(Image: AP/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

More infectious and re-infectious

The first case of COVID-19 reinfection has been recorded in Hong Kong.

A 33-year-old man caught the virus during the first wave and recovered in April, before travelling to Spain via the UK and testing positive again this month. He was asymptomatic during the second infection.

Others in China have tested positive for the virus twice, however, it’s not known whether they still had the virus in their bodies from the first infection. 

Scientists say reinfection appears to be rare.

Meanwhile, the most common strain of COVID-19 in Australia and around the world has been confirmed to be an infectious mutant strain.

But, while it’s more infectious than the original strain when tested in a lab, it’s likely to be only marginally more infectious when transmitted among humans. It also doesn’t seem to make people sicker and is not so different it would affect vaccine development efforts. 

AFL away 

The AFL grand final has been all but lost to Victoria thanks to the second wave of COVID-19 cases.

Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and NSW will put forward their cases to host the game. Queensland has the upper hand for taking in Victorian clubs and players during the shutdown. 

The Victorian government’s contract with the AFL, which is in place until 2057, means it has a say on where the game is hosted. 

The AFL has also confirmed mass job losses, with about 20% of staff roles to be cut to address a $300 to $400 million revenue shortfall. Senior staff and executives, including AFL Media boss Darren Birch and salary cap manager Ken Wood will be some of the first to leave.

This morning Victoria recorded 148 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths.  

NSW security rule breaker

A Sydney hotel quarantine security guard who tested positive for COVID-19 allegedly defied isolation orders, going shopping the next day. He has been fined twice. 

He’s the second security guard to contract COVID-19 in NSW.

This morning, NSW recorded three new COVID-19 cases. More than two million tests have been conducted in the state since the start of the pandemic.

International alarm

Senior government advisers in the UK have warned a second national lockdown may be on the cards as the R-value — the average number of people an infected person passes the virus on to — rises above one. When the figure hits one, the outbreak has the potential to grow exponentially.

The UK has recorded more than 7000 new COVID-19 cases in the past week. 

In the US, authorities have confirmed a child died from the coronavirus. The child, aged under five, had underlying health conditions and died in June from complications related to the virus.