Australia only recorded 12 new COVID-19 positive cases over 24 hours, but the Health Minister today pointed to an important detail that shows we’re winning the fight against the virus
Greg Hunt today revealed just a dozen coronavirus cases had emerged over the past day in Australia, with the daily figure inching ever closer to single digits.
But this was not the most exciting thing about the figure.
“The evidence of that is that there had been 12 cases identified in the 24 hours to 6:30am this morning, that includes the fact that most significantly there was only one case from an unknown source,” he said.
“Only one case of community transmission across Australia. That is perhaps the most important figure I have had the privilege of raising since coming into this role and dealing with the coronavirus issue.”
Mr Hunt said the figure meant that, as a country, “we are not just flattening the curve but we are consolidating it, extending it and securing it”.
The new cases bring the national total to 6,727, with Mr Hunt confirming more than 530,000 tests had been completed so far.
Four deaths confirmed over just 21 hours
Despite the encouraging figures, NSW later that same afternoon confirmed four COVID-19 related deaths, all from the same aged care centre in Sydney.
Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said he was “devastated” to hear about the deaths.
“This is an extraordinary loss and underlines the dangers COVID-19 pose for vulnerable and senior Australians,” he said.
Contact tracing app now downloaded about 2.5 million times
Just two days into its operation, the Government’s COVID-19 app has been downloaded by about 2.5 million Australians.
Mr Hunt said the news meant people were taking the virus seriously and doing their part to help contain it.
“It says that Australians have worked together,” he said.
“They have done something which the rest of the world looks at and says: ‘Wow, we wish we were Australia’.”
Fake text messages “illegal”
Text messages sent to people’s phones overnight and shared on social media – which claim they are 25km from their homes and need to call a hotline to confirm why – were lashed by Mr Hunt.
“Well, firstly, any misuse of telecommunications for a hoax is illegal and this case has already been referred to the Federal Police for investigation, and that investigation has begun, and anybody who is found responsible will be charged with a significant criminal offence,” he said.
“The second thing, though, is this is deeply an Australian. At a moment when Australians have been coming together, when nearly 2.5 million Australians have downloaded and registered for the COVIDSafe app, when Australians have been doing difficult things, to have a few people, or it may just be one person, who are doing something contrary to the public health messages, this isn’t a game. This is about life and death.”
Easing of restrictions a “cause for celebration”
Mr Hunt applauded States like WA for rolling back some of their restrictions.
“Every restriction that is lifted is a cause for celebration… each time a restriction is lifted, we should all be celebrating, whether it is in one state, it is good news for every states,” he said.
“And the more we keep these numbers down, numbers like one case in all of Australia in the last one in four hours that came from an undiagnosed source, or what is known as community transmission, that is a cause for hope.”
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