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As it happened: Victoria records 179 COVID-19 cases; first security guard gives evidence as hotel quarantine inquiry continues

Marissa Calligeros

Updated August 21, 2020 — 5:09pm,first published August 21, 2020 — 7:15am

Summary

Victoria has recorded 179 new coronavirus cases and nine deaths. It is the first time the number of daily cases has fallen below 200 since July 13, but authorities say it's still too soon to call an end to restrictions or even predict when they may be loosened.
The number of active cases of coronavirus in Victoria has dropped by thousands, as Melbourne approaches the halfway point for its tough, stage four lockdown. Active cases have plummeted by 32 per cent since Wednesday, decreasing from 7155 to 4864 cases.
The hotel quarantine inquiry, which is conducting hearings remotely, has been beset by technical issues today. An authorised officer who worked for Department Health and Human Services said he felt so unsafe in the quarantine hotels, he was forced to quit.
The man tasked with Australia’s economic recovery post-pandemic, Nev Power, has called on states to reconsider their approach to coronavirus suppression, describing hard border policies as a 'sledgehammer squashing an ant'.
From today, only Victorians who are essential travellers are allowed to enter South Australia. Premier Daniel Andrews is pushing for special permits for residents in border communities.

Pinned post from 4.13pm on Aug 21, 2020

Go to latest

179 new cases of COVID-19 in Victoria as cluster growth slows

By Liam Mannix

Victoria has recorded 179 new cases of COVID-19 since yesterday, and nine deaths, according to statistics just released by the Health Department.

Of those, 42 are linked to known outbreaks and 137 are under investigation.

Of the people who lost their lives, one man was in his '60s, a woman was in her '70s, two women and two men were in their '80s, one woman and one man were in their '90s, and one man in his 100s.

Seven of those deaths are linked to outbreaks in aged care facilities, bringing Victoria's COVID-19 death toll to 385.

There are 626 people in hospital including 40 in intensive care.

Some 688 of Victoria's 4421 active cases are healthcare workers - about 15 per cent.

Most of Victoria's major outbreaks have either not grown or only grown by a very small amount, the data shows - a promising sign.

We've also updated the known aged care cluster figures, here they are:

St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner: 194 cases (1 new case since yesterday)
Epping Gardens Aged Care: 209 cases (no new cases)
Estia Health in Ardeer: 158 cases (no new cases)
Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth: 132 cases (no new cases)
Estia Health in Heidelberg: 110 cases (no new cases)
Outlook Gardens Aged Care in Dandenong North: 113 cases (1 new case)
Baptcare Wyndham Lodge in Werribee: 152 cases (no new cases)
Cumberland Manor Aged Care Facility in Sunshine North: 113 cases (3 new cases)
Japara Goonawarra in Sunbury: 107 cases (2 new cases)
Twin Parks Aged Care Centre in Reservoir: 112 cases (1 new case)

and here are the updated known workplace cluster figures

JBS in Brooklyn: 156 cases (3 new cases since yesterday)
Linfox Warehouse in Truganina: 65 cases (1 new case since yesterday)
Hazeldene’s Chicken Farm in Bendigo: 37 cases (1 new case since yesterday)
Royal Melbourne Hospital Royal Park campus: 154 cases (6 new cases since yesterday)

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5.09pm on Aug 21, 2020

Thanks for following

By Liam Mannix

And that's a wrap of The Age's live blog today folks, thanks for following along. You can read down for all the day's major news, or switch over to the rolling national blog here. Have a great weekend!

4.55pm on Aug 21, 2020

What you need to know today:

It's 4.55pm. Here's what you need to know from the day that was:

Victoria recorded 179 new cases, the first time new case numbers have fallen below 200 since July 13.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the state government is aiming for zero community transmission, but warned it will be tough to get there;
A park ranger employed as an authorised officer in Victoria's hotel quarantine system says he was not given any training in infection control before his first shift, and felt so unsafe that he ultimately quit.
We also heard that security guards were often moved between quarantine hotel facilities, and those who were fired from one hotel for their substandard work were simply moved to another hotel.
The man tasked with Australia’s economic recovery post-pandemic has called on states to reconsider their approach to coronavirus suppression, describing hard border policies as a "sledgehammer squashing an ant".
Premier Daniel Andrews will take the latest plight of border communities to the national cabinet on Friday as South Australia shut almost all Victorians out of the state, causing cries of outrage from farmers, business owners, families and workers.

4.39pm on Aug 21, 2020

Breaking: RMIT to cut 355 jobs

By Anna Prytz

RMIT University will cut hundreds more jobs as the crisis in higher education worsens.

The move to approve 355 voluntary redundancy applications comes after hundreds of the university's research and professional casual staff were let go in April as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic hit hard.

An RMIT spokesperson said the measures would save $48 million.

"RMIT has taken a careful and considered approach to addressing the financial challenges associated with COVID-19 and we are continuing to seek ways to reduce our costs and align our operations to the environment we face."

“We recognise that making these personal decisions is never easy and we are grateful to everyone for their contribution to the future of RMIT."

National Tertiary Education Union president Dr Alison Barnes condemned further job losses and placed blame with the federal government.

“It is devastating to lose 355 jobs from RMIT and it comes on top of many hundreds of casual jobs that have already been slashed," she said.

“The federal government is the author of the employment crisis in Australian universities.

"It has blithely refused to craft a rescue package as the sector confronts its worst ever crisis. It has also bent over backwards to exclude universities from JobKeeper."

4.33pm on Aug 21, 2020

How coronavirus community transmission is slowing down in Victoria

By Craig Butt

Community transmission of coronavirus appears to be slowing down in Victoria.

This graph shows the total number of cases by infection source over time in Victoria. There is quite a bit happening in this graph, so this is going to be a slightly denser post than usual.

The light blue line represents coronavirus infections that were acquired in Victoria and which can be traced to an existing case or a known outbreak.

The dark blue line shows locally acquired case where the infection source cannot be traced - the “mystery cases” that Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton often mention in the daily coronavirus updates.

During July, both of these lines were shooting up at a similar pace, but since about the start of this month the light blue line (cases with a known source) has climbed far higher than the dark blue line (mystery cases).

This divergence suggests that a larger proportion of recent coronavirus cases in Victoria can be traced back to outbreaks rather than the infection source remaining a mystery to the health department.

You might have noticed a red line on the chart too. At one stage it was climbing rapidly but now it’s dipped below 1000. Those are the cases that are still being investigated by the health department.

Back when there were 500-plus new cases a day on average this was creating a backlog, but now the daily infection numbers are lower it means the number of cases still being investigated is being brought under control.

That means there is a bit of a time lag built into this graph, so when the number of cases under investigation comes downs it means that the blue lines go up.

Today the number of new cases tied to community transmission rose by 24. That in some ways tells us how many investigations the health department was able to cleat in the past day, but given the pool of cases under investigation is declining, it also suggests community transmission rates are slowing down.

4.20pm on Aug 21, 2020

How to read today's COVID-19 figures

By Liam Mannix

Victoria recorded its lowest daily infection total in at least a month today.

Epidemiologists always caution not to read too much into the daily infection numbers, which are subject to a lot of random variation.

But is there at least room for some optimism about these figures?

Professor Catherine Bennett, Deakin University's chair of epidemiology, says yes - we get to feel good about today.

“This is what we’re all looking for at the moment. To see these more dramatic shifts in numbers is exactly the sort of feedback we need to see how effective it is. Now we’re seeing [the lockdown] translate into cases," she just told the ABC's Drive program.

Catherine Bennett, chair of epidemiology at Deakin University.Jason South

“But we have still got a way to go – it’s just how we keep the energy going for these last few yards.”

Asked whether she expected the lockdown to be eased - down to stage 3, or even stage 2 lockdown measures - at the end of the six-week period it is scheduled to run for, Professor Bennett indicated cautious optimism.

“I’m really optimistic that, with the way things are tracking, we could get to the point where we don’t go back to stage 3. I think some of the restrictions, related to one hour of exercise or the curfew, there might be some relaxation on the table."