Three aged care residents at a northwest Sydney facility have caught COVID-19 from an infected staff member and are among the 16 new local cases across NSW.
All three residents were fully vaccinated against the virus and the facility's operator says all are currently asymptomatic and in good spirits.
SummitCare Baulkham Hills said in a statement on Sunday the residents - a man in his 90s, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s - were transferred to Westmead Hospital as a precautionary measure but are doing well.
"The fact that the affected residents are showing no symptoms at this stage shows their early vaccinations have worked," a SummitCare spokesman said.
All other tests on workers and staff at the Baulkham Hills facility have returned negative so far and the site is in full lockdown. Deep cleaning is taking place.
Almost all of SummitCare Baulkham Hills' 149 residents are fully vaccinated.
NSW recorded 16 local COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday from 45,000 tests, with just three cases out in the community during their infectious period. There have now been 277 local COVID-19 cases reported since 16 June, the start of the current outbreak.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the dip in case numbers was a good sign, as well as the decreasing number of people in the community while infectious.
She reiterated all people in Greater Sydney and surrounds must adhere to lockdown provisions, which will remain in place until at least Friday.
"We are seeing numbers going the right way but I do say cautiously that number can still bounce around," Ms Berejiklian told reporters.
"Whilst the numbers overnight are very encouraging compared to the previous day, we know that they still have a potential to bounce around. And we still know that the next few days are absolutely critical."
Ms Berejiklian on Saturday had said it was "too soon" to tell whether the lockdown of Greater Sydney would be extended beyond 9 July.
Authorities listed a string of new exposure sites across Sydney over the weekend.
The latest cases show the epicentre of the outbreak has shifted from the city's east, to the western and southwestern suburbs.
Anyone who has been in the centre of Auburn in Sydney's west since 27 June is being told to get tested, even if they don't have symptoms.
New close-contact exposure sites were late on Saturday announced at Hop Hung Asian Grocery in Lakemba on 30 June and Strathfield Plaza Medical Practice on 1 July.
On Sunday, NSW Health said anyone who attended the Commonwealth Bank at Roselands Shopping Centre on 28 June is also a virus close contact.
Meanwhile NSW has lifted stay-at-home orders for travellers from Western Australia, the Northern Territory and parts of Queensland as restrictions in those states and territories have eased.
NSW Labor health spokesman Ryan Park on Sunday said in a statement the government should incentivise COVID-19 vaccination by offering additional "Dine and Discover" hospitality vouchers to those who get the jab.
Mr Park said this would help boost vaccination rates while injecting money into local business.
The government has previously said supply issues, rather than a lack of demand, are to blame for low vaccination coverage.
Five COVID-19 patients in NSW are currently in intensive care.
With SBS News
'Numbers are encouraging': NSW reports 16 new local coronavirus cases that include three aged care residents - SBS News
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment