Numbers rise again as ACT records 51 new cases

October 14, 2021January 31, 2023 journo

The ACT has recorded 51 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Tuesday, just one case fewer than its record set some two weeks ago. Of these latest cases, 13 were in quarantine during their whole infectious period and 22 have been assessed as presenting a risk of transmission to others. ACT Health reported that 32 are linked to known cases or ongoing clusters, 19 of whom are household contacts. One of the newest ACT clusters to emerge in the past 24 hours has been traced to Craig Hall Bodyworks in Phillip. Dr Coleman said that 12 employees at the bodyworks had been recorded as casual contacts. A further eight were close contacts and are required to get tested and self-isolate. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said that from Friday, the so-called expanded bubble arrangements must first comply with NSW health orders, and there was a detailed form on the ACT COVID-19 website as to what the approved reasons were for travelling into NSW. “Once you leave the ACT, regardless of whether you are an ACT resident or not, you are subject to NSW health orders,” he said. He said that he had sought to expand the standing exemption arrangements bubble area even further in talks with the cross-border commissioner. “That bubble will continue to expand but this is very much tied to NSW vaccination rates and rates within regional NSW,” he said. “You would note that while NSW as a whole might be getting close to 80 per cent double dosed by the end of the weekend or early next week, the regions are still behind Sydney [rates] so there are still messages of caution coming from the NSW government about travel to the regions.” He said that “normalisation” of travel between the jurisdictions depended on any localised outbreaks in NSW. “At the moment they [NSW] are cautiously guarding against people travelling from people from greater Sydney going into the regions,” he said. “Hundreds of thousands of vaccinations were fast-tracked into the local government areas of south-western and western Sydney. Vaccination rates are not as high in second dose – which is what matters – in the regions.” He anticipated, based on the current vaccine trajectory, that this would “certainly be in place in time for summer holidays and Christmas”. READ MORE: There are now 833 cases who have recovered in Canberra, 27 of them in the past 24 hours. This means there are now 474 active cases associated with this outbreak. There are more than 1600 people who have self-identified as close contacts. As at 8pm Tuesday, there were 16 COVID-related patients in ACT hospitals, including eight in intensive care and five of these people require ventilation. More than 3200 tests were collected across the ACT on Tuesday, from government and private providers. There were more than 2321 negative test results in the 24 hours to 9am Wednesday. There are also now more than 370 current exposure sites listed for the ACT. Total vaccination doses administered across the ACT now stand at 359,584. The ACT reports that 98.5 per cent of people aged 12 and over have now had a first dose, and 73.5 per cent have received two. Early educators – primary school teachers and staff, and those working in childcare facilities – are going to be one of the newest groups of people requiring mandatory vaccination under a new order issued by chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman. Whether the same mandatory vaccination order should also be applied to people working in disability care will be discussed at this week’s national cabinet. Dr Coleman has given the official go ahead for the territory’s lockdown to be lifted this Friday. Dr Coleman said as the ACT moved out of lockdown it would no longer be necessary to identify every source of infection. “As we move forward, our ability to identify the source of infection for every case is just not going to be possible but it also becomes unnecessary,” Dr Coleman said. Canberra’s border bubble is set to be expanded to include places such as Goulburn, Braidwood and Cooma, but greater freedom of movement in NSW is yet to be approved. READ MORE: Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is 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. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

Of these latest cases, 13 were in quarantine during their whole infectious period and 22 have been assessed as presenting a risk of transmission to others.

ACT Health reported that 32 are linked to known cases or ongoing clusters, 19 of whom are household contacts.

One of the newest ACT clusters to emerge in the past 24 hours has been traced to Craig Hall Bodyworks in Phillip.

Dr Coleman said that 12 employees at the bodyworks had been recorded as casual contacts. A further eight were close contacts and are required to get tested and self-isolate.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said that from Friday, the so-called expanded bubble arrangements must first comply with NSW health orders, and there was a detailed form on the ACT COVID-19 website as to what the approved reasons were for travelling into NSW.

“Once you leave the ACT, regardless of whether you are an ACT resident or not, you are subject to NSW health orders,” he said.

He said that he had sought to expand the standing exemption arrangements bubble area even further in talks with the cross-border commissioner.

“That bubble will continue to expand but this is very much tied to NSW vaccination rates and rates within regional NSW,” he said.

“You would note that while NSW as a whole might be getting close to 80 per cent double dosed by the end of the weekend or early next week, the regions are still behind Sydney [rates] so there are still messages of caution coming from the NSW government about travel to the regions.”

He said that “normalisation” of travel between the jurisdictions depended on any localised outbreaks in NSW.

“At the moment they [NSW] are cautiously guarding against people travelling from people from greater Sydney going into the regions,” he said.

“Hundreds of thousands of vaccinations were fast-tracked into the local government areas of south-western and western Sydney. Vaccination rates are not as high in second dose – which is what matters – in the regions.”

He anticipated, based on the current vaccine trajectory, that this would “certainly be in place in time for summer holidays and Christmas”.

READ MORE:

There are now 833 cases who have recovered in Canberra, 27 of them in the past 24 hours. This means there are now 474 active cases associated with this outbreak.

There are more than 1600 people who have self-identified as close contacts.

As at 8pm Tuesday, there were 16 COVID-related patients in ACT hospitals, including eight in intensive care and five of these people require ventilation.

More than 3200 tests were collected across the ACT on Tuesday, from government and private providers. There were more than 2321 negative test results in the 24 hours to 9am Wednesday.

There are also now more than 370 current exposure sites listed for the ACT.

Total vaccination doses administered across the ACT now stand at 359,584.

The ACT reports that 98.5 per cent of people aged 12 and over have now had a first dose, and 73.5 per cent have received two.

Early educators – primary school teachers and staff, and those working in childcare facilities – are going to be one of the newest groups of people requiring mandatory vaccination under a new order issued by chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman.

Whether the same mandatory vaccination order should also be applied to people working in disability care will be discussed at this week’s national cabinet.

Dr Coleman said as the ACT moved out of lockdown it would no longer be necessary to identify every source of infection.

“As we move forward, our ability to identify the source of infection for every case is just not going to be possible but it also becomes unnecessary,” Dr Coleman said.

READ MORE:

Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Picture: Elesa Kurtz.

Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is 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. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: