The ACT’s roadmap out of lockdown remains intact for now at least, despite consecutive days of COVID-19 case highs.
The territory recorded 52 new infections on both Friday and Saturday.
Thirty of the latest batch have been linked to known outbreaks while 22 are under investigation.
Ten of the 52 cases were in quarantine, the status of 13 remains unknown and 29 were circulating in the community for at least part of their infectious period.
Health chief Dr Kerryn Coleman says the ACT’s total case count stands at 939, of which 617 have recovered and 319 are active.
There are 13 COVID-19 patients in Canberra hospitals, three of them in intensive care and all requiring respiration.
Dr Coleman says while she’s not a betting person, she is still reasonably confident the territory will be able to reopen as scheduled in mid October.
“My intention is to deliver that lifting of restrictions, as is in the pathway, and we will do everything we can to stay on top of this” she told reporters on Saturday.
“If everybody assists us, my intention is to deliver that.”
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said whether the roadmap stood up to scrutiny over the next fortnight would depend primarily on Dr Coleman’s advice.
No one was walking away from the commitment to reopen, he said. However he continued to be concerned about the high case numbers and the high numbers also being recorded in neighbouring Queanbeyan.
“Our vaccination rates are a really significant way in which we can protect our community,” he said.
Mr Barr said Friday marked a shift in the territory’s inoculation program, with more second doses of the vaccine delivered than first doses across ACT government clinics.
Almost 92 per cent of ACT residents have now received at least one jab, while 63 per cent have had both.
It’s anticipated that 32,000 Canberrans, the overwhelming majority of them under 40, will receive their second shot and become fully vaccinated over the next two weeks.
“The signs are that with our very strong vaccination program, that by the end of October and going into the month of November and into the summer there will be better times ahead,” Mr Barr said.
AAP
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