Australia has recorded its youngest female COVID-19 death to date – a Sydney woman in her late 30s without pre-existing conditions.
The central Sydney woman’s death has prompted pleas from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian for young people to adhere to lockdown measures and also seek out the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The premier also said her government would this week start “critical planning” on policy settings after lockdown’s scheduled July 30 end.
NSW recorded 141 new local COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, as well as two deaths – the central Sydney woman in her 30s and a southwest Sydney woman in her 70s.
At least 62 of the 141 diagnosed people were circulating in the community for all or part of their infectious period.
Greater Sydney and surrounds are in lockdown until at least July 30, while three regional NSW areas are in lockdown until at least July 28.
Ms Berejiklian said the woman in her 30s who died had no pre-existing conditions, demonstrating the severity of the virus.
Eight people have died in the latest Sydney outbreak.
“If anybody thinks this is a disease just affecting older people, please think again … younger people without pre-existing conditions can also fall victim to this cruel disease,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters.
The 141 cases came from a record of more than 102,000 tests. There are 43 people in intensive care, with 18 ventilated.
With Sydney’s lockdown preventing exponential growth in infections but failing to drive local case numbers down, Ms Berejiklian reiterated new immunisation advice for locked-down residents.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on Saturday said all people aged 18 years and above in Greater Sydney “should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine including COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca”.
While Pfizer vaccine supplies remain constrained, the NSW government says it has plentiful supplies of AstraZeneca, which is manufactured locally and effectively prevents hospitalisation or death.
Of those in intensive care in NSW, none were fully vaccinated.
Ms Berejiklian and her government have this week increasingly pointed towards vaccination as a way out of the outbreak.
In NSW, 15.4 per cent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated.
“(Vaccination) won’t stop the spread alone, but it will definitely, definitely slow the spread down,” Ms Berejiklian said.
She said her government would this week attempt to pin down COVID-19 policy settings for the coming months.
The Greater Sydney lockdown is due to end July 30 and the premier said she wanted to “get the right balance”, including by providing freedoms where virus transmission risk is minimal.
It comes as the NSW treasurer calls for the reintroduction of the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme amid Greater Sydney’s outbreak and Labor demands a summit to discuss the health crisis.
But the federal government has poured cold water on Dominic Perrottet’s suggestion, arguing its current support is sufficient.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions has also called for the reinstatement of JobKeeper as it preserves employer-employee ties.
Disquiet over the lockdown erupted dramatically on Saturday afternoon, as thousands marched through Sydney’s CBD.
At least 57 people have been arrested over the protest action, which Ms Berejiklian said left her disgusted and heart-broken. Two men have also been charged with allegedly hitting a police horse.
The latest lockdown escalation has prevented all but the most essential workers in Cumberland and Blacktown local government areas leaving those areas, joining Fairfield residents.
Three regional NSW local government areas in the state’s central west are also under stay-at-home orders until at least July 28.
Local elections in NSW have also been postponed to December 4.
AAP
