Covid numbers set to peak in days as wave hits SA

Students at several SA schools will wear masks as a new Covid wave hits, with one Adelaide class shut down today.

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SA is heading towards about 7000 Covid cases in the community, with a peak predicted within days – but many will not report it, Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier says.

As the state is hit by a new wave, Covid numbers surged by 10 per cent in the past week, with 3179 new cases compared with 2888 last week.

This week, 138 people were hospitalised with Covid including four people in ICU.

The deaths of 12 people, aged in their 60s to more than 100, were reported.

The Department for Education confirmed four schools have enacted mask wearing requirements or a short class closure as a result of the high number of cases in the past seven days.

A Fulham Gardens Primary School class began a short closure on Thursday and will reopen on Monday – the school’s students will also wear masks until April 12.

Berri Primary School students will wear masks until April 7, McLaren Vale Primary School until April 6 and McLaren Flat Primary School until April 3.

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Prof Spurrier says SA was in the middle of a new Covid wave, along with other parts of Australia. Updated modelling showed cases were likely to peak around April 4, with about 600 reported cases a day by then.

She said the modelling predicted an estimated 7000 infections in the community but many would not be reported.

She urged people to consider taking RATs before visiting family members over Easter.

Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Meanwhile, a case of potentially-deadly Hepatitis A has been notified in a young fast food worker.

The health chief said she “did not think there was any risk to the public”, but about 70 staff members in a northwest metropolitan site in Adelaide could have been in contact with the infection.

“Unfortunately there was only one toilet at this facility for staff to use, so there’s about 70 staff that we’re in the process of contacting this afternoon,” Prof Spurrier said.

“This young person had a nice overseas holiday and went to a country where Hepatitis A is more prevalent … and they weren’t vaccinated.”

Affected staff members will be offered vaccination or immunoglobulin treatment through a specific clinic, which will be set up by SA Health on Monday.

Meanwhile, SA has recorded 877 cases of the flu so far this year, compared to six at the same time last year – but the health chief officer said that didn’t mean the state was headed for a worse flu season.

“Sometimes we have an early season, sometimes we have a late season – the peak of that can be difficult to predict,” Prof Spurrier said.

Calling it an “infectious disease week”, she said another tuberculosis infection had been reported in an APY lands cluster, bringing the total number to 11.

The newest case was a woman in her 20s who was in a stable condition at the RAH.

Another case of measles has also been reported in SA – the sibling of a three-year-old infected last week, SA’s first case in three years.

Addressing the outbreak nationally, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has warned the Covid pandemic “is not over” with future waves expected in Australia this year.

Mr Butler said cases could climb as Australia entered the cooler months, announcing new measures to help prevent the spread and impact of Covid.

He said 160,000 extra people would meet the criteria to be prescribed antiviral drug Paxlovid under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Until now, only patients who had two risk factors of severe illness were eligible for the treatment, however that will be reduced to just one risk factor for patients aged between 60 to 69 from this weekend.

“This is not over – there will be future waves of Covid across the course of this year,” he said.

Prof Spurrier last addressed the outbreak more than a week ago, indicating SA was entering a new Covid wave.

“We are really, it looks like, at the beginning of this next wave of Covid,” she said.

Speaking at the time, she said the number of Covid cases had increased by 37 per cent, but did not blame the spike on Mad March festivities.

“Regardless of this, we would still be getting a wave,” she said. “This is not surprising and it is something that we had predicted.”

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