Weekend Wrap 29 August 2021: Glady’s and Morrison delusions of Freedom day while 15,00 COVID cases active, daily records tumble, a thousand in hospital and 10% of jobs destroyed

Ben Davison looks at the delusions of Glady's and Morrison as Australia reaches more than 15,000 active COVID cases, smashes through 1,200 new cases a day, hospitals are overwhelmed, ambulance services issue warnings and testing clinics are attacked.

The Doherty Institute tries to clarify that even at 70% vaccination rates, if COVID is as loose in the community as it is now, the only solution is lockdowns as Mark Butler goes on Insiders and warns that 6 million Australians will still be unvaccinated at the 70% mark.  NSW is, three months into "lockdowns", only just reaching the half way point to a 70% vaccination rate. 

The Victorian breakdown shows that 600 out of the 773 active cases of COVID are under 40, with more than 300 under the age of 19, calling the whole basis of excluding people under 18 from the Doherty Model into question.

The reality of nearly 10% of all jobs in NSW having been destroyed since this outbreak began should put an end to the health vs economy debate but doesn't even get a mention from Morrison, who refuses to put a wage subsidy scheme or paid vaccination leave in place, or Gladys, who remains delighted at testing rates and wants us to stop focussing on case numbers.