ACT records 41 new cases of COVID-19, as cluster grows at Centenary Hospital nursery - ABC News

The ACT has recorded 41 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19.

Key points:

• The cluster at the special care nursery at Canberra Hospital has grown to five
• Health authorities say it is too early to determine how NSW's updated roadmap will affect the ACT
• But they're preparing for a rise in ICU admissions given an increase in case numbers in the ACT and surrounding regions

At least five of the new cases were infectious in the community and 24 are yet to be linked to a known source.

There are currently 15 people in hospital with the virus.

Seven people are in intensive care – six of those requiring ventilation.

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith also confirmed more cases had been linked to a growing cluster at the special care nursery at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.

Second baby tests positive to COVID-19

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith announced new COVID-19 cases linked to the nursery cluster. (

ABC News: Ian Cutmore

)

Ms Stephen-Smith said a second baby and a staff member had tested positive overnight, bringing the total number of cases in the cluster to five.

"Investigations into the source of the infection continue, but it has also been confirmed that two carers who had been visiting the unit have tested positive for COVID-19," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

"So this is a total of five cases now associated with the special care nursery.

"There are currently 28 CHS [Canberra Health Services] team members who are unable to work as they are in quarantine as a result of this exposure."

Ms Stephen-Smith said the special nursery ward at the centre of the outbreak was separate to the neo-natal ICU also at the hospital.

"I would like to reassure Canberrans that this situation is being expertly handled and that people can feel safe to attend hospital should they require hospital care," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

"Our health services have strong measures in place to protect everyone, including the use of personal protective equipment, visitor restrictions and screening for everyone who is entering a health facility."

Ms Stephen-Smith said neither the babies nor staff members were in intensive care.

ANU confirmed 21 students are in quarantine after a student from one of the residential halls tested positive to the virus. (

ABC News: Tamara Penniket

)

Positive case at ANU residential hall 

An Australian National University spokesman confirmed a student from Wright Hall is in remote quarantine away from the residence after testing positive to COVID-19. 

"There are about 20 other students who are in this student's bubble who are currently quarantining in the residence awaiting further directions from ACT Health," he said. 

"This is understandably a difficult situation for the individual and in respect for their privacy, we won't be divulging any further detail.

"Our entire community wishes them a speedy recovery."

He said ANU was working with ACT Health to ensure the students had access to the care and support they needed, while contact tracing was underway. 

The ACT is on track to reach more than 95 per cent vaccination rates for its eligible population. (

AAP: Daniel Pockett

)

ACT 'on track' for world-leading vaccination rates

Ms Stephen-Smith said the territory was a few months away from being one of the most vaccinated jurisdictions in the world.

"Like NSW, we have reached the 70 per cent double-dose milestone for Canberrans aged 16 and over. But we are focussed on the whole eligible population aged 12 and above, which will take a few more days to reach this benchmark," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

"I think when you get to close to 100 per cent, there's not going to be many places that are exceeding that."

Ms Stephen-Smith said 96 per cent of Canberrans aged 12 and above had now had their first dose of a vaccine.

" I don't think even we were expecting to get to this benchmark," she said.

But health authorities said high vaccination rates had arrived alongside higher case numbers.

"We've got higher case numbers than we would like to see in the ACT," Ms Stephen Smith said.

"Higher in fact than the starting benchmark for some of that Doherty modelling, so we need to be cautious.

"We need to remind people that you can still contract the virus and you can still transmit the virus if you're vaccinated."

The ACT border has been effectively closed to most New South Wales residents for months. (

ABC News: Ian Cutmore

)

'Too early' to know effects of Sydney's updated roadmap

The ACT government said it would be "interesting" to see how NSW's updated roadmap affected the state's case numbers, but that it was too early to determine what impact it would have on the territory.

"I think we'll have to have a pretty detailed look at what NSW is talking about," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

"I know that generally they are talking about doubling the number of people who can visit a home … compared to their previous roadmap.

"My understanding is that does still apply to fully vaccinated individuals and we, of course, have based our roadmap on not differentiating between fully vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, and partly because of the compliance issues associated with that.

"What's heartening about what we're currently seeing in NSW is that we're continuing to see those case numbers come down and be stable at a significantly lower level than the 1,000+ a day that we were seeing a while ago."

Ms Stephen-Smith said new NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet's decision to expand freedoms had not engendered change in the ACT's position. 

"I think we're just going to have to wait and see a little bit around what it means for us," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

"Clearly we are most focussed on what it means for our local region and what we're going to see in terms of more movement and more cases in our local region.

"I think it's a little bit early to judge what it's going to mean for us, but at the same time it's going to be an interesting thing to watch and we are going to have to set our arrangements in terms of cross-border travel on the basis of what we are seeing and expecting in NSW."

Health authorities say people who required intensive care support during the current outbreak were largely unvaccinated or had received just one dose of a vaccine. (

ABC News: Andrew Kennedy

)

Hospitals brace for rise in ICU admissions

Ms Stephen-Smith said that health services were also prepared for a rise in ICU admissions in the coming weeks, after consecutive days of higher case numbers in the ACT and surrounding region.

"Over the next few weeks, we would be expecting to potentially have up to 30 COVID-19 patients and potentially up to 10 in the intensive care unit, as a result of the case numbers that we're seeing," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

"So this is exactly the kinds of numbers that we've been planning for. Our COVID-19 capacity is around 20 in ICU. That will be an impact on our ICU capacity, there is no doubt about that, but this is exactly where we were expecting to be."

ACT Deputy Chief Health Officer Vanessa Johnston said it was clear that those who required intensive care support were either unvaccinated or had received just one dose of a vaccine.

"The trend is that we will see more cases, and if those cases are not vaccinated then we will see more severe disease," Dr Johnston said.

"So, of course, we really need to have a look for that and reinstate and reinforce that call to people to please get vaccinated.

"That is the primary job of the vaccine: is to prevent severe disease, prevent hospitalisation and an ICU admission."

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2021-10-07 00:54:47Z
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