Advertisement

Delta surge hits health hubs; paramedics, three hospitals and a Naval base at risk

Victoria and NSW are bracing for a surge in COVID-19 cases as the Delta outbreak infiltrates the health care system, with at least 70 paramedics isolating and cases linked to three major hospitals, an aged care home and a Naval base.

Jul 16, 2021, updated Jul 16, 2021
Victoria has suffered its deadliest day since its second wave 18 months ago, two years to the day since the virus was first detected in Australia (AAP Image/Supplied by Kate Geraghty/SMH)

Victoria has suffered its deadliest day since its second wave 18 months ago, two years to the day since the virus was first detected in Australia (AAP Image/Supplied by Kate Geraghty/SMH)

NSW has recorded 97 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, with three-quarters of the new infections in Sydney’s southwest and at least 29 people out in the community while infectious.

The state’s Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, is expecting the weekend to bring a spike in cases, warning the Sydney lockdown won’t end until number of infectious people circulating in the community gets close to zero.

Victoria has recorded six new COVID-19 cases on the first day of its snap lockdown, including a member of the defence force at a Royal Australian Navy base on the Mornington Peninsula. The member, based at HMAS Cerberus, has been in isolation since they tested positive for the highly infectious Delta variant on Thursday, the Department of Defence has confirmed.

The member visited an exposure site at the weekend. Live-in Navy personnel at HMAS Cerberus have been confined to their barracks and training and leave has been suspended.

Meanwhile, 200 staff at the Royal Melbourne Hospital have been stood down after they were potentially exposed to a patient who is a close contact of a COVID-19 case.

The hospital is still operating on reduced staff but has postponed elective surgery.

The staff have been told to isolate for 48 hours to enable contact tracing efforts.

Queensland will close its border to people from Victoria from 1am Saturday, as the southern state’s coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.

The state recorded one new locally acquired case on Friday, the mother of a 12-year-old boy who spent time in the United States and completed quarantine in Sydney before flying to Brisbane.

She’d been in hospital with her son since he tested positive and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says there is no risk to the community. The boy’s father has also tested positive.

Berejiklian has been criticised for not defining what is essential work and has resisted calls to close retails outlets, including luxury handbag and shoe stores, or making masks mandatory outdoors.

But on Friday she stressed “we will not hesitate to go harder” on restrictions to drive the number of infections down.

“We need to make sure that any decisions we take will have the desired effect of reducing those numbers,” she said.

The highly infectious Delta variant outbreak in Sydney has surpassed 1000 cases since it began a month ago, with dozens hospitalised and some on ventilators.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says she’s concerned that the source of infection for 34 cases remains under investigation.

“I can’t stress to the community (enough) my absolute concern that we need to work harder at reducing mobility and reduce our interactions with others,” she said.

Sydney and surrounding regions are poised to go into a fourth week of a lockdown that was due to end on Friday but will now continue for at least another two weeks until July 30.

NSW police handed out 164 enforcement notices on Thursday and gave more than 200 warnings to people breaching the public health orders.

Among those caught was the 20-year-old daughter of NSW deputy premier John Barilaro, who travelled between Queanbeyan and Sydney last Friday and was subsequently issued with a $1000 fine.

Infection numbers continue to rise in southwest Sydney, where testing clinics were inundated this week after essential workers from the Fairfield local government area were ordered to get tested every three days if they work outside the area.

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone says people are having to wait up to 24-hours for their results.

“They need to be able to give those workers some form of accreditation straight after the testing so they can show the employers that they have been tested, not wait 24 hours and employees have to stay home,” he told Network Nine on Friday.

InQueensland in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

He rejected claims that people were flouting stay-at-home orders in the area which has become the epicentre of the outbreak.

“I don’t see that in Fairfield. I see it minimal. I see people are really scared. They’re trying to look after their families,” he said.

Meanwhile, NSW Health has opened a new vaccination hub which will prioritise around 12,000 teachers, school staff and aged care workers in southwest Sydney at the Prairiewood Youth and Community Centre.

Two of Sydney’s major hospitals are now on alert after a nurse and a patient were diagnosed with COVID-19.

A pregnant patient and a doctor at Liverpool Hospital, in Sydney’s southwest, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and a vaccinated nurse who worked at Westmead Hospital in a COVID-19 ward has also tested positive.

Cleaners at Westmead Hospital are refusing to enter the hospital’s COVID-19 unit because they say they are being denied access to vital personal protective equipment.

Health Services Union NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said the workers were told by NSW Health they would not be given appropriate PPE, including booties and hairnets and there were delays getting properly fitted masks.

The workers were also told they can’t shower at the hospital before going home, heightening their risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 to their loved ones and the broader community.

“Our members are asking for basic health and safety provisions. The fact their requests have been denied is incomprehensible,” Hayes said.

Three paramedics in southwest Sydney have now also tested positive for the virus, forcing at least 70 paramedics identified as close contacts into isolation, Hayes said.

The union was meeting with the NSW Ambulance over the issue to ensure appropriate precautions were being taken.

“If we can put this out to the paramedics … as well as the community that the ambulance service will be functioning … then paramedics can feel safe that everything has been done to make sure that their interests are looked after,” Hayes told radio 2GB.

On Thursday night, Minchinbury Manor – an aged care home in Rooty Hill – confirmed a contract cleaner at the facility had been diagnosed with the virus, prompting the centre to isolate all residents and staff.

Residents and staff will be tested daily, and five close contacts of the cleaner have been identified and sent into isolation.

Local News Matters
Advertisement

We strive to deliver the best local independent coverage of the issues that matter to Queenslanders.

Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy