• Man arrested after Premier briefing
• Support flows for baby Dakota’s family
• COVID test subsidies on cabinet agenda
• NSW and Victoria mark new COVID records 
• Nations hit new COVID records
• Djokovic Australia-bound after ‘exemption’
• Kokkinakis hits a winning note in Adelaide
• Legacy BlackBerry withers on the vine

Man arrested after Premier briefing

A man has been arrested after attempting to question Premier Steven Marshall following his daily COVID-19 media briefing.

The man, who was brandishing propaganda about the efficacy of face masks, was restrained by a plain-clothes police officer before reinforcements arrived minutes later.

He had attempted to question the Premier after a media conference in which Marshall revealed 3493 new COVID cases were confirmed overnight.

A protester has been arrested after attempting to question the Premier about the effectiveness of masks at today's press conference.

The man was tackled by an undercover officer, before police arrived at the scene.

Full story, 5.00pm and 6.00pm on #9News pic.twitter.com/H19f4RdUZq

— 9News Adelaide (@9NewsAdel) January 5, 2022

Police said in a statement that it will be alleged that “a man was at a press conference trying to ask Premier Steven Marshall questions when he started acting in a disorderly manner”.

“The 46-year-old Elizabeth Grove man was arrested by a plain-clothes police officer and will be charged with disorderly behaviour,” SAPOL said.

Support flows for baby Dakota’s family

A fundraiser for an Adelaide family whose 13-month-old daughter died last week while COVID-positive has raised more than $35,000 in a day.

The GoFundMe page was created by Brooke Page on behalf of Karly Conry and her husband Ryan Nenke, whose “lives changed forever” when “their darling 13-month old Dakota grew her wings & went to heaven” on December 28.

“She went to bed as per normal the night before and unexpectedly passed hours later,” the page says.

“She had then tested positive to Covid19, but the cause of her passing is still unknown.”

The post, which has been shared with permission, said the couple’s “children are their life and [they] have always been patient, loving, attentive and admirable parents”.

“The devastation they are feeling is unbearable,” Page said.

“Dakota leaves behind her three siblings who all loved and adored her beyond measure.”

COVID test subsidies on cabinet agenda

National cabinet is expected to discuss the supply and distribution of rapid antigen tests when leaders meet today as COVID-19 cases rise across the country.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will reportedly take a proposal to subsidise the cost of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests for people on low incomes to today’s meeting.

Under the plan, welfare recipients, pensioners and others would get federal cash payments for up to five RAT kits – or more if the states agree to put their own money on the table – according to multiple media reports on Wednesday.

They would need to meet eligibility requirements to qualify for the subsidy, which would be paid under the system used to pay out COVID-19 disaster payments.

Morrison could also announce the government will provide millions of free RAT kits to be handed out at state and territory testing centres.

The national cabinet is meeting on Wednesday for the first time in 2022 to discuss community concerns around access to the kits, which have been difficult to source and have escalated in price to up to $50 per test, from around $10-$12 normally.

Cases of COVID-19 are soaring across the country less than a week after changes to testing and isolation arrangements and rules were announced.

NSW and Victoria mark new COVID records

NSW has racked up another daily case record after reporting 35,054 new COVID-19 infections and eight deaths.

The cases logged in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday were diagnosed from 108,844 tests and represent a rise of almost 12,000 on the previous day.

The number of people in hospital has risen to 1491, from 1344 reported on Tuesday.

Of those, 119 are in intensive care units, an increase of 14, NSW Health said on Wednesday.

While ICU numbers are rising, the tally is short of the peak of 244 seen in September.

Victoria has recorded 17,636 new COVID-19 cases, with nearly one in three tests coming back positive.

There were 11 deaths reported in Wednesday’s figures, with testing numbers dropping slightly below 60,000 again.

Active cases are now at 51,317.

There are 591 people in hospital and 20 on ventilators.

Nations hit new COVID records

A record high number of daily new COVID-19 cases has been registered in Sweden, Greece, France and the United States.

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were among those in the country to test positive for the coronavirus, the palace said in a statement overnight.

Sweden set a new daily record for infections, the most recent data from the health agency showed on Tuesday, registering 11,507 cases on December 30.

“The King and Queen, who are fully vaccinated with three injections, have mild symptoms and are feeling well, given the circumstances,” the palace said in a statement.

The palace said the king, 75, and the queen, 78, were self-isolating and that work to trace those they had been in contact with was underway.

Greece reported a record 50,126 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, breaking a previous high of 40,560 registered on December 31.

As recently as December 27, only 9284 new infections were recorded in a day.

The number of deaths recorded in a day dropped to 61 from 78 on Monday.

The country imposed new curbs on bars, restaurants and nightclubs last week following the surge of infections with the Omicron variant over the Christmas holidays.

Hundreds of thousands of students and teachers will nonetheless return to class as scheduled on January 10 but pupils will need to be tested three times during the first week – once more than before the holidays.

“Nothing can replace in-person schooling,” Education Minister Niki Kerameus said in a televised briefing.

France also reported a record 271,686 daily virus cases on Tuesday.

The country is in an increasingly challenging position, with Europe’s highest number of confirmed daily virus cases, after weeks of record-breaking figures.

France’s average daily case load has more than doubled in a week, with an overall current infection rate of more than 1671 people out of 100,000 over the past week.

The United States reported almost one million new coronavirus cases on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, a global record nearly double the country’s peak of 505,109 set just a week ago.

The number of hospitalised COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50 per cent in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, a Reuters analysis showed, the first time that threshold has been reached since the winter surge a year ago.

Overall, the US has reported a daily average of 486,000 cases over the last week, a rate that has doubled in seven days and far outstrips that of any other country.

The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday that evidence thus far suggests the Omicron variant is causing less severe illness than previous strains.

Nevertheless, US public health officials have warned that the sheer volume of Omicron cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals, some of which are already struggling to handle a wave of COVID-19 patients.

Djokovic Australia-bound after ‘exemption’

After months of uncertainty, world No.1 and nine-times champion Novak Djokovic has finally confirmed his participation at the 2022 Australian Open.

Djokovic took to social media on Tuesday night to announce he was on his way to Australia after being granted a medical exemption.

“I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022,” he said on Instagram.

“Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.”

Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.

I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022! pic.twitter.com/e688iSO2d4

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 4, 2022

The Serbian superstar had repeatedly refused to disclose his vaccination status after the Victorian government mandated only fully vaccinated players, fans and staff would be allowed into Melbourne Park.

But Djokovic, who’d also expressed concerns about Australia’s quarantine rules, received a reprieve last month when Victorian premier Dan Andrews and Tennis Australia moved to have an independent panel established to preside over requests for medical exemptions against having the COVID-19 vaccination.

The decision to exempt the star has prompted strong reactions across social media, although his tennis peers have thus far been coy.

Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player ever. Forget Laver, Agassi ,Federer,Sampras,Nadal,McEnroe,Connors and Borg for Novak has won 20 Grand Slams and 87 titles and a billion dollars without us knowing he had a debilitating medical problem.We have been taken for fools. Kb

— Kevin Bartlett (@KevinBartlett29) January 4, 2022

Jamie Murray, the British doubles player, said: “I think if it was me that wasn’t vaccinated I wouldn’t be getting an exemption.” After a pause he added: “But well done to him for getting clear to come to Australia and compete.”

The reaction of the players alongside Murray at the press conference suggested this was a minefield few were prepared to cross. Certainly the Australian players James Duckworth and Alex de Minaur were more circumspect, if not exactly overjoyed at the news.

“I don’t know the criteria for exemptions, apparently it’s an independent panel, he must have fit the criteria somehow, so, yeah, if he’s fit the criteria, then, yeah, he should be able to come,” said Duckworth.

De Minaur responded with a laugh: “That’s very politically correct of you.”

The Australian No.1 added: “I just think it’s just very interesting, that’s all I’m going to say. But, hey, it is what it is, I just hope that the other players that I heard there were other cases as well, they got exemptions, so I hope they will all fit the criteria.”

Richard Ings, the former head of Australia’s anti-doping authority ASADA, and a keen advocate of vaccination, was less reticent.

“Clearly all this talk about vaccination status being personal and private only held water up to the point of tossing it back in the face of vaccinated Australians,” he wrote on Twitter.

In Wednesday's @couriermail, fury as @DjokerNole to compete at @AustralianOpen with exemption + National Cabinet plan amid #COVID19 chaos pic.twitter.com/TGXTBv9ch7

— The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) January 4, 2022

Kokkinakis hits a winning note in Adelaide

Thanasi Kokkinakis has breezed by fellow Australian John Millman to begin his 2022 campaign on a winning note at the Adelaide International.

Fit and strong again after years of injury setbacks, the 25-year-old was emphatic in a 6-4 6-3 on Tuesday in the first round of the Adelaide International.

The world No.171 showed the benefits of a rare injury-free season, his serve on song and a razor-sharp backhand causing problems in an 82-minute procession in his home-tournament debut.

Kokkinakis burst onto the scene alongside good friend Nick Kyrgios, winning in his Australian Open debut in 2014 as a 17-year-old and reaching a career-high 69 in the world a year later.

A win over then-world No.1 Roger Federer in 2018 underlined Kokkinakis’s talents.

But injuries – shoulder, pectoral, groin, knee, elbow and most recently the debilitating glandular fever – continued to stunt the South Australian’s prospects.

Finally fit, the right-hander dominated at Challenger level last year, earning him much-needed court time though not helping his ranking.

A nominee for the ATP’s comeback player of year, Kokkinakis admits it was a tough nine-month slog away from Australia contending with COVID travel restrictions.

“Mate it was grim, real grim, but people have it worse,” he said.

“It was a nine-month stint, but it was something I knew I had to do.

“Last year I came in off two years of barely no tennis and even though I’ve been around a while it feels like I’m still relatively new compared to the other guys my age.

“I have a lot to give and last year, playing tough matches in tough conditions definitely set me up for a better year.”

Kokkinakis didn’t face a break point on Tuesday, winning 88 per cent of points on his first serve and hitting 25 winners to Millman’s 11.

He scrambled well to earn the decisive break in the seventh game of the second set, then unleashed a barrage of winners to hurry to the finish line.

Thanasi Kokkinakis under the setting sun in Adelaide yesterday. Photo: Michael Errey / InDaily

Meanwhile, defending champion Iga Swiatek has halted Daria Saville’s latest comeback attempt with a 6-3 6-3 win over the Australian qualifier.

Saville (formerly Gavrilova), Australia’s one-time No.1 before Ash Barty’s emergence and a chronic foot injury curtailed her career, was little match for the 2020 French Open champion on Tuesday.

Fellow Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis’s main-draw stay was also fleeting, with American Shelby Rogers ousting her 6-1 6-3 to set up a second-round clash with world No.6 Maria Sakkari.

Elina Svitolina’s woes also continued, with Ukraine’s former world No.3 crashing to a 5-7 6-4 6-3 loss to world No.130 Anastasia Gasanova.

Legacy BlackBerry withers on the vine

BlackBerry Ltd is pulling the plug on service for its once ubiquitous business smartphones which were toted by executives, politicians and legions of fans in the early 2000s.

The move marks the end of an era as the phones, which sported a tiny QWERTY physical keyboard, pioneered push email and the BBM instant messaging service.

Former US president Barack Obama made headlines in 2016 when he was asked to give up his BlackBerry and replace it with an unnamed smartphone.

Blackberry lost favour with users with the advent of Apple’s touchscreen iPhones and rival Android devices.

In recent years, the company pivoted to making cybersecurity software and embedded operating systems for cars.

Social media was alight with tributes.

One Twitter user reminisced it was a “fabulous machine” and hoped the company’s phones would be resurrected.

In a document published in 2020, the company said it would take steps to decommission legacy services for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS operating systems and added devices running on them would no longer be supported and may not be able to receive or send data, make phone calls or send messages reliably.

A US judge on Monday rejected the company’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit claiming it defrauded shareholders by inflating the success and profitability of smartphones using BlackBerry 10 OS and said the class-action case could go to trial this autumn.

-with AAP, AP