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As it happened: Victoria records 532 new COVID-19 cases as Epping Gardens, Thai Rock clusters grow, Australian death toll jumps to 161

Rachel Eddie, Marissa Calligeros and Mathew Dunckley

Updated July 27, 2020 — 10:02pm,first published July 27, 2020 — 6:55am

Summary

Victoria has had its worst day of the pandemic after recording 532 new cases overnight and six deaths, taking Australia's death toll to 161.
Four COVID-19 cases have been linked to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne (see 4.09pm post), while community transmission has been detected for the first time in the south-west Victorian town of Colac (see 5.24pm post).
The NSW government is increasingly optimistic the state will be able to contain community transmission of COVID-19 although 17 new cases were recorded on Monday, including three linked to the Thai Rock outbreak in Wetherill Park and four linked to a funeral at St Brendan’s Catholic Church in Bankstown
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that the Covid Co-ordination Commission headed by former Fortescue Metals boss Nev Power will be reshaped as an advisory board to guide economic recovery. He also confirmed an emergency response centre for aged care was established over the weekend.
The world has surpassed 16 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 646,000 people have died. The United States accounts for about one-quarter of the reported infections and one-fifth of the death toll.

10.02pm on Jul 27, 2020

Signing off with a recap of today's news

That's it from us for the day. I'm off to bed. My colleague Marissa Calligeros will be back with live updates on COVID-19 from about 6am tomorrow. Let's hope it's a better day.

There have now been 16.26 million cases of coronavirus around the world and almost 650,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Here's a recap of today's news:

Aged care workers across Australia will be given paid pandemic leave to encourage them to stay home if they have coronavirus symptoms.
Victoria recorded 532 new cases – its biggest daily tally of new cases. Six people died, five of them in aged care homes.
Still in Victoria, four COVID-19 cases have been linked to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Children's Hospital. That includes two parents, a baby, and a healthcare worker.
And the first case of community transmission may have been detected in the south-west Victorian town of Colac.
NSW recorded 17 new cases today, some of which have been linked to a funeral.
The Black Lives Matter protest planned for Sydney tomorrow remains an unauthorised public assembly, after the NSW Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by rally organisers.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has told a media briefing that the pandemic is "easily the most severe" global health emergency ever declared.
Indonesia has passed the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus cases, with 1525 new infections announced on Monday.
Papua New Guinea will lockdown its capital city for 14 days, after recording its first suspected fatality.

Stay safe, wherever you are. Remember your mask if you're in Melbourne or Mitchell Shire.

You can follow all the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday here.

9.29pm on Jul 27, 2020

Papua New Guinea locks down capital

Papua New Guinea will put its capital city Port Moresby into lockdown for 14 days, after coronavirus cases more than doubled in a week.

Prime Minister James Marape on Monday announced the country's first suspected COVID-19 death, a 35-year-old man who worked for the health department. His cause of death has not yet been certified, Mr Marape said, but the man had been admitted to Port Moresby General Hospital with the coronavirus.

The Pacific nation recorded another 23 new cases on Sunday, up from just eight infections 10 days ago, taking the total number to 62 so far this pandemic. Fifty-one cases remain active, all of which are in Port Moresby.

Mr Marape on Monday announced the 14-day shutdown of the city, including the closure of schools, with only essential businesses to remain open.

9.07pm on Jul 27, 2020

Skate parks filled with sand to stop lockdown breaches

A Melbourne council will dump sand and bark into its skate bowls to stop skaters from breaching the lockdown rules.

Bayside City Council announced the move on Monday, saying Victoria Police had requested the council immediately step in.

"Unfortunately, skateboarders are continuing to visit and congregate in contravention of these restrictions," Bayside Council said in a statement.

"While we acknowledge the importance of physical exercise during the COVID-19 lock down, our first priority is the health and safety of our community."

The skate parks include Donald MacDonald Reserve in Beaumaris, Peterson Reserve in Highett Road, Elsternwick Park and Royal Avenue Reserve in Sandringham.

The sand and bark will be removed once restrictions ease again in Melbourne.

8.53pm on Jul 27, 2020

Coronavirus is 'easily the most severe' health emergency ever: WHO director-general

The head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the coronavirus pandemic is still accelerating, six months after he declared it an emergency.

"This is the sixth time a global health emergency has been declared under the international health regulations, but it is easily the most severe," Dr Tedros has told a media briefing.

He added: "In the past six weeks, the total number of cases has roughly doubled."

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This Thursday will mark six months since WHO declared the international public health emergency.

He will reconvene the emergency committee later this week to re-evaluate the pandemic, "as required under international health regulations".

Dr Tedros said countries there was a direct link between basic hygiene, social distancing and coronavirus infections.

"Keep your distance from others, clean your hands, avoid crowded and enclosed areas, and wear a mask where recommended. Where these measures are followed, cases go down. Where they’re not, cases go up."

8.34pm on Jul 27, 2020

Six venues on NSW south coast fined for breaching public health orders

By Matt Bungard

The Figtree Hotel on the NSW south coast has been issued a $5000 fine after failing to enforce the COVID-19 safety plan at its venue over the weekend.

NSW Police said they observed a large number of patrons standing together and drinking in groups.

Dapto Pub was forced to close early on Saturday night as two patrons were arrested for offensive conduct, and the venue has since been fined $5000 for failing to comply with public health orders.

Four venues in nearby Gerringong: The Spruce Moose, Nardi’s, The Hill Bar and Kitchen, and Stoic Brewing, were all fined for various breaches including overcrowding, and not enforcing physical distancing.

8.23pm on Jul 27, 2020

Has Victoria's epidemic peaked?

By Liam Mannix and Sumeyya Ilanbey

A top epidemiologist advising the Victorian government has backed claims that COVID-19 cases may have peaked, even as the state recorded its worst day yet with 523 new cases.

Associate Professor Nick Golding, an epidemic modeller at Curtin University, said daily numbers are not a very good guide to the overall state of the epidemic.

“Rather than looking at the case numbers, if you look at when we think the infection happened, there has been a pretty steady decline in the reproduction number. It’s probably about one or lower now,” said Dr Golding, who is part of the team that provides daily virus tracking to the Victorian state government.

"The numbers can swing between 200 and 500 even if the reproduction number is about one."

The crucial effective reproduction number measures whether an epidemic is growing or shrinking. If the number is one, the epidemic is considered to be stable, and the numbers should not continue to spike.

If the new lockdown measures can hold the reproduction number below one, the epidemic will start to shrink.

Victoria’s effective reproduction number reached about 2.5 on June 24. The city went into lockdown on July 9. By July 23 it had fallen to one.

8.04pm on Jul 27, 2020

COVID shuts more Sydney restaurants

By Matt Bungard

A popular inner Sydney eatery and two western Sydney pubs are the latest restaurants to be shut down.

NSW Health confirmed that a staff member at the The Apollo in Potts Point had tested positive. Authorities are now encouraging anyone who visited the Greek eatery between Thursday July 23rd and Saturday July 25th to self-isolate until 14 days after their visit.

The department is also encouraging anyone who lives in or has visited Potts Point in the past two weeks to get tested if they have any symptoms.

Anyone who attended Mounties club in Mount Pritchard between midnight and 3am or 8pm to midnight on Thursday July 23rd, 11am to 3pm or 8pm to midnight on Friday July 24th, or midnight to 3am on Saturday July 25th has been asked to isolate.

Mounties is one of the largest RSL clubs in the country, making nearly $47 million in profits on poker machines at its flagship club in Mt Pritchard last year and boasting more than 136,000 members across its network, according to the group’s 2019 annual report.

The other venue is the bistro area of nearby Pritchard's Hotel, between 7pm and 7.45pm on Thursday July 23rd.

7.33pm on Jul 27, 2020

Rise in pneumonia deaths sparks concern about misdiagnosed COVID-19

There was a spike in flu and pneumonia-related deaths in Australia earlier this year, prompting fears that COVID-19 cases have been misdiagnosed and community transmission may have been higher than previously thought.

Dana McCauley reports that the Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded a higher-than-average number of the deaths from mid-March to mid-April.

Monash University demographer Dr Rebecca Kippen said while weekly pneumonia or flu deaths jumped around in earlier years, they were "consistently high" through late March and early April this year "at a time when influenza was at a historic low because of social distancing".

The data was "strongly indicative that many deaths from COVID-19 were misdiagnosed as influenza or pneumonia deaths," Dr Kippen said.

7.19pm on Jul 27, 2020

Indonesia passes dire milestone of 100,000 cases

By James Massola

Indonesia has passed the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus cases, with 1525 new infections announced on Monday.

The country of just over 270 million people has seen infection rates escalate over the last month and has been averaging around 1600 cases per day. Despite the growing infection rates — and very low rates of testing compared to neighbouring countries — President Joko Widodo has pressed ahead with plans to keep opening the economy and ease social restrictions.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo wears a mask as a precaution against coronavirus on April 30.AP

Another 57 deaths were also recorded on Monday, taking the country's total to 4838 dead since the country first recorded a case on March 2.

Indonesia's official infection tally is now 100,303, the 24th highest in the world according to the Worldometer website.

The figures mean that Indonesia has now reported, at least according to official statistics, more infections and more deaths than China, where the outbreak started.

Experts believe the country's infection rates are, in reality, much higher. But with daily testing rates hovering at around 10,000 people per day, measuring the full extent of the spread of the virus is nearly impossible.

The national capital of Jakarta, home to about 10 million people, reported 467 new cases on Monday and along with the provinces of East and Central Java, it remains the epicentre of the virus outbreak.

The holiday island of Bali, home to a bit over 4 million people and one of Australia's most popular tourist destinations, reported 62 new cases and has had 3219 cases overall.

Joko recently made major changes to the team handling the country's response to the virus. Amid concerns the country's economy is rapidly headed south, with GDP expected to contract by about 5 per cent in the second quarter, the new taskforce has been charged with turning around the economic situation.

But with infection rates still rising, reopening the economy is a risky strategy and already the number of outbreaks in offices and shopping malls, for example, are rising.

6.54pm on Jul 27, 2020

Paid pandemic leave for aged care workers

By Nick Bonyhady

Aged care workers across Australia will be given paid pandemic leave to encourage them to stay home if they have symptoms of the coronavirus, amid rapidly rising cases of the virus in Victoria.

The decision by the national industrial tribunal to upend traditional workplace rules and give workers more leave follows the highest recorded total of cases in Victoria on Monday, with 532 new cases and six deaths, five of them in aged care.

St Basil's Aged Care in Fawkner, Melbourne, on Monday.Luis Enrique Ascui

Five commissioners on the Fair Work Commission decided aged care workers, including nurses and medical professionals employed in those settings under industry awards should get the extra entitlement because it might help save elderly residents’ lives.

While Victoria has been hit hardest by the virus, the commissioners said the situation in New South Wales was “not encouraging” and justified the extension of leave to workers in other states. It said casual workers did not have sick leave and full time workers may have exhausted it or be unable to use it if they were not actually sick, but still had to isolate because they had come into contact with a COVID-19 case.

“The requirement for self-isolation is primarily to prevent the spread of infection which, in the aged care sector is especially critical because of the vulnerability of aged persons to COVID-19 fatalities,” the commissioners said.

The commission is yet to determine exactly how paid pandemic leave will work, but signalled each worker would get up to two weeks at a time if they have to isolate because they have COVID-19 symptoms or have come into contact with a suspected case. It will apply to those workers under industry awards, which are the minimum pay and conditions rules.

Casual workers will be eligible for the new leave but only those employed on a “regular and systematic basis”. Unlike the federal government’s JobKeeper scheme, there is no minimum amount of time casuals have to have been getting regular shifts before qualifying.

Employers will bear the cost of the scheme, which industry groups had warned could push some of the agencies that provide badly-needed casual workers to aged care homes out of the market. The commissioners dismissed that concern, saying the cost could be recouped from aged care homes or the federal government through its aid package to the sector in Victoria.

Lloyd Williams, national secretary of the Health Services Union, which helped run the union case for the additional leave, welcomed the decision. He said the same leave should be extended to community and home care workers.

The additional leave will last for three months, but could be extended.

Read the full story here.