Last night Hunter New England Health confirmed that there were providing care for elderly man in his seventies who has contracted COVID-19 and is being cared for in home in an unknown location.
Hunter New England Health have not provided his location or places this man has been if any before testing positive the only information provided is that he returned from a trip to Italty before becoming sick.
Whilst patients have a right to confidentiality the public also require information to protect themselves or to be tested if they think they might have come in contact with this man.
The fact that Hunter New England is not providing these details is a concern and causing social a anxiety as people fear the unknown.
There was a patient in his seventies, who presented to St Vincent Emergency Department in recent days who was confirmed to have COVID-19 it could well be this is the man that Hunter New England Health is caring for. If it is indeed the same person it would mean that he has not been in contact with anyone in the Hunter New England Health area which covers a large area and does not pose any threat to the community.
However, we just don’t know and Hunter New England Health needs to provide more information to keep the public for panicking