SA’s Covid cases hit new record of 2093, two positive patients die, 11 people get wrong test result

SA has recorded 2093 cases on the last day of 2021, as confusion reigns over close contact rules. Two more people with Covid have died and 11 people received an incorrect test result.

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SA has recorded two more deaths and a “significant” rise of 2093 Covid cases on the last day of the year, a huge jump on yesterday’s figure of 1374.

Two aged-care residents, both Covid positive, died - a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s.

The cause of death is not confirmed and have been referred to the Coroner.

Today’s cases include 206 children and 145 teenagers. SA had 25,943 tests on Thursday – a new record, Premier Steven Marshall said.

Test result bungle

SA Pathology has admitted sending 11 people the wrong Covid test results. Six people who were told they were Covid-negative were positive, and five who were told they were positive were negative.

In a statement late on Friday, SA Health said 11 people received a text message advising them of the incorrect Covid-19 results.

“While the PCR test result was correct, an IT issue resulted in the incorrect result being sent to the individuals,” a spokeswoman said.

“A clarification was sent within three hours of the original message being received and we’ve contacted all those affected to explain the situation and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The spokeswoman said the error was found during SA Pathology’s usual quality control processes and while this is the first occurrence in South Australia, they have implemented further measures to prevent it happening again.

SA Pathology has conducted 110,235 Covid-19 tests since Monday.

Contact rules

Mr Marshall moves to clarify the state’s new rules about close contacts, and Treasurer Rob Lucas announced a $40m rescue package for hospitality and tourism industries hit by the new density requirements. And SA Ashes hero Travis Head has tested positive to Covid.

REPLAY TODAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE

There are 44 people in hospital with Covid and four in intensive care, one is on a ventilator but all are considered stable.

Mr Marshall said workers in sectors where vaccinations were mandatory would soon be required to have three shots.

People coming into SA are no longer required to use the Entry Check SA, or a take a rapid test if they are coming over the border, effective immediately.

“This is not a good use of our resources at the moment,” Mr Marshall said.

He said fully vaccinated people arriving from overseas would no longer have to quarantine as of midnight on Friday.

Mr Marshall moved to clarify the state’s new rules about close contacts, saying chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier’s statement about “15 minutes” was a guideline and not a direction.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said most of the states had agreed to narrow the definition of a close contact to people who spent four hours or more with a positive case in a “household-like setting”, in an attempt to lower testing queues.

But Mr Marshall said SA was not using that rule, and would instead classify a close contact as someone who spent time with or was an intimate partner with a positive case.

Asked to clarify the close contacts rules, he said there was no “hard and fast” message.

“It is variable - if you had dinner with someone who has Covid, you have a high chance of getting it, you should get a PCR test. But there are a million variations of that.”

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THURSDAY UPDATE: DECEMBER 30

South Australia has recorded 1374 new cases of Covid on Thursday and a child under two with the virus has tragically died.

It has not yet been determined if Covid caused the child’s death and the case has been referred to the Coroner, Premier Steven Marshall said as he offered condolences to the child’s devastated family.

It’s the state’s sixth death of a Covid patient, and the second since borders reopened after a 94-year-old woman died on Sunday.

It comes as the National Cabinet agrees on a new definition of a close contact, leading to isolation rule changes in SA.

There are 37 people in hospital, which Mr Marshall said was “well within our current capacity to handle”. Four people are in ICU and one is on a ventilator. And a prisoner has tested positive for Covid for the first time in SA since the pandemic began.

The case number is a drop from Wednesday’s record of 1472.

From January 10, children aged 5-11 will be eligible for vaccination. “It still remains a large logistical exercise to get everyone vaccinated,” he said.

Hot weather on Friday and Saturday means many Covid testing sites will close between 10.30am and 5.30pm. You can check opening hours here.

Mr Marshall said National Cabinet had agreed on Thursday to narrow the definition of a close contact to someone who has spent four or more hours with a positive case in a “household-like setting”, including an intimate companion.

This may be flexible depending on the circumstances, for example in an aged-care setting, he said.

However, on Friday, chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said SA’s definition was fair wider, and meant anyone who had spent more than 15 minutes with a positive case was a close contact.

In SA, people who test positive must now isolate for 10 days and take a rapid test on day six. Vaccinated close contacts must isolate for seven days, with a rapid test on day six. A negative results means you can return to normal life.

Unvaccinated people must isolate for 14 days. This applies from midnight on Thursday.

“We are seeing around the world a massive increase in the transmissibility of this disease, but the good news is that symptoms are much less serious for those who are vaccinated,” Mr Marshall said.

It comes as SA records its first Covid case in the prison system – at the Adelaide Women’s Prison at Northfield.

“The department can confirm that a prisoner has tested positive to Covid at the Adelaide Women’s Prison,” a Correctional Services Department spokesman said.

“The prisoner was recently admitted and in quarantine when she tested positive.

“The Communicable Disease Control Branch has been advised and are responding in accordance with agreed protocols.”

There were 23,420 tests on Wednesday, as Mr Marshall stressed that PCR testing capacity must now be focused on people with symptoms, those deemed close contacts, or those who returned a positive rapid antigen test. All others should stay away, he said.

He said about two thirds of those being tested at the moment did not have symptoms.

“Too many people are going for screening (PCR) tests without symptoms – it’s the wrong use of a finite resource,” he said.

Moves to implement a “screening measure” for people without symptoms would be supported by rapid antigen tests, which until recently have been banned for use among the general population in SA.

This week, under new changes, pharmacies and supermarkets have been scrambling to secure enough to meet demand.

“We have 10 million RAT tests either in the system or on order – 4 million on order now and SA has placed an order for a further five million,” Mr Marshall said.

Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: Emma Brasier

He also asked people to reconsider their plans New Year’s Eve, saying it was a possible “super-spreader” event.

Outdoor events are far less problematic than indoor events, he said.

Chief public health officers Nicola Spurrier on Wednesday urged South Australians to have “quietest New Year’s Eve they’ve ever had”, drawing the ire from the struggling hospitality industry.

Mr Marshall did not go as far but said Professor Spurrier had “every right to be cautious”.

“But there are ways to enjoy New Year’s Eve without risking your health and the health of other South Australians,” he said.

He said the best way to stop the health system being overwhelmed was “going hard”, which was why restrictions were tightened on December 28. 

Defending his decisiont to reopen borders, he said Omicron “changed the system around the world” after the reopening.

“Borders were opened on November 23 based on the Doherty Institute modelling,” Mr Marshall said.

“Omicron was reported later – November 24, from South Africa.”

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: DECEMBER 29

South Australia recorded 1472 new cases of Covid on Wednesday – the first time the daily figure had exceeded 1000.

But the number of people in hospital has remained steady at 37, and the number in intensive care dropped by one to four.

Responding to what he described as a “significant increase” in cases, Premier Steven Marshall announced elective surgeries will be limited to only category one and urgent category two surgeries, to ease the load on our hospitals.

He also said South Australia will no longer conduct pre-departure PCR testing for other states. That will include Queensland, where a requirement that travellers test negative within 72 hours of arrival will not be removed until January 1.

“We just simply need to dedicate all of the testing capability that we have to those people that have symptoms and those people that are close contacts,” Mr Marshall said.

People queue for Covid shots at the vaccination Clinic at Wayville Showgrounds. Picture: Emma Brasier

Police later tweeted that people should only attend testing stations if they had symptoms of Covid or were a close contact of someone with the virus. People lining up to get a pre-travel test would not be tested, they said.

Mr Marshall also said it’s “very likely” the third booster jab will become mandatory for frontline health workers, as well as disability and aged care workers. They’ll have to get the jab within two weeks of becoming eligible.

He urged South Australians to take calls to work from home where possible “very seriously”. Based on the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, that position will likely remain in place until at least the end of January.

Cases are also spiking to unprecedented levels in the eastern states.

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