NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard is begging other states to offer some of their supply of the Pfizer vaccine as NSW records 163 cases since 8PM last night.
“Last year when Victoria was in trouble and, from this end, we were thankfully not suffering the same problems that our Victorian colleagues and friends were suffering, I personally said goodbye to a number of health staff who went down to Victoria and put their lives at risk – put their lives on the line,” he said, according to The Guardian‘s liveblog.
“I personally as health minister here stood proudly with them in this very building and welcomed many of them back, and what they told me was that they really did feel that they had risked their lives in going down there, but that was what they were prepared to do to support our friends in Victoria, our fellow Australians in Victoria.”
Hazzard continued: “I want to remind those other states and territories that last time I looked we were a Commonwealth, we work together.
“I can’t quite see the difference between beating back fires, beating back floods, and beating back this COVID virus.
“I want the other states to reflect on that. We need the Pfizer they may not need.”
Side note: this clip of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian telling Kyle & Jackie O that Victoria won’t receive any vaccines from NSW back in June 2020 has really not aged well.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian telling Victoria they will not receive any vaccines from NSW followed by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian pleading for vaccines. #covid19nsw #covid19vic pic.twitter.com/BhmIOjRPsw
— David Marler (@Qldaah) July 23, 2021
When asked if NSW would receive extra Pfizer doses from the Federal Government, Minister Brad Hazzard said that he had “seen nothing in writing [to suggest] if that had happened.
“I can’t confirm that because I don’t know that,” he told reporters. “I’ve seen nothing in writing, if that has happened.
“One of the frustrations, I must say, that I’ve had – look, I’m just being open and honest here because there is no other alternative at this point. Last year I was frustrated and I think a number of other health ministers were frustrated because we never got to find out what was in the national stockpile of PPE, personal protective equipment, so we went about making sure in New South Wales our staff were protected.
“I think we had one warehouse of personal protective equipment at the beginning of the year and we now have 10. If we can do the same and get vaccine from some other source, we would, but unfortunately the world is not that simple. I have no idea how much, if any, are in our national stockpile. I simply don’t know that. I would like to know.”
NSW recorded 163 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/HHbLss3xpp
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 24, 2021
Earlier today, NSW Health confirmed that while 93,910 people have come forward for testing in the last 24 hours, the state has had 163 local cases of COVID-19 since 8PM last night. Of that 163, 73 were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 26 were in isolation for part of their infectious period. 45 were infectious in the community and the isolation status of 19 cases is under investigation. Those last two numbers, Hazzard said, are “very worrying.”
NSW Health administered 25,312 COVID-19 vaccines in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the state to 3,369,252. According to the NSW Government, there are over 7.95 million people in the state—roughly 64.5% of which live in Greater Sydney.
All adult Aussies (yep, even if those of us under 40) are currently able to get the safe and effective AstraZeneca vaccine through a GP. Talk to a doctor to see if it’s right for you.
Alternatively, you can triple-check to see if you’re eligible for the Pfizer vaccine here.
The best vaccine is the first one you can get, and that’ll be our ticket out of this mess.
