New South Wales has been dealt another crippling blow in its fight against Covid-19 with 1,485 new cases and three deaths recorded overnight.
The soaring numbers come as Premier Gladys Berejiklian faces mounting pressure to ease Covid lockdown restrictions before hitting her 70 per cent vaccination target.
None of the patients who died were fully vaccinated, further highlighting the importance of getting double-jabbed.
On Sunday, NSW reached a milestone 40 per cent of the eligible population who are now fully vaccinated.
The premier offered an insight into what life will look like when that his 70 per cent, indicating there would be density limits and QR codes when businesses reopened. Capacity limits will be introduced to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements.
Meanwhile three children under 12 are fighting for their lives in Sydney hospitals – including a baby on a ventilator.
The infant who requires ventilation is believed to be the youngest person to ever be placed in ICU with Covid in Australia.
A nine-year-old child also requires ventilation while a third, believed to be under 12, is being treated with a hi-flow CPAP machine to help them breathe.
A man and woman were spotted on Bronte Beach in Sydney’s east taking pictures while on their morning stroll. Outdoor recreation is permitted under Covid restrictions
Police patrolled a busy Bronte Beach on Sunday morning to ensure locals were complying with Covid restrictions
All three children have underlying health conditions which may strongly contribute to the severity of the virus. Covid generally does not cause serious illness in young children.
The victims of Covid in the 24 hours to Sunday included a woman in her 50s from western Sydney, a western Sydney woman in her 70s with significant comorbidities and a man in his 70s who died at Liverpool hospital, also with underlying health conditions.
Ms Berejiklian reiterated October is likely to be the peak for both Covid numbers and hospitalisations, adding that it would be disastrous if restrictions were eased too early.
‘We anticipate a peak in cases in the next fortnight,’ Ms Berejiklian said. ‘The next fortnight is likely to be our worst in terms of the number of cases.’
She said her government would consider easing any restrictions that chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant recommended were no longer necessary.
Police, fire, ambulance and emergency services workers across Sydney’s Covid hotspots were invited to turn out for priority vaccine appointments on Sunday in a ‘super vaccination blitz’ to boost coverage in high-risk industries.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard described the blitz as a ‘golden opportunity’ for any staff who were yet to be jabbed.
Another woman set up her towel on the beach and performed yoga moves while watching the waves crash around her
Of the 1,485 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm, 518 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District, 479 are from Western Sydney LHD, 174 are from Sydney LHD, 116 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD and 80 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD.
Thirty-two of the new cases were recorded in western NSW, while 12 are from Hunter New England, 11 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven and seven are from the Central Coast.
Local MPs are among a growing chorus of voices citing lockdown fatigue and deteriorating mental health as reasons to begin easing restrictions early.
They’re hopeful the premier will expand the 5km exercise limit and allow more than five fully vaccinated people to meet outdoors for a picnic come September 13.
The proposal would mean families can more easily gather outdoors – where cases of Covid transmission are virtually non-existent – in time for the school holidays.
Ms Berejiklian was asked about her own mental health on Sunday during lockdown, but dismissed the question, telling reporters she ‘doesn’t think people would care’.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, who holds a seat in the state’s crisis cabinet and helped to champion the necessity of a singles bubble, said all avenues are being explored.
‘The Premier has rightly recognised the need to get mental health right,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, who holds a seat in the state’s crisis cabinet and helped to champion the necessity of a singles bubble, said all avenues are being explored to ease Covid restrictions. Pictured: A woman patting a puppy while on a walk through Bronte Beach in Sydney’s east
Two surfers head into the water on Bronte Beach on Sunday morning on a sunny 18C day
‘Mental health is a critical component and the government is constantly looking at the changing circumstances, and we’ll adjust our settings accordingly.’
This may include easing some of the restrictions before that 70 per cent milestone vaccine target is reached.
More than 20.6 million doses of vaccine have been administered across Australia since the pandemic began.
In NSW, 40.3 per cent of the eligible population are fully vaccinated, while 72.7 per cent have received their first jab.
One possibility repeatedly addressed by Liberal MPs who hold seats across Sydney was to ease the five-person limit on picnics and outdoor recreation come September 13.
From that date, outdoor gatherings for up to five fully-vaccinated people are permitted, but there is mounting pressure for children to be excluded from this limit.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian is being urged to consider easing some restrictions by September school holidays
As it stands, it would be difficult for any family comprising more than one child to include grandparents or other loved ones.
‘That’s something that needs to be put on the table,’ MP for Oatley in south Sydney Mark Coure said.
‘If we had that increased or at least looked at, I think that would be very beneficial.’
Given children under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine, some MPs suggested it should not make a difference how many children are at gatherings with their relatives – so long as all adults involved are double-jabbed.
Some 2,000 people under the age of 18 are now infected with the respiratory virus statewide, and are seeking assistance from the Sydney Children’s Hospital network.
As it stands, it would be difficult for any family comprising more than one child to include grandparents or other loved ones when picnics of five fully vaccinated people are permitted from September 13
In addition to the standard inpatient services, medical professionals are offering a 24-hour virtual health service providing care to children who are well enough to be cared for at home.
There is also a ‘home in hospital’ facility for kids whose parents or carers are being treated for Covid in a hospital.
Children under 12 are not yet approved for a vaccine anywhere in the world, and this is not likely to change until at least mid-September.
‘Globally, children under 12 are not yet eligible for Covid-19 vaccines, so the best way to safeguard them as much as possible is for the community to have high vaccination coverage,’ Sydney Children’s Hospital Network said.
Teenagers between 16 and 18 are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, while the Moderna jab, which will be rolled out in Australia, has also been provisionally approved for 12 and up.