Foley denies tensions with NSW over Pfizer

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has sprayed the idea of ​​tensions with NSW over a lack of will to redirect vaccines to the virus-infested Sydney suburbs.

Hailing Victoria’s ‘encouraging’ downward trend in COVID-19 cases on Saturday, Mr Foley said his state and others had ‘legitimate demands’ on rare vaccines for July and August that they already had been allocated based on population.

He welcomed the recent reports of spare doses of Pfizer in the national stockpile and said he would be happy to see these sent to NSW.

Mr Foley’s comments followed New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard’s outburst of frustration minutes earlier in calling for help from other states to get more doses of Pfizer in the arms of the young inhabitants of Sydney.

“I want to remind these other states and territories that the last time I looked we were ‘common wealth’, we work together,” he said.

Chief health officer Brett Sutton said Victoria should balance her own risks in determining whether to give vaccines.

“It is clear that the higher the proportion of the Victorian population that gets vaccinated… ultimately it minimizes our risk of being hospitalized and dying,” he said.

Professor Sutton said Victoria was “on track” for easing restrictions on Tuesday, as planned, but would not commit to it yet.

He introduced a new travel designation for NSW on Friday night, making the entire state an “extreme risk area,” backdated to July 9.

This will make it difficult for the Victorians of NSW to return home, unless they get a rare exemption or have a specified work permit.

“It’s very strict in terms of the movement of people across the border,” said Professor Sutton.

Mr Foley insisted that NSW’s new risk designation was not linked to Prime Minister Daniel Andrews’ unsuccessful argument for a “steel ring” police blockade around Sydney, but to the natural progression of authorities’ attempts to protect the state from infection.

Red zone designations still apply to ACT, South Australia and Norfolk Island.

Victoria recorded 12 new locally acquired COVID-19 infections on Saturday, 10 of which were in quarantine throughout their infectious period. All infections are linked to current epidemics.

The numbers continue the state’s encouraging downtrend in new diagnoses with 14 cases on Friday and 26 on Thursday.

The numbers came with 19,281 vaccine doses given in the previous 24 hours in Victoria and 39,846 COVID tests performed.

More than 22,000 Victorians are primary close contacts in isolation at home, with around 2,500 MCG contacts on the verge of release after 14 days of confinement.

A Docklands building has become one of the last exhibition sites as it is the residence of one of the last confirmed cases. Residents of the Lacrosse building must self-isolate and be tested.