‘Trend will continue’: NSW sets record with 390 new local cases, two deaths - Sydney Morning Herald

NSW has reported 390 new local cases, the highest daily COVID-19 case total since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian anticipates the trend of higher case numbers “will continue for at least the next few days”.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian arriving for today’s coronavirus update. Credit:James Brickwood

There were also two deaths recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm last night:

• A woman in her 40s in Sydney’s south-west, who was unvaccinated and died at home.
• A man in his late 90s, in the Hunter New England area, who was vaccinated but under palliative care.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Canterbury-Bankstown still has the highest number of cases of the local government areas, but there has been stabilisation.

Blacktown and Mount Druitt remain areas of concern, she said.

NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Marianne Gale says 391 people are in hospital with COVID-19. There are 63 cases in intensive care and 30 of these people require ventilation, she said. Of the 63 in ICU, four are aged in their 20s, six in their 30s, five in their 40s and 15 in their 50s.

Speaking of the two deaths recorded overnight, Dr Gale said the man, aged in his late 90s, had died at Hawkins Masonic Village in Edgeworth, Newcastle. He acquired his infection recently as part of the COVID-19 outbreak in the facility and had received both doses of the vaccine.

The woman, aged in her 40s, who died in Cabramatta was a close contact of a confirmed case. Dr Gale said the woman tested positive on August 7 and was unvaccinated.

Dr Gale said there were 10 cases identified in western NSW Local Health District to 8pm on Thursday, but the Premier earlier said the region had 25 new cases. She would not say exactly how many members of the Aboriginal community were among the cases.“We are seeing some further cases come through. There’s around 22 cases currently in western NSW but the figures I gave were to 8pm,” she said.

There were no new cases in Tamworth, Armidale and the Northern Rivers regions but Ms Berejiklian said those parts of regional NSW are “not out of the woods” yet given there are exposure sites in those areas.

On Friday NSW Health issued an alert to Year 12 students who attended Qudos Bank Arena for vaccination on Tuesday afternoon to be tested and isolate after someone who was at the vaccination hub tested positive.

In a message sent to students, authorities advised anyone who was at the hub between 2.40pm and 4.20pm on Tuesday to “get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible and self-isolate until you receive a negative result.”

Tougher restrictions were announced yesterday for the Bayside, Strathfield and Burwood local government areas, with only authorised workers allowed to leave these local government areas for work. Ms Berejiklian said people in the Inner West and Camden areas should be on “extra alert”.

As cases continue to be detected in some parts of regional NSW, lockdown in the Hunter and New England regions has been extended by another week.

About 80 per cent of the state is now under stay-at-home orders, including Greater Sydney, Dubbo, Tamworth, Northern Rivers, Armidale, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock. Regional towns Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett entered lockdown at 7pm on Wednesday.

There are currently five confirmed cases in Dubbo and one in Walgett, with non-elective surgery postponed at the Base Hospital until August 16.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro flagged the possibility of a statewide lockdown and said “tougher” public health orders were being drafted.

The ACT entered seven-day lockdown from yesterday afternoon, with anyone in NSW who has been in the area since Thursday 5 August asked to stay at home and only leave their residence with a reasonable excuse, NSW Health said on Thursday night.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller is set to tighten rules around the COVID-19 singles bubble and people exercising as part of renewed push to slow the spread of the Delta strain as it slowly engulfs the state.

Mr Fuller will also ask the Australian Defence Force for an extra 500 troops for Sydney’s worst affected areas

NSW Health has identified new venues of concern in Sydney’s west and inner west, Dubbo, Walgett and Byron Bay related to COVID-19 cases. Anyone at the below locations or buses in the relevant times is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

Victoria recorded in the 24 hours to Friday with four of the cases still under investigation.

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‘Trend will continue’: NSW sets record with 390 new local cases, two deaths - Sydney Morning Herald
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