The Northern Territory has recorded 17 new COVID-19 cases overnight, with 16 linked to the current outbreak.
Key points:
- The new local cases bring the Katherine cluster total to 87
- A new CHO direction has been issued for people who have spent time in Katherine
- People who have been in Katherine since November 29 and since left must get tested
It is the Territory's highest daily case increase so far in the pandemic
Fourteen of the new cases are from households in four streets in Katherine East, where a testing blitz had been taking place.
Following the rise in cases, the NT's peak Aboriginal health body has called on the NT government to aggressively strengthen its response to the current outbreak.
To address what it is calling a "continuing crisis", Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT) has requested the NT government immediately lock down the Big Rivers region, which encompasses Katherine.
The NT government should also begin to introduce vaccine passports across the region during the lockdown period, AMSANT says.
The organisation has also asked for the NT government to request an "additional surge workforce" from the Commonwealth to assist with testing and vaccination in remote communities.
"We acknowledge the very good job that the NT government has done in responding to the outbreaks in Robinson River, Binjari and Rockhole," AMSANT chief executive John Paterson said.
"However, subsequent measures to contain the Katherine outbreak have been unsuccessful.
"The current situation — with minimal restrictions on movement for those from at-risk areas and with vaccination rates in all but one community not high enough to be fully protective — cannot continue."
Of the 14 cases detected in Katherine East households, eight are children under 12, five are aged in their 20s, 30s or 40s, and one is a 70-year-old woman.
The remaining two cases — a teenage boy and a man in his 70s — are already in quarantine.
There was also one positive case from an international repatriation flight.
"It's a big number but it's a number that we expected," Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison said.
"The blitz is working. We are finding the cases that we thought were there."
The new cases bring the total number in the current outbreak to 87.
Ms Manison said authorities had also detected one more possible case — a Binjari resident who was visiting Timber Creek.
"He has returned a provisional positive result, but that still needs to be confirmed," she said.
The man is in isolation and there are no health directions in place for Timber Creek.
Katherine named 'ground zero for COVID'
Ms Manison said a new Chief Health Officer direction had been issued for people who have spent time in Katherine, Binjari or Rockhole since Monday, November 29 and have since left the Katherine area.
Those people are being directed to get a COVID test within the next three days.
She said authorities were now effectively treating all of Katherine as an exposure site.
"Obviously Katherine has been the ground zero for COVID in the Territory," she said.
"The issue we now have is the high likelihood that it is expected that it is spreading from Katherine into other communities.
"If we do get cases in some of these communities in the next few days, there is a 99 per cent chance that it would have come from Katherine.
"If you have been in Katherine at any point in the past two weeks in those areas and you are now outside of Katherine, please go get a test in the next three days. "
People covered by the new testing requirements do not need to isolate.
Authorities brace for more remote cases
Ms Manison flagged that there was a "very strong chance" remote communities would record COVID cases in coming days.
Yesterday authorities announced positive wastewater had been detected in Tennant Creek and five remote communities near Katherine – Bulla, Daguragu, Pigeonhole, Kalkarindji and Lajamanu.
Positive cases, Ms Manison said today, would likely require lockout restrictions to be placed on communities where cases were detected.
"For the other communities where we have received positive wastewater results in the past few days, we are expecting to get a new round of results back at the end of the day," she said.
"I want to flag that there is a very strong chance that there will be communities that have active cases.
"So it is likely that we are going to have to scale our responses to some of these communities to a lockout in the next day or two.
"So that means locking down people who are not fully vaccinated. And I want these communities to be prepared for that."
Ms Manison said all residents in the remote community of Beswick, which entered a lockout on Saturday after a positive wastewater detection, should be tested by the end of the day.
She said a rapid assessment team took 305 tests in the community yesterday.
However she said only five people came forward for testing in Tennant Creek.
"Frankly that is not good enough," she said.
"When we have positive wastewater, we really do need a higher rate of testing.
"I really urge everybody in Tennant Creek, if you have the slightest of symptoms, it is enough reason to go forward and get a COVID test. Please get tested."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTEyLTEzL250LWNvdmlkLW91dGJyZWFrLWthdGhlcmluZS1zZXZlbnRlZW4tbmV3LWNhc2VzLzEwMDY5NDk4NtIBAA?oc=5
2021-12-13 05:03:31Z
1203924788
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "'Very strong chance' COVID has spread into more remote communities as NT records 17 new cases, including 16 linked to Katherine outbreak - ABC News"
Post a Comment