NSW extends stay-at-home orders for 17 regional LGA as state records 941 cases; Victoria to reduce Pifizer vaccine dose interval as state reports its highest daily rise in cases of pandemic; a third of new Victorian cases from AFL grand final parties; five Queensland areas including Brisbane and Gold Coast return to stage two restrictions; federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg says budget bottom line improved by $80bn; 19 new cases in New Zealand. Follow all the day’s news
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2.43am BST
Weimar has gone on to descibe the impact of the shift in case numbers caused by weekend party’s, including a change in the proflie of the cases being recorded:
We can see it not only in the contact tracing interviews, but also in our mobility data, traffic data. We’ve had the most activity on our roads over a 3-day weekend of any lockdown weekend since the end of July. We’re seeing a shift in the age profile, so in today’s cases, 55% are men.
It’s quite a different profile to what we’ve seen for the rest of the outbreak. We’re seeing a disproportionate increase in owes aged between 20 and 29, and those aged 20 and 50. 55% of the places are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
2.40am BST
Victoria’s Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar says contract tracers have informed the government that the significant jump in case numbers can be attributed to grand final weekend parties held illegally last weekend.
The contact tracers tell us that there have been significant numbers of social gatherings on Friday and Saturday, over a long weekend. Grand final parties. Other social gatherings, barbecues, backyard visits.
This has generated significant case load. A third of our cases are due directly to those different types of social gatherings, as people have dropped their guard, and decided now it’s the grand final weekend, it’s the long weekend, we deserve a bit of a pay back, we deserve a nicer time.