Return to the daily news blog to stay in-the-loop on all Goulburn Valley headlines.
Hey there Shepp,
Welcome back to the Thursday news blog with Georgia Rossiter.
It’s going to be another cooler one today, with a top of 23 degrees and a bit of a breeze.
Update, 5 pm: John Williamson is winding back, but not before visiting Shepparton
Before I sign off for the evening, Caitlyn Grant spoke to Australian icon John Williams ahead of his Winding Back Tour.
Williamson is proving his legend status with a jam-packed tour of 40 dates across Australia.
A leg of the tour will land the True Blue singer in the heart of Shepparton, performing at Riverlinks Eastbank on February 18.
Read her full chat with the singer here.
UPDATE, 3.45 pm: Needle spiking raises alarm
From over in Echuca comes the concerning report that police have issued a warning for women to be aware of needle spiking at entertainment venues.
The Campaspe Crime Investigation Unit does not know what the women were injected with.
Women who have been injected are experiencing adverse reactions, such as feeling unwell almost immediately.
“People we’ve spoken to were having a night where there would be absolutely no reason for them to feel ill,” Echuca’s Detective Sergeant Barry Gray said.
Read the full story from Adair Winder here.
UPDATE, 2.15 pm: Local COVID-19 numbers
Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to wait until GV Health chief executive Matt Sharp gave us the numbers for today.
Across the local public health unit, there were 387 new cases of coronavirus recorded, bringing the total number to just under 2400.
Of the new cases recorded, 175 were in Shepparton.
There are currently 17 patients admitted to GV Health with coronavirus and one patient is in intensive care.
I’ll have more for you later in the afternoon.
UPDATE, 11.20 am: Victorian COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar says we’re “past the peak”
Victorian COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weirmar said the state’s Omicron outbreak has “past the peak”.
Mr Weimar is at a health centre in Bendigo, and said the government continues to prepare for the coming autumn and winter seasons.
“We do think we’re past the peak at this point in time,” he said.
UPDATE, 10.50 am: Pop-up vaccination clinic at St Georges Rd PS this weekend
St Georges Road Primary School is hosting a pop-up vaccination clinic, open 9am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday (February 5 and 6).
Children aged five to 11 can get a first dose of a vaccine, anyone eligible can receive a booster, and anyone aged 12 or over can get a first or second dose of a vaccine.
To book ahead, visit portal.cvms.vic.gov.au, or the option to rock up on the day is also there.
The clinic is located at 120 St Georges Road, Shepparton.
You can also check coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-centres to find a vaccination centre near you.
UPDATE, 10 am: NZ announces border changes
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announced a new reopening plan this morning to gradually open borders.
Fully vaccinated NZ citizens based in Australia will be allowed to forgo hotel quarantine, travel home from February 27 and self-isolate.
Two weeks later, from March 13, NZ citizens in other parts of the world will also be allowed to return home and self-isolate, as well as skilled workers and working holiday visa holders.
And by July, all Australians will be able to travel across the ditch and undergo self-isolation at home.
Great news for all the Kiwis on the West Island!
UPDATE, 9 am: Victorian COVID-19, and a discrepancy
In Victoria, 34 people have lost their lives with the virus in the latest reporting period.
There are currently 752 people in hospital with coronavirus in the state, and 82 of those are in ICU, 29 are on ventilators.
The state 12,157 new cases have been recorded and of those, more than half were recorded with rapid antigen tests.
The Victorian Department of Health is treating cases reported with rapid tests as probable cases, and positive cases recorded with PCR tests as confirmed.
A Victorian Department of Health spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday the data released at 12pm - which we have been including in the blog - as part of the daily COVID-19 update did not include results from rapid antigen tests.
Which is a bit confusing.
At Matt Sharp’s Tuesday press conference, he said there was more than 2000 cases across the local public health unit, and this number includes positive results recorded with rapid antigen tests.
So I think this may be the more accurate data source from here on - until the Health Department figures out a way to include positive RATs in their data.