Covid update - Wednesday
1st September 2021
SIX NEW LOCAL CASES COVID UPDATE - 11.10am Wednesday September 1 There were six new cases in the Hunter Region in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. This brings the total number of cases in the local outbreak to 189. Of those new cases:
4 are from Lake Macquarie LGA including- 1 from Whitebridge who was infectious in community but linked to a known exposure
- 1 from Belmont who was infectious in community but linked to a known exposure
- 1 from Swansea Heads who was infectious in community but linked to a known exposure
- 1 from Catherine Hill Bay who was infectious in community but linked to a known exposure
2 are from Newcastle LGA- 1 from Jesmond who was infectious in community. Unknown link. Investigations ongoing.
- 1 from Elermore Vale who was isolating while infectious but linked to a known exposure
10 local people are currently being cared for in hospital and 1 of those is in ICU. Sadly, I believe the person in ICU is a woman who is 24-weeks pregnant. We now have 77 active cases in the region. There are 646 close contacts of local cases who are in isolation. Note: the case reported yesterday from Windale has since been excluded following multiple repeat tests which returned negative results. STATEWIDE: There were 1116 new cases recorded throughout NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Another four deaths were recorded in Sydney overnight. There have been 100 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021, and 156 in total since the start of the pandemic. There have been 22,308 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in this outbreak was reported. HOSPITALISATIONS: There are 917 people currently being treated for Covid-19 in NSW hospitals, with 150 in ICU and 66 on ventilators. CARPOOLING: The State Government has announced a change to the current carpooling rules. More details are available on my website here. EXPOSURE SITES: HNE Health has issued an urgent alert for anyone who may have engaged the services of a tree lopping company called Sau Tree Services. New exposure sites at Charlestown and Whitebridge have also been added to the list. More details are on my website here. TESTING: Testing numbers in the local area remain low which is a concern given that we've had a number of cases of community transmission in the broader region over recent days. Please get tested if you experience the mildest of symptoms, particularly if you've been near any of the exposure locations. SEWAGE DETECTIONS: A bit of good news for us locally. While sewage testing has found traces of the virus in parts of the Hunter, tests done at Toronto and Dora Creek in recent days are all clear. QUESTIONS: Please see my Facebook or Website pages for answers to frequently asked questions. Service NSW also has a 24/7 hotline where people are available to answer questions. You can reach them on 13 77 88. STAY SAFE, stay vigilant, and stay home unless you absolutely have to go somewhere.