- PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW COVID-19 CASES IN NEWCASTLE (UPDATE) –
Since our alert last night (5 August, 8.15pm), a second case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Newcastle; a close contact of the teenager announced yesterday. The District is continuing to investigate the source of that case’s infection.
This latest case is a male in his 20s.
Hunter New England Local Health District is urging anyone who attended the following venues at the specified times to immediately self-isolate and seek testing:
- Bennett Hotel, Hamilton – Friday 31 July, from 5.30pm to 10.00pm
- Greenroof Bar and Restaurant, Hamilton – Friday 31 July, from 10.00pm to 12 midnight
- The Hopsmith Sports Bar, Wests New Lambton – Sunday 2 August, from 5.00pm to 7.30pm.
The venues have been notified and are undergoing cleaning. Contact tracing is underway.
Hunter New England Health also urges any patrons who visited the following venues at the times specified to be alert for symptoms, and if any develop to get tested and self-isolate immediately:
- Queens Wharf Hotel – Saturday 1 August from 9.30pm to 11.00 pm
- Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton – Saturday 1 August, from 12 midnight to 1.30am Sunday 2 August
- McDonald Jones Stadium – Sunday 2 August, 7:30pm to end of game, Newcastle Jets match.
The above public health recommendations follow a rigorous contact tracing process where an infected individual’s movements and interactions are analysed. This enables the Public Health unit to determine if there was a reasonable chance other individuals may have been infected with the virus. In this case they would be considered a close contact and required to self-isolate until 14 days after they last saw the person or attended a place where that person visited, even if they are feeling well.
Casual contact includes instances where transmission is less likely. For example where someone had less than 15 minutes face-to-face contact over the course of a week with a confirmed case, or was in the same closed space with them for less than two hours. Casual contacts are not required to self-isolate, but are still encouraged to seek testing should they develop symptoms.
Dr Kat Taylor, Public Health Controller for Hunter New England Health’s COVID-19 response said that Hunter New England Health is still working to identify any further contacts or venues visited by both individuals, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available. All close contacts will be notified and required to isolate for 14 days.
“It is vital people in the community continue to present for testing if experiencing symptoms to limit the spread of the virus.
“I encourage everyone to follow directions they receive about home isolation and quarantine, and maintain COVID-safe practices of physical distancing, coughing or sneezing into their elbow, and regularly washing their hands,” she said.
With the identification of additional cases in the Newcastle area, The District is expecting an increase in the demand for testing.
“To ensure we can best serve the community during this time, we have enhanced our local testing capability.
“In addition to expanding our call centre capacity and the number of phone lines available to improve booking wait times, we will extend hours and capacity at a number of local clinics.
“However, please be patient if visiting a clinic or calling for a booking. We have thousands of testing opportunities throughout the course of today and will see people as quickly as possible,” Dr Taylor said.
For a complete list of COVID-19 testing clinics and booking details, please visit http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/clinics.aspx