Hospital worker among six new local COVID-19 cases in Sydney - Sydney Morning Herald

A Sydney hospital worker is among six new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in NSW, with the source of the new detections unknown.

All six cases are close contacts of a western Sydney man who was the state's only locally acquired case announced on Saturday. There were three cases also recorded on Sunday in returned overseas travellers.

Testing rates in NSW will have to increase before any restrictions are wound back.Credit:Louise Kennerley

There were 12,764 tests carried out in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday and Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that figure had to be much higher before restrictions can be eased.

“All of us want to see those restrictions we have in place eased, all of us want to be confident we can go back to what we had before Christmas and that will only be possible if we get those high rates of testing to give our contact-tracers, and our health experts the confidence that we are on top of any unknown strains of the virus,” she said.

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One of the new cases is a staff member at the Concord Repatriation Hospital who is in isolation but who had worked three shifts in the cardiology and radiology wards while potentially infectious on January 12, 13 and 14.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the person had minimal contact with patients and had worn a face mask during each of their shifts. Seven close contacts who work with the case have been tested and their results had been negative, she said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says Dan Andrews has not discussed reopening the Victorian border with her.Credit:Cole Bennetts

"Investigations are ongoing, but there is no ongoing risk to patients or staff," Dr Chant said.

Ms Berejiklian said Victoria should reopen its border to everyone in NSW but said if Victorian Premier Dan Andrews was considering easing those restrictions he had not spoken with her about it.

"He's not been in touch with me at all but I also say that should have occurred quite a while back because we don't have a hot spot in NSW," she said.

"We are, of course, dealing with a result of an outbreak from a month ago, but I think everybody would agree that closing a border of such significance is a really big deal and I stress that we waited until Victoria had in excess of - I think it was 180 cases they had the day after we announced the border closure."

The source of the seven linked western Sydney cases, including the six announced on Sunday, is unknown, however, genomic sequencing would be available later today which would provide further insight.

“That will give us some insights into terms of what genomic linkage, whether it's Berala or Avalon or keeping our options open, but that would be obviously what we would be considering,” Dr Chant said.

Dr Chant echoed the Premier's plea for an increase in testing rates and urged residents in Bankstown, Lidcombe, Auburn, Berala and Wentworthville, in particular, to come forward.

“My plea applies to everyone across the state but particularly in those local government areas as we're trying to mop up any last chains of transmission,” she said.

The state’s ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 at the treatment plant in Glenfield. The catchment takes in the suburbs of Campbelltown, Casula, Glenfield, Gregory Hills, Holsworthy, Ingleburn, Macquarie Fields, and Woodbine.

Everyone in these areas is asked to be alert for symptoms, to get tested immediately if they appear and then isolate until they receive a negative result.

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2021-01-17 00:48:00Z
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