NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced yesterday that a woman who works at a Sydney hotel complex that quarantines returned travellers had tested positive to COVID-19.
The woman travelled on the train from Minto to Lidcombe and Central and on the light rail from Central to Darling Harbour on multiple occasions while potentially infectious, sparking concerns thousands of others could have been exposed to the virus.
The case has sparked a testing blitz of hotel staff at the Ibis hotel in Darling Harbour and Novotel. Anyone living in the Minto area has also been urged to come forward for testing.
It is too early to tell how the woman caught the virus and whether or not it was from a returned traveller.
Ms Berejiklian said the situation was “very serious” and she “won’t hesitate to act” if the situation requires NSW’s restrictions to change.
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A question has been raised over whether hotel quarantine workers should use public transport after thousands of people were potentially exposed to COVID-19.
NSW Health issued an urgent alert yesterday for 12 train and light rail services after a woman who worked at one of the Sydney hotels quarantining returned travellers became infected.
But one expert said stopping hotel quarantine workers using public transport wasn't necessary.
Jane Halton, chair of the coalition of epidemic preparedness, said forcing workers off public transport wasn't the answer.
"I'm actually not worried about that to be honest with you," Ms Halton told Nine's Today show.
"Look, there haven't been that many cases. Tens of thousands of people have come back to Sydney from all around the world, they've been accommodated in hotels here and we have had one or two breaches.
"Public health authorities have done a great job in tracking and tracing."
She added the woman had done the right thing and worn a mask while on the train and light rail, which Ms Halton said would have helped protect those around her.
Ms Halton said she was "alert" but not "panicked" by the new COVID-19 case.
"Let's do what we know works. So I'm worried, of course I'm worried, but I am not panicked and I have confidence in the NSW Health people. They have done a great job so far," she said.
The US has recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic so far, with the number of COVID-19 fatalities rising dramatically on Wednesday.
The country recorded 3157 new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, which is 20 per cent higher than the previous record of 2603 deaths on April 15, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The US now has more than 14 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 274,648 deaths.
Despite medical advances that have allowed doctors to treat the disease better and meant more patients can stay at home, there are far more people in hospital than during earlier peaks.
The figure is currently 100,000 people, compared to 60,000 in April and July.
Picture: Go Nakamura/Getty Images/AFP
And unlike when the virus first entered the US and was confined to certain hotspots, it’s now everywhere.
Dashboards that track infections show almost the entire map of the United States lit up in red, indicating the situation is critical.
“The reality is, December and January and February are going to be rough times,” Robert Redfield, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
“I actually believe they’re going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation."
He warned as many as 450,000 could be dead by February.
According to an average of predictive models compiled by the CDC, the country should cross 300,000 deaths before the end of the year.
But even that number hides the reality: when including deaths that were misdiagnosed or caused indirectly, 300,000 was crossed in October.
– With AFP
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is looking into the use of "e-vaccination certificates" to allow international travellers to prove they have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
In October, WHO and officials from Estonia started developing a digital vaccine certificate which could be used to track healthcare data and help boost vaccinations in developing countries.
"We are looking very closely into the use of technology in this COVID-19 response, one of them how we can work with member states toward an e-vaccination certificate," Europe's WHO programme manager for vaccine-preventable diseases, Siddhartha Datta said.
Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA NewsWire
Last month Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said passengers wanting to use his airline for international travel will have to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
“For international travellers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they get on the aircraft," he told A Current Affair.
“Certainly, for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country we think that’s a necessity.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not yet said whether the vaccine will be a a requirement for international travel across the board.
However, his government's COVID-19 vaccination policy released in November says it "may introduce border entry or re-entry requirements that are conditional on proof of vaccination".
Thousands of people in Sydney may have been exposed to COVID-19 after an infected woman travelled on a dozen different trains and light rail services.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced yesterday that a woman who works at a Sydney hotel complex that quarantines returned travellers had tested positive to COVID-19.
The woman travelled on the train from Minto to Lidcombe and Central and on the light rail from Central to Darling Harbour on multiple occasions while potentially infectious.
Picture: Joel Carrett/NCA NewsWire
Anyone who travelled on the below services for the following periods must get tested immediately and self-isolate until further advised:
Light Rail
– Convention to Central at 4:01pm – 4.11pm, November 27
– Convention to Central at 3:14pm – 3.29pm, November 28
– Convention to Capitol Square 3:58pm – 4.09pm, November 29
– Capitol Square to Central 4.55pm – 5.03pm, November 29
– Central to Convention 6:39am – 6.54am, November 30
– Convention to Central 3.10pm – 3.26pm, November 30
Train
– Minto to Lidcombe 04:55am – 5:52am, November 27
– Central to Lidcombe 4.12pm – 4.49pm, November 27
– Central to Lidcombe 3.31pm – 4.32pm, November 28
– Central to Lidcombe 5.05pm – 5.44pm, November 29
– Lidcombe to Central 6:14am – 6:37am, November 30
– Central to Minto 3.28pm – 4.20pm, November 30
The woman also worked at the Ibis hotel in Darling Harbour and Novotel.
The case has sparked a testing blitz of hotel staff, and anyone living in the Minto area has been urged to come forward for testing.
It is too early to tell how the woman caught the virus and whether or not it was from a returned traveller.
Ms Berejiklian said the situation was "very serious" and she "won't hesitate to act" if the situation requires NSW's restrictions to change.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMirQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9saWZlc3R5bGUvaGVhbHRoL2hlYWx0aC1wcm9ibGVtcy9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy10aG91c2FuZHMtaW4tc3lkbmV5LXBvdGVudGlhbGx5LWV4cG9zZWQtdG8taW5mZWN0ZWQtd29tYW4vbGl2ZS1jb3ZlcmFnZS8yZjM1M2M2YmJhODc1MjBlZWM0MzY5MzQ3MTRiZThkONIBsQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9saWZlc3R5bGUvaGVhbHRoL2hlYWx0aC1wcm9ibGVtcy9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy10aG91c2FuZHMtaW4tc3lkbmV5LXBvdGVudGlhbGx5LWV4cG9zZWQtdG8taW5mZWN0ZWQtd29tYW4vbGl2ZS1jb3ZlcmFnZS8yZjM1M2M2YmJhODc1MjBlZWM0MzY5MzQ3MTRiZThkOC9hbXA?oc=5
2020-12-03 19:54:09Z
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