Covid update - Tuesday
28th September 2021
63 NEW LOCAL CASES / TRAVEL RULES EXPLAINED COVID UPDATE - 11.10am Tuesday September 28 Another 63 new cases reported in the Hunter Region in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, including 18 in Lake Macquarie. These new cases take the total number in the local outbreak to 782. OF THE NEW LOCAL CASES:
18 are from Lake Macquarie LGA- 3 in Edgeworth
- 2 in Mirrabooka
- 2 in Morisset
- 2 in Redhead
- 1 in Toronto
- 1 in Mount Hutton
- 1 in Cardiff
- 1 in Warners Bay
- 1 in Belmont North
- 1 in Teralba
- 1 in Windale
- 1 in Boolaroo
- 1 in Gateshead
19 are from Newcastle LGA- 3 in Merewether
- 3 in Warabrook
- 2 in Cooks Hill
- 1 in Mayfield
- 1 in Elermore Vale
- 1 in Newcastle
- 1 in Adamstown Heights
- 1 in Birmingham Gardens
- 1 in Kotara
- 1 in North Lambton
- 1 in Georgetown
- 1 in Hamilton North
- 1 in Stockton
- 1 in Beresfield
13 are from Maitland LGA- 5 in Metford
- 3 in Thornton
- 2 in East Maitland
- 2 in Woodberry
- 1 in Rutherford
6 are from Port Stephens LGA- 4 in Raymond Terrace
- 1 in Medowie
- 1 in Lemon Tree Passage
4 are from Cessnock LGA- 2 in Weston
- 1 in Kurri Kurri
- 1 in Heddon Greta
1 is from Muswellbrook LGA- 1 in Muswellbrook
1 is from Singleton LGA- 1 in Wattle Ponds
1 is from Upper Hunter Shire LGA- 1 in Aberdeen
STATUS AND CLOSE CONTACTS: Of those new cases, 38 are linked, 11 are unlinked and 14 are still under investigation. Unfortunately, 35 were infectious in the community, while 16 were isolating while infectious. A further 12 are still under investigation.We now have 697 close contacts in the local area who are in isolation.
ACTIVE: There are currently 482 active cases in the local region. 14 local people are being cared for in hospital. None are in ICU. EXPOSURE SITES: A couple of new exposure sites reported overnight, including Chemist Warehouse at Charlestown and sites at Beresfield, Scone and Muswellbrook. More details on the new sites (including a link to the full list at NSW Health) HERE. STATEWIDE: There were 863 new cases reported throughout NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Sadly, another seven deaths were recorded over the past 24 hours. HOSPITALISATIONS: There are now 1155 people currently being treated for Covid-19 in NSW hospitals, with 213 in ICU and 113 requiring ventilators. STATEWIDE VACCINATION RATES: Across NSW, 85.7 per cent of the over-16 population has received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 60.4 per cent are fully vaccinated to 11.59pm on Sunday 26 September 2021. CHANGE TO TRAVEL RULES: I've had a lot of questions about the change to travel rules announced by the Premier yesterday, and probably with good reason. To be clear, the shift to 80% refers only to people living in Greater Sydney. So:
At 70% (Oct 11) someone living in a regional area such as Lake Macquarie CAN travel to another regional area or LGA, but people from Greater Sydney cannot travel to a regional area. (Note that 'Greater Sydney' again includes the Central Coast from today) At 80% (Oct 18 or 25) all people, including those from Greater Sydney, can travel to the regions. TESTING: Hunter Health and its teams of tracers have been hampered by people waiting to get tested despite being symptomatic for sometimes 6-7 days. When they've tested positive, this has automatically put tracing efforts more than a week behind from the start. Please don't be complacent. If you experience any symptoms, please get tested as soon as possible. QUESTIONS: Please see my Facebook or Website pages for answers to frequently asked questions. Service NSW also has a 24/7 hotline where people are available to answer questions. You can reach them on 13 77 88. STAY SAFE, stay vigilant, and stay home unless you absolutely have to go somewhere.