Hunter New England Health continues to urge the community to get vaccinated and keep coming forward for testing should they experience any symptoms, with 83 new cases diagnosed to 8pm last night, Tuesday, October 26.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Five cases are from the MidCoast local government area (LGA), with four from Taree and one from Forster.
Of the other new cases in the HNE Health District, 24 are from Newcastle LGA, 20 are from Cessnock LGA, 11 are from Port Stephens LGA, seven are from Lake Macquarie LGA, six are from Maitland LGA, six are from Tamworth LGA, three are from Dungog LGA, and one is from Armidale LGA.
The new cases bring the total number in the HNE Health District to 2811 since August 5, 2021. A previously reported case has been excluded from the District's total.
Of the new cases, 30 cases were in isolation for their entire infectious period, 47 were infectious in the community. Fifty-one cases are linked to known exposures or clusters, 26 are unlinked, and the source of six cases is under investigation.
"We urge anyone who is currently isolating in the community with COVID-19 to call for an ambulance should they experience a deterioration in their condition, including breathlessness and dizziness," Dr David Durrheim, Public Health Physician, HNE Population Health said.
There have been recent detections of COVID-19 virus fragments from the Inverell sewage treatment plant, where there are no known cases.
"We continue to urge everyone in this area, and not only in this specific catchment area, to come forward for testing even if they have the mildest of symptoms so we can identify any unknown cases in the community and reduce transmission," Dr Durrheim said.
"We remind our communities that, while we may be fully vaccinated, infection is still possible and we can still transfer the virus to someone we love, including small children who are ineligible for vaccination, or vulnerable people in our community.
"People should not go to work and get tested if they are experiencing any symptoms."
Exposure venues
Those who have attended any of the exposure sites published on the HNE Health Facebook page, NSW Health and NSW government websites at the specified times and dates should get tested, regardless if they have symptoms or not and follow the NSW Health directions.
NSW Health alerts close contacts of all confirmed cases and directs them to be tested and self-isolate for the required period for vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
All testing facilities can be located via www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/health-and-wellbeing/clinics.
Anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough or shortness of breath, is urged to immediately get tested. Even people with mild symptoms, such as fatigue, new muscle aches or pains, headache, a change in taste or smell or a new runny nose, should arrange testing as quickly as possible.
Third doses of vaccine now available for severely immunocompromised
HNE Health is offering a third COVID-19 vaccination to people aged 12 years and older who are severely immunocompromised and have received their last dose at least two months prior.
This is in line with advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), which has recommended a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (preferably a mRNA such as Pfizer or Moderna) will further increase an individual's protection against the virus.
Severely immunocompromised people (as defined by ATAGI) are those receiving active treatment for cancer (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and/or hormonal therapy), malignant blood cancers, organ failure, advanced or untreated HIV, or those on immunosuppressive or biologic therapies. The full definition list can be found on the Australian Government Department of Health website.
At this stage, ATAGI has not announced a third dose for the wider population generally.
Due to the strict eligibility criteria, appointments will not be available via the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder at this time. Appointments for communities across the District will instead be made by contacting the booking team via HNELHD-COVIDClinicBookingChange@health.nsw.gov.au or 1800 570 575 (8am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday).
Third doses will be available at our vaccination hubs located at Armidale, Belmont, Moree, Muswellbrook, Tamworth and Taree, as well as at local GPs and pharmacies.
Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
