Received

Details: Written by Lydia Crates; Category: Received; Published: 24 July 2021; Hits: 183

NSW recorded 163 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. That's up from 136 in the previous 24 hour period.

Of these locally acquired cases, 87 are linked to a known case or cluster – 62 are household contacts and 25 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 76 cases is under investigation. 45 cases were infectious in the community.

NSW recorded 163 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/HHbLss3xpp
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 24, 2021

There have been 1,940 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported. There are currently 139 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 37 people in intensive care, 17 of whom require ventilation.

Sadly, a man in his 80s from south-west Sydney died at Liverpool hospital yesterday (Friday). NSW Health extends its deepest sympathies to his loved ones.

This man’s death was announced yesterday and is included in today’s figures. This brings the total number of COVID-related deaths in NSW to 62, including six during the current outbreak.

There have been 1,940 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported.

There are currently 139 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 37 people in intensive care, 17 of whom require ventilation.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 24, 2021

A record 93,910 COVID-19 tests were reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 86,620. NSW Health thanks the community for continuing to come forward for testing in high numbers, which is vital to detecting cases early and preventing further spread of the virus.

Of the 163 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 67 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 45 are from Western Sydney LHD, 31 are from Sydney LHD, 14 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, four are from Northern Sydney LHD, one is from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD and one is from Central Coast LHD.

Fragments continue to be detected in local sewage treatment plants

NSW Health’s ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 at the sewage treatment plants at Warriewood on the Northern Beaches, and Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands. There are no known cases in either of these areas.

Everyone in these areas is asked to be especially vigilant for any symptoms that could signal COVID-19, and if they appear, to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received. If symptoms appear again, please be tested and isolate again.

Stay-at-home orders tightened for some

Due to the emergence of further cases of community transmission in Sydney’s west and south-west, from 12.01am today, people living in the Cumberland and Blacktown Local Government Areas (LGAs) are only be allowed to leave their LGA for work if they are an authorised worker.

Authorised worker restrictions are already in place for Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown LGAs. This means the authorised worker restrictions will now apply to five LGAs.

Authorised workers from the Cumberland, Blacktown and Liverpool LGAs who work outside their local government area are not required to undertake surveillance testing.

Authorised workers from the Fairfield LGA who work outside this area must have a COVID-19 test once every three days in order to be allowed to go to work.

People who live in the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA but work outside this area as an aged care or health worker must have a COVID-19 test once every three days in order to be allowed to go to work.

This includes workers who provide ancillary or support services for aged care and health, such as cleaners, cooks and security providers.

NSW Health continues to urge everyone in these five LGAs, and throughout NSW, to get tested immediately if they have even the mildest of symptoms and isolate until they receive a negative result.

Details: Written by Grant Broadcasters; Category: Received; Published: 24 July 2021; Hits: 139

The federal government will send thousands of extra Pfizer vaccine doses to NSW to help douse Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak, as the prime minister hails a "record day" of jabs.

The Commonwealth will send the vials from a national stockpile after other states and territories rebuffed the NSW government's plea for more vaccines on Friday.

The prime minister's office told AAP the extra vaccines are in addition to 150,000 Pfizer doses already sent to NSW, and are expected to arrive within a week.

"Where there is potential to put more vaccines into NSW, even beyond what we are doing, of course we will seek to do that," Scott Morrison said following a meeting with state and territory leaders on Friday.

"But we're not going to disrupt the vaccination program around the rest of the country."

Mr Morrison said Australia was on track to have administered 11 million vaccination doses on Saturday "based on the efforts yesterday".

"Yesterday was another record day for vaccinations around the country, almost 200,000 doses delivered in a single day," he said on Saturday.

Two days after apologising for the nation's underwhelming vaccination rollout, the prime minister was optimistic.

"We've turned the corner, we've got it sorted. We're hitting the marks that we need to make, a million doses a week are now being delivered," Mr Morrison added.

"We are well on our way to where we want to be by the end of the year and potentially sooner than that."

NSW leaders on Friday declared the state's COVID situation - with 136 locally acquired cases - a national emergency.

NSW was given an additional 150,000 doses of Pfizer and the same amount of AstraZeneca earlier in the month as the virus began to grip Sydney.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pitched the idea of a "ring of steel" around Sydney to prevent further virus spread to his and other states.

The Victorian government installed a police guard around Melbourne during its lengthy second lockdown in 2020 to protect other areas from virus spread.

Mr Morrison indicated such measures were unnecessary, saying stay-at-home orders would suffice.

"There is nothing light about the lockdown in Sydney, I can assure you. My family are in it," he said.

On Friday, 15.4 per cent of the nation's population aged 16 and above have received both jabs.

AstraZeneca remains the preferred vaccine only for people aged 60 and over because of the risk of extremely rare blood clots.

The Australian Medical Association has joined Mr Morrison in calling for the expert immunisation panel to rethink the age advice.

Final approval for children aged between 12 and 15 to receive the Pfizer jab is expected to be given by the end of next week.

Pregnant women were overnight added as a priority group for vaccination.

Victoria recorded 12 new locally acquired cases on Saturday.

Queensland reported no new locally acquired or hotel quarantine cases on Saturday.

The state was put on alert on Friday after a flight attendant with the virus crewed flights to the regions and also visited the Dreamworld theme park.

South Australia, which is also in lockdown, reported one new case on Friday.

Details: Written by Grant Broadcasters; Category: Received; Published: 24 July 2021; Hits: 110

New South Wales will beef up its vaccine strategy in the hope that more jabs can help quash Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak.

The state reported 136 new local cases on Friday, a new daily high for the current outbreak which started in mid-June.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant advised for the first time on Friday that the outbreak was a "national emergency".

The virus is spreading particularly quickly among young workers in critical industries who live in Sydney's west and southwest, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, and more first vaccine doses in those hot spots could slow the transmission.

"We need to get at least the first jab for as many people as we can in those affected communities as possible," she said.

A plan to roll out more Pfizer vaccines to those critical workers, by extending the interval between Pfizer doses from three to six weeks, was discussed at a meeting of national cabinet on Friday.

An announcement on the strategy is expected on Saturday.

Dr Chant warned on Friday that the scheme could see some people's vaccine appointments cancelled, but she said hard choices would be necessary to stem the spread.

The government is also urging people to consider getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said members of the community had a duty to help quash the outbreak, that would be fulfilled by getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"Your obligation to yourself, the community, NSW and indeed Australia ... is to go to get the jabs of AstraZeneca," he said.

Dr Chant said her own husband and mother-in-law had received the AstraZeneca, describing the risks as "infinitesimally small compared to the benefits".

A push by the NSW government to have other states' allocations of Pfizer diverted to Sydney's hot spots was sunk in the national cabinet meeting on Friday.

Case numbers keep trending higher despite the government ratcheting up restrictions in Greater Sydney, which was sent into lockdown four weeks ago.

Residents in the Cumberland and Blacktown local government areas are now subject to the same elevated stay-at-home orders that southwestern Sydney residents have endured for almost a week.

From 12.01am on Saturday, they have been forbidden from leaving their area unless they are a critical worker.

Residents in the Orange, Blayney and Cabonne local government areas in the state's central west are also in lockdown until at least July 28.

Saturday's case numbers will be eagerly anticipated as the premier has indicated that the impact of stricter measures would start to be reflected in case numbers over the weekend.

Late on Friday night NSW Health said fragments of the virus had been detected at the sewage treatment plant at Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands where there were no known cases in this area, which was of "great concern".

Moss Vale area residents are asked to be vigilant for any symptoms and if they appear to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

Details: Written by Grant Broadcasters; Category: Received; Published: 24 July 2021; Hits: 105

New South Wales will beef up its vaccine strategy with thousands of extra Pfizer doses from the federal government in its bid to quash Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak.

The state reported 136 new local cases on Friday, a new daily high for the current outbreak which started in mid-June.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant advised for the first time on Friday that the outbreak was a "national emergency".

"We need to get at least the first jab for as many people as we can in those affected communities as possible," she said.

The federal government announced on Saturday that it will send thousands of extra Pfizer doses from the national stockpile to NSW, in addition to 150,000 extra doses already sent.

The Prime Minister's Office told AAP the extra Pfizer doses are set to arrive in NSW within the week.

The Commonwealth's intervention comes after other states and territories pushed back at the national cabinet meeting on Friday against the NSW government's pleas for Pfizer vaccines to be diverted to Sydney's virus hot spots.