TUESDAY, JUNE 22
NSW looks set to receive more vaccine doses than its less populous neighbours – but an expert has warned the jab is unlikely to provide immediate relief to the state’s spiralling coronavirus outbreak.
Following Monday’s national cabinet meeting NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed states would be assigned coronavirus vaccine doses according to population.
It comes as Sydney’s outbreak of the highly-infectious Delta covid variant grew to 11 on Monday, with four new cases recorded.
“Certainly the information provided today confirmed that states are being provided vaccine doses according to population, which was a relief,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“NSW remains in a sense of emergency in relation to the vaccine rollout.
“We‘re limited in that we can’t control supply, we can’t control the doses we get from the Commonwealth.”
To date, more than 6.59 million vaccines have been administered across Australia, including 1.9 million in NSW.
Only 43 per cent of people aged over 50 and 61 percent of over-70s in NSW have received at least one dose, compared to 48 per cent of over-50s and 65 percent of over-70s nationally.
Australia is due to receive 1.7 million doses of Pfizer this month, rising to 2.8 million in July. The states and territories had about 800,000 Pfizer doses on hand as of Monday.
NSW vaccination hubs are reported to get an additional 50,000 Pfizer doses over the next three weeks.
Lt Gen John Frewen said Australia is still on track to offer every eligible person in Australia a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2021.
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James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther on the hit TV show Friends, has revealed he has been “dealing with” late-stage prostate cancer.
Appearing on US breakfast show Today, Mr Tyler opened up about the diagnosis he received in 2018.
“I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones,” Mr Tyler said.
“I’ve been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years. … It’s stage 4. Late-stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me.”
Mr Tyler said he began hormone therapy, which “worked amazingly for about a year,” allowing him to “go about life regularly” while on medication.
“All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal,” he said.
Mr Tyler said he decided to share his story in the hopes that it will lead to someone else finding their cancer earlier.
While the early days were optimistic, Mr Tyler said that the cancer eventually spread to his bones and spine, leading to paraplegia.
“I missed going in for a test, which was not a good thing,” he said.
“So the cancer decided to mutate at the time of the pandemic, and so it’s progressed.”
Mr Tyler said he decided to share his story in the hopes that it will lead to someone else finding their cancer earlier.
“There are other options available to men if they catch it before me,” Mr Tyler said.
“Next time you go in for just a basic exam or your yearly checkup, please ask your doctor for a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test.
“It’s easily detectable. … If it spreads beyond the prostate to the bones, which is most prevalent in my form, it can be a lot more difficult to deal with.”
Mr Tyler said the illness kept him from appearing in person at the “Friends” reunion that aired in May. Instead, he appeared on Zoom.
“I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities,” Mr Tyler said.
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Barnaby Joyce has returned as Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, after being sworn into the role as well as Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development this morning.
Mr Joyce defeated former Nationals leader Michael McCormack in a party room ballot on Monday, ending days of speculation about the party’s leadership.
The new leader was sworn in at a ceremony at Government House, the official residence of Governor-General David Hurley.
Mr Joyce was joined by his partner and their two sons.
He was also sworn in to Mr McCormack’s old portfolios of infrastructure and regional development.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended via video conference while under home quarantine 5 kilometres away at the Lodge.
Mr Joyce resigned in 2018 after revelations of an extramarital affair and a sexual harassment complaint that he strongly denied.
A Cabinet reshuffle is expected in the coming days, with supporters of Mr Joyce likely to be rewarded with portfolio positions.
Senator Bridget McKenzie, who resigned from the frontbench after the so-called sports rorts saga, is in line to return to the ministry, while Veteran Affairs Minister Darren Chester is expected to be relegated to the backbench to make room.
With Mr Joyce at the helm of the Nationals, the party looks set to resist any push by Coalition colleagues to adopt a target of net zero emissions by 2050, which the government has been edging towards.
Nationals MP Anne Webster said it remains to be seen if women voters would turn their backs on the party because of Mr Joyce’s return to the top job.
“I imagine we are going to find out,” she said.
Nationals federal president Kay Hull described Mr Joyce as a “very polarising” figure with a “strong personality” but did not comment on whether she thought he would make a better leader.
“You can be a lover of Barnaby Joyce or a serious detractor,” she said.
“We will now look to Barnaby to see how he is going to deliver.”
She praised Mr McCormack and slapped down criticism that he lacked cut-through and exposed the party to ridicule.
“I think he has been very determined and dedicated, strong and resilient as a leader,” she said.
Nationals MP Ken O’Dowd, who voted for Mr Joyce in the ballot, admitted the new leader had a hand in undermining Mr McCormack for years.
“That’s the nature of politics,” he said.
“Everyone’s got an ego, and he wasn’t there for the good of his soul.”
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