Australia news LIVE NSW COVID cases continue to grow under 40s in Victoria eligible for AstraZeneca at mass vaccination hubs

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In case you missed it, the Victorian health department has labelled a major women’s and children’s hospital a COVID-19 exposure site.

The Maternity Assessment Centre and Dorevitch Pathology at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital in St Albans, in Melbourne’s north west, are both considered tier-1 exposure sites. Level three of the facility was visited by a positive case on August 6 for more than six hours.

Authorities have instructed anyone who went to level three on August 6 between 8.15am and 2.45pm to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

Health authorities also listed the cafe (in the main corridor) as a tier-2 site, and the entire facility is now a tier-3 site.

The Joan Kirner building is on the sprawling campus of Sunshine Hospital, where COVID-19 vaccinations and tests are also being carried out. It’s the first time a hospital has been added as an exposure site in this outbreak.

For Victoria’s full list of exposure sites, visit the Department of Health website.

Sydney suburbs that do not have COVID-19 cases circulating in the community will be the first to be freed from some lockdown restrictions next month if NSW reaches its target of providing six million jabs.

As 12 Penrith suburbs were plunged into harsher lockdowns yesterday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said vaccination rates would determine “life in September”, including allowing vaccinated workers back to work and some face-to-face learning in schools.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says vaccination rates and “concentration of cases” will determine restrictions next month.Credit:Edwina Pickles

Services such as hairdressers are likely to be among the first to reopen in suburbs outside the eight worst-affected local government areas, providing an incentive for businesses and their customers to get vaccinated.

Read the full story here.

Good morning and thanks for your company.

It’s Monday, August 9. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.

Here’s everything you need to know before we get started.

Tens of thousands of people in Sydney’s Penrith region are waking up to tougher lockdown restrictions this morning in a bid to reduce community transmission. Residents of suburbs like Kingswood and St Mary’s, in Sydney’s west, won’t be able to travel more than 5km from their homes and must wear masks outdoors at all times. Yesterday, NSW recorded 262 locally acquired cases of coronavirus. Of those, at least 46 were infectious in the community. The death toll from NSW’s current outbreak stands at 28. Meanwhile, thousands of HSC students are set to receive the Pfizer jab today. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says vaccination rates will determine what next month’s restrictions will look like.

Victorians aged between 18 and 39 will be able to get an AstraZeneca jab at several state-run mass vaccination hubs from today. It comes as the state government unveiled Australia’s first drive-through COVID-19 vaccination hub in Melbourne’s west. Victoria recorded 11 new cases of coronavirus yesterday (all infectious in the community). Authorities have hinted that the current week-long lockdown will probably need to be extended.

Queensland’s south-east has emerged from lockdown. However, Cairns â€" in the state’s far north â€" has been plunged into a snap lockdown after a taxi driver was found to have been infectious in the community for several days. All eyes will be on today’s case numbers.

And in overseas news, the Tokyo Olympics have officially wrapped. The United States topped this year’s medal tally, with 39 gold medals (followed by China’s 38 gold medals and Japan’s 27). Australia finished the Games in sixth place overall with 17 gold medals. The next Games will be held in France.

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