Live: All the coronavirus news you need in one place

By Caitlyn Davey

Cases, hospitalisations and deaths

For a detailed breakdown of cases across the country, check out Charting the Spread.

This post will be updated throughout the day as numbers are announced, so if your state or territory is not mentioned, check back later

VIC:  20 deaths, 365 hospitalisations, 55 of which are in ICU and 6,280 new cases

NSW: 12 deaths, 1,297 hospitalisations, 81 of which are in ICU and 7,615 new cases

TAS: One death, 12 hospitalisations, two of which are in ICU and 585 new cases

ACT: No deaths, 40 hospitalisations, two of which are in ICU and 355 new cases 

QLD: 10 deaths, 414 hospitalisations, 36 of which are in ICU and 4,919 new cases 

Worries for older demographics 

Why is there no compassion in our society. No one seems to bothered by the deaths of COVID anymore. Everything is all about the economy and how we can keep the poor and most vulnerable well and truely out of the picture. We have learned nothing from this pandemic, greed is still the biggest driving force in western society. The focus continues to be on the younger population and how we can make their lives better. The older you are the less you are considered relevant. As an older person I am very afraid of what there is for me in the future. Homelessness, poverty and no hope for any help.

-Disheartened

Hi team, thanks for your continued hard work in keeping us informed throughout this pandemic. It’s great we are all celebrating the dropping of restrictions – but I think the narrative should also continue to include a focus on our vulnerable people. The ABC does a good job at this, but it seems like the people making decisions on behalf of our communities continue to put the focus on opening up, getting people back into the office and the economy. There are many vulnerable people in our society who continue to be at risk – those with certain health conditions and the elderly to name a few. Has it been forgotten that there are a huge amount of people with older parents and grandparents? How do we keep them safe with people returning to offices and kids back to school – all with the potential to take it home to elderly relatives? As someone with elderly parents with COPD, I worry about this every day. Sure vaccinations do help, but sadly they won’t help everyone, the daily death statistics speak for themselves – the majority being older people and/or those with health conditions who were vaccinated. And what about the long term affects of getting Covid? We are still learning about this, but decision makers are throwing caution to the wind anyway. We should be taking a more measured approach, keeping some simple restrictions in place (eg masks in offices) with a focus on the responsibility we all have to other members of our community. Thank you for continuing to highlight these things.

-Daughter with elderly parents

More on those Queensland cases

As hundreds die in aged care from COVID-19, the families of those who died in 2020 want answers

As the number of deaths in Australian aged care homes mounted this summer, Spiros Vasilakis watched on in disbelief.

It was 18 months ago when his 81-year-old mother, Maria, was among 50 residents who died during a COVID-19 outbreak, at Melbourne’s St Basil’s aged care home.

Many spent their finals days alone, malnourished and dehydrated largely because the federal government couldn’t find enough workers to replace staff who were close contacts.

After multiple inquiries, including a five-week coronial inquest, Mr Vasilakis and other families who lost loved ones at St Basil’s hoped state and federal authorities would learn from the disaster.

“It seems we’ve learned absolutely nothing, nothing at all,” Mr Vasiliakis said.

“One of the major things that showed with St Basil’s was the lack of staff, that happened through them catching COVID and then you had the residents not being able to be properly cared for.

“That’s where we are now.

“We have the ADF (Australian Defence Force) in there because we don’t have enough staff.”

In just six weeks since the start of the year, 742 people have died in aged care homes across Australia. 

The latest outbreak peaked in late January, when the virus was reported in more than 1,200 aged care homes around the country and there are still 645 homes battling COVID-19 outbreaks.

Read about it here. 

Victoria’s new quarantine hub to open Monday

The first quarantine patients will begin arriving at a purpose-built quarantine facility in Melbourne’s north as soon as next week.

The $200 million Centre for National Resilience will be able to accommodate up to 1000 people, but will open with only 500 beds available as construction continues on the site.

Two further villages are due to be completed by March 31, taking the site’s capacity to 1000 beds.

“It has world-class ventilation, I think we’ve said you can see it from the moon,” Police Minister Lisa Neville said.

However, Ms Neville said only a small number of residents were expected to be moved to the facility next week as the state winds down its existing hotel quarantine system.

“We’re imagining small numbers, 7 to 10 [residents] on Monday, and then we’re just going to need to see as that grows,” she said.

Victorians who are unable to isolate will be able to stay at the facility without charge, while adult travellers must pay a fee of $1500 for their stay, with $500 charged for each additional adult.

Children aged 3 to 18 will be charged a fee of $250 for their stay.

Unvaccinated travellers entering Victoria must undergo seven days in quarantine, after the state recently halved it’s quarantine requirements.

New Zealand records 1,901 community cases, 76 in hospital 

Across the ditch, NZ has recorded 76 hospitalisations and 1,901 new cases. 

This takes the total number of active cases in the community to 11,601.

Restrictions eased in the ACT 

Will Queensland follow NSW and Vic in restriction changes? 

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard says Queensland is about two weeks behind NSW and Victoria, and doesn’t want to comment further on changes to restrictions until next week. 

Of the 10 deaths in Queensland, four were aged care residents 

Queensland has recorded 10 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with four people dying in aged care.

There were 4,919 new cases recorded overnight including 2791 reporting positive tests from RATs.

One of the deaths was a person in their 50s, another in their 60s, two in their 70s, 5 people in their 80s and one in their 90s.

Two people were unvaccinated and three had received a booster.

In the reporting period, 1,507 school children tested positive to COVID-19.

There are currently 391 people in public hospitals, with 31 in ICU. 23 people are in private hospitals with five in intensive care.

QLD reports 10 deaths, 4919 cases 

Queensland presser is live 

We’re waiting to hear from the CHO. Link again if you want it. 

NSW reports 12 deaths 

• There were six women and six men who died
• One person was aged in their 50s
• One person was in their 60s
• Two people were in their 70s
• Four people were in their 80s
• Four people were in their 90s

United States to extend its national emergency declaration 

US President Joe Biden said on Friday the country’s national emergency, declared in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be extended beyond March 1 due to the ongoing risk to public health posed by the coronavirus.

Mr Biden said the deaths of more than 900,000 Americans from COVID-19 emphasised the need to respond to the pandemic with “the full capacity” of the federal government.

“There remains a need to continue this national emergency,” Biden said in a letter on Friday to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the senate.

ACT records 40 hospitalisations, two in ICU – no deaths

The capital has recorded 355 new cases and 40 hospitalisations, two of which are in ICU and one on a ventilator. 

Queensland to hold a press conference at 10am AEST

We’ll keep you updated with links and news from the sunshine state then. 

One death and 12 hospitalisations reported in Tasmania

There’s been another covid-related death in Tasmania. 

The State Government says a man in his 60s was being treated for pneumonia, and tested positive to COVID-19 the day before he passed away. 

The man was receiving palliative care at home under the guide of a GP.

Tasmania recorded 585 new cases in the latest reporting period.

There are 12 people in hospital with COVID and of these, seven are being treated specifically for COVID, and two people are in ICU.

As WA prepares to open its borders, Omicron is already spreading widely 

Western Australia is finally opening its borders, with the state planning to resume quarantine-free travel from March 3.

Here’s Casey Briggs with the numbers.

*Updated video as I pulled the trigger too early on a previous edit (Obviously need more coffee)

Calls for contingency plans, better work conditions as aged care faces deadliest year since COVID-19 emerged

Pamela Bartulovic says life in her Tasmanian aged care facility is “wonderful”.