Coronavirus Adelaide: Thousands of new tests but no new virus cases
Planeloads of rescued Australians will land in Adelaide in coming days as SA joins a national repatriation mission. It comes as the state recorded no new coronavirus cases again.
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A planeload of repatriated Australians will be quarantined in the Pullman Hotel in Hindmarsh Square from Monday as South Australia joins a national mission to rescue stranded Australians.
The aircraft will have 440 passengers on-board and will be one of two expected to arrive in Adelaide in coming days.
The passengers will be among hundreds of thousands of Australians being brought home from overseas amid widespread travel bans and route closures.
Premier Steven Marshall said they would be quarantined for 14 days.
“We can’t leave Australians stranded. These are Australian citizens who have been caught up and stranded with the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the most part, have found it difficult to get home,” he said.
“South Australia’s successful plan to slow the spread of the disease puts this state in a strong position and we have meticulously planned and prepared to manage these arrivals.”
The first flight is expected to arrive on Monday from India via Indonesia.
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the health system had the capacity to ensure South Australians remained safe.
Adelaide Airport, Border Force, biosecurity personnel, SA Police, federal police, SA Health and transport providers will be involved in the operation. Passengers will be screened for coronavirus on arrival.
Numerous South Australians have already been held in quarantine intrastate after returning from overseas countries after the coronavirus outbreak travel bans went into effect.
After completing quarantine, those from intrastate will be sent home.
NO NEW CASES AFTER RECORD-BREAKING TEST BLITZ
South Australia recorded no new coronavirus cases despite record numbers of sick patients being tested on the first day of an official blitz.
In a major development triggering hope authorities are winning the war against COVID-19, SA Health today announced zero patients were found with the virus overnight.
Revealing total SA cases remained at 435, the state’s Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Dr Nicola Spurrier, said it was a good result.
She had told The Advertiser’s online chat that the public’s response was “amazing and overwhelming”.
SA Health figures showed 1956 COVID-19 tests were collected at 54 virus clinics after testing criteria was widened to include anyone with flu symptoms.
The data, produced by SA Pathology, showed the next busiest testing day was March 16, when 1712 tests were made as the pandemic worsened.
Thursday’s attendance was also more than double the 845 people who tested the day before when the criteria was stricter.
Previously only those with travel history or contacts with feared cases could be tested
The figures emerged as the State Government announced it was helping repatriate stranded South Australian back home.
NEW FACE MASKS TESTING FACILITY FOR ADELAIDE
A new face mask testing facility will be set up in Adelaide to help support the production of millions of respirator and surgical masks by local packaging manufacturer Detmold, the State Government announced on Saturday.
The facility would be the first of its kind in Australia and would speed up testing, which is usually conducted in the US and takes about three weeks.
“Making and testing respirators and surgical masks in Adelaide is exactly the type of innovative response required to provide Australia with the equipment needed to halt the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” Premier Steven Marshall said.
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the testing for SA made masks and respirators would be carried out at Flinders University at Tonsley and UniSA at Mawson Lakes and would provide “ongoing assurance to the public of the quality of and safety of equipment being used in our hospitals”.
“Face masks such as the respirator P2/N95 and level 3 surgical masks need to be tested to strict manufacturing standards to protect frontline health workers, and usually testing is undertaken in the United States, taking around three weeks,” Mr Wade said.
“China produces most of the global supply of face masks, however this has been significantly disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The facility will be boosted by a $450,000 grant through the Research Commercialisation and Startup Fund.
Last month, Adelaide family business Detmold, which usually makes packaging for fast-food outlets, announced it would pivot its operations to produce 145 million surgical masks for frontline health workers in SA and across Australia.
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JUST ONE NEW CASE ON FRIDAY
South Australia recorded just one new coronavirus case on Friday despite a major surge in testing as part of a new statewide blitz.
There have been 435 patients with COVID-19 in SA, 76 per cent of whom have recovered. There are 104 active cases in the state, two of whom are in intensive care including a 68-year-old man in a critical condition.
As about 2000 people were tested in a new statewide blitz on Thursday, there was only one new confirmed case – a person in their 50s with a history of overseas travel.
The next step in the program to ramp up community diagnosis is a new 60-minute rapid testing capability, to be launched at 10 country locations and all major metropolitan hospitals in about three weeks.
Meanwhile, elective surgeries could begin again in South Australian hospitals within weeks as the State Government looks at ways coronavirus restrictions can begin to be slowly wound back.
Scroll down to read more on the latest SA developments.
