There were 70 infections linked to the outbreak by Saturday, including one person who has since recovered from COVID-19.

As well as focusing attention on the worrying emergence of the highly infectious Delta strain of the virus, authorities are concerned about a number of cases that can’t be linked to a known source.

By Liam Butterworth

Should teachers receive priority status for vaccination?

With Victorian students back in the classroom in the regional parts of the state and senior schooling in Melbourne, there has been a suggestion that teachers should get priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Malcolm Elliott, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, says many of their members would like to be part of it.

“If we look at it from the point of view of a risk management approach, then we’ve got children relying on teachers, upon whom they rely for guidance and support in their learning and to whom they look for guidance and leadership in times like this,” he said.

“The teachers, of course, are closely bonded with their students and they want to be available to them as much as we possibly can and we don’t want an outbreak amongst teachers, so in broad terms, that’s the feeling.”

Margie Danchin, a consultant paediatrician at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, says teachers under 40 should be getting priority access, even though evidence of COVID cases among teachers in schools and early childhood settings were low.

“There were about 140 over the year, and only four of those teachers needed to go to hospital and made a full recovery. So in fact what we found last year was the risk to teachers was actually quite low. Of course, moving on now and as you said, with the Delta variant and a bit more uncertainty, I think what we need to do absolutely prioritise schools to stay open and to provide all the security that we can to teachers,” Associate Professor Danchin said.

“So, yes, I am very strongly supportive of us prioritising teachers. They are concerned, they are worried, and, as Malcolm said, they need to be back in the classrooms with the kids.”