the end of the week in regards to what that peak date is likely to be.

“I believe it will certainly be before the end of January.”

But the Premier said in regards to the Omicron strain of the virus, “nobody has a crystal ball”.

“We’ve been working very hard to make sure we can get on top of it,” he said.

“It really has been a very stressful time for the people of our state.”

Malinauskas: ‘Everything is going wrong’

The new virus cases on Monday included that of Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas, who reported minor cold-like symptoms.

He did not indicate how he might have contracted the disease but said his wife Annabel and their three children had all tested negative.

“This is an experience I share right now with thousands of other South Australians,” he said in a statement.

He told ABC Radio on Monday morning that he was particularly frustrated for his children having to isolate, as well as concerned that the state had not yet made contingencies for returning to school later this month.

“The Premier is at pains to spin this as ‘it’s all Omicron’ [but] we know that [chief public health officer] Nicola Spurrier recommended to close the borders… that’s a fact,” he said.

“The Government didn’t do that and now we’re in the situation we’re currently in… nothing is going right.

“Everything is going wrong.”

Peter Malinauskas, pictured at a recent SA Labor state convention, has revealed he has COVID-19. Photo: Tony Lewis / InDaily

SA close contacts revised

The rules for what constitutes a ‘close COVID contact’ in SA have changed again, with anyone in face-to-face, unmasked indoor contact with a COVID-19 positive case for more than 15 minutes now considered a close contact.

Premier Steven Marshall said it was very likely that people in those circumstances would test positive for the virus.

The revised definition was in addition to those people who are close contacts as family members or intimate partners or those people considered at higher risk because they attended a specific venue.

All close contacts are required to isolate and get tested.

“This is the final piece of the puzzle, the final piece of advice people have been looking for,” Marshall said.

“I think this provides the clarity that people have been seeking.”

Millions eligible for booster from today

Millions more Australians are now eligible for their booster shot with the timeframe between second and third doses reducing to four months from today.

Around 7.5 million Australians will be eligible from Tuesday, up from around 4.1 million at the end of 2021.

The federal government announced changes to the timeframe on Christmas Eve, with the reductions coming in two stages.

Boosters will be brought forward to four months after the second dose, down from five months, on January 4.

Then from January 31, people can get boosters after three months.

This means around 16 million people will be eligible for their third shot at the end of the month.

The changes come amid record spikes in cases across Australia – the majority making up exponential rises in NSW and Victoria.

There were 20,794 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths in NSW on Monday.

Victoria reached a daily record of 8577 COVID-19 infections and a further three deaths

There was a new high of 4249 cases in Queensland, with the sudden death at home of a man in his late 30s who had “probable COVID-19”, according to the state’s chief health officer.

Police officer dragged by car after arrest attempt

A man in a four-wheel drive has struck and injured a police officer in Adelaide before driving off and then trying to flee on foot – only to be hit by a car himself, police say.

The incident began just after 4pm on Monday when an allegedly stolen Range Rover 4WD was spotted speeding along Sir Donald Bradman Drive at Lockleys.

Officers did not pursue but a police aircraft directed patrol cars to Merlin Road in Fulham Gardens.

“Several police officers approached the vehicle in an attempt to apprehend the driver however, he reversed and dragged a female officer for several metres before driving off,” SA Police said in a statement.

The officer was taken to hospital with a leg injury and is expected to make a full recovery.

The driver fled the scene and dumped the 4WD at Frederick Road at Seaton before trying to run away.

He was confronted by police and ran into the path of oncoming traffic, where he was struck by a car.

The man suffered non-life threatening injuries and is under police guard at Royal Adelaide Hospital.

He is expected to be charged with three counts of acts endanger life, illegal use and a raft of traffic offences.

Boland retains Ashes spot, Khawaja in for Head

MCG hero Scott Boland has retained his place in Australia’s XI for the SCG Ashes Test against England starting on Wednesday, after fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood wasn’t deemed ready to return from injury.

Captain Pat Cummins on Tuesday said there would be just the one enforced change to the side, with Usman Khawaja replacing Travis Head, who is unavailable after testing positive for COVID-19.

Victorian Boland made a spectacular debut last week, taking 6-7 as Australia wrapped up the third Test on his home ground and won the player of the match award.

Boland retained his spot after Hazlewood, who has missed the past two Tests with a side strain, fell short of proving himself fully fit, as did fellow paceman Jhye Richardson, who has a leg problem.

“Scotty gets a go, Joshy Hazlewood had a few bowls and with Jhye (Richardson) a bit similar,” Cummins told reporters at the SCG on Tuesday.

“Just not quite up to 100 per cent, we gave Joshy every chance we could.

“We just felt like he couldn’t quite bowl at full tilt yesterday.

“We’re still hoping that he will be right for (the fifth Test in) Hobart, just give him another week.”

Australia’s Scott Boland during a training session ahead of the fourth men’s Ashes Test. Photo: Mick Tsikas / AAP

Tomljanovic wins season opener in Adelaide

Wimbledon quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic has capped a fine day for Australians at the Adelaide International with a first-round win over Heather Watson.

Forever living in the shadows of world No.1 Ash Barty, the Aussie No.2 scored a relieving straight-sets win over Britain’s Heather Watson at the Adelaide International.

Fresh off her finest season yet, Tomljanovic recovered from a service break down in the opening set then overcame the disappointment of failing to serve out the match in the second to finally secure a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) win on Monday night.

“I always put a little more pressure on myself to win the first match of the year for some reason and I always tell myself there’s no reason for that,” Tomljanovic said.

“It’s hard to ignore the butterflies.

“But I take it in a good way. It means I’m excited and it means a lot and I’m just happy that I’m on the board.”

The fighting victory edged the Aussie No.2 to within a win of a potential quarter-final showdown with Barty on Thursday.

After enjoying a first-round bye as top seed, Barty opens her year – and title defence – on Wednesday night against either American teenage prodigy Coco Gauff or Norwegian qualifier Ulrikke Eikeri.

Tomljanovic, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year, next plays either 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin or Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti.

“I had a great preparation coming into the Aussie summer (but) my game is not where I want it to be at,” Tomljanovic said.

“I would love to peak in two weeks (at the Australian Open) and that’s always the objective.

“But, until then, I want to get more wins under my belt and just get comfortable playing points again.”

-with AAP