11am Saturday: Covid update
7th August 2021
COVID UPDATE - 11AM SATURDAY August 7 
4 NEW LOCAL CASES / EXPOSURE SITE UPDATE There are 4 new cases in the Newcastle-Lake Macquarie area. This includes the Morisset driver I reported late yesterday, a household contact of an existing case, and two students who were living on campus at the University of Newcastle. Two new cases have been reported at Armidale, which is also in the Hunter-New England Health district and are added to the health district total. This brings the total number of cases in our health district to 13. Tracing is still being undertaken to determine the exposure sites visited by these people during their infectious period, and before their positive result. Tracers are still working to update the list of exposure sites in the local area. Aside from the sites I published yesterday, there are several new ones including the ED at John Hunter Hospital. I will republish a full list later today when more is known, but these are the new ones issued by HNE Health:
NEW COVID-19 EXPOSURE SITES Anyone who attended the following venues on the specified dates and times are considered close contacts and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, and await further advice from NSW Health:
Corset Bar and Supper Club at Hamilton on 28 July from 7.30pm to 10pm. John Hunter Hospital Emergency Department on5 August at 8.42pm until 6 August 1.50am.
Anyone who attended the following venues on the specified dates and times are casual contacts (unless they have been contacted by NSW Health as close contacts) and must get tested and isolate until a negative test result is received:
K-Mart, Westfield Kotara on 28 July from 3.40pm to 3.50pm JD Sports, Westfield Kotara on 28 July from 3.30pm to 3.40pm Sydney has recorded another record day of cases. There were 319 new cases recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Of those, at least 82 were infectious while in the community before their positive test. There are 345 people currently being treated for Covid-19 in NSW hospitals, with 56 in ICU and 23 on ventilators. Sadly, another 5 deaths occurred overnight. That brings the total death toll from the latest Sydney outbreak to 27 . In regards to testing clinics, I know the Warners Bay clinic has again seen long queues today. Those at Morisset and Doyalson, though, have had only short queues. You are able to drive anywhere for the purpose of getting a Covid test, so it might be more convenient for people living in our northern suburbs to head south, even to the clinics at Wyong Hospital, Doyalson and Wyong Leagues club at Kanwal. They are not experiencing the line-ups today that Warners Bay and Newcastle are. Find a testing clinic here. In regards to vaccinations, I do not yet have any updated information from HNE Health regarding the rescheduling of vaccinations at the Belmont hub. As you can imagine, our frontline health workers are scrambling at the moment but I can assure you that everyone there is working their backsides off for our community. I will certainly post updates when I get them. The strongest advice I can provide to everyone is to please stay home and only undertake travel that is absolutely essential. Almost every single question I get starts with "Can I just...". If you're not sure, don't do it. If you have to do it, please read the "Stay at Home" rules on this link - it includes info on masks, essential travel, child care, exercise, visitors, providing care to vulnerable seniors and much more. Please be assured that I will post any updates as soon as I have them on my Facebook page. In the meantime, stay vigilant and please stay safe.