SA Covid updates: Record 64 new cases in SA and more exposure sites

A third Covid case has been identified in an SA aged care home, as the state recorded 64 new Covid cases overnight – the highest number since the start of the pandemic.

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A third Covid case has emerged in SA’s aged care sector.

A worker at the Philip Kennedy Centre Residential Care at Largs Bay tested positive on Friday morning after “developing symptoms”.

In a statement, centre management said it had locked down several wings in the facility.

Urgent testing had also been launched for residents and other staff.

“These wings are now closed to all visitors, all new resident admissions and all non-essential contractors,” the centre said.

Other measures to contain the spread had also been actioned, including ensuring residents stay in single units and staff work in a single area, improving virtual systems, and boosting cleaning and the use of Personal Protective Equipment.

It is unclear if it is linked to the sick locum GP and physiotherapist who visited 22 nursing homes earlier this week.

Philip Kennedy Aged Care Centre

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos DECEMBER 16, 2021: People line up outside the COVID testing clinic at the Royal Adelaide Hospital: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

SA RECORDS 64 NEW CASES

South Australia recorded 64 new cases of Covid-19 overnight, a number that is expected to keep rising by the day, Premier Steven Marshall says.

“We’re going to see those numbers climb … we know that the Omicron variant is far more transmissible,” Mr Marshall said.

Mr Marshall also announced that SA will lift a raft of restrictions from December 28.

Of those new cases, 49 were locally acquired, three were from overseas and 12 are still under investigation.

A host of new exposure sites were also announced overnight, including a coffee shop, juice shop and tea shop in Adelaide.

One of Adelaide’s largest private urology practices has also had to postpone surgeries after its staff were exposed to a Covid positive case at a city restaurant.

More than 20 staff of South Terrace Urology, which undertakes surgeries, have been placed in isolation after the exposure.

Calls to the company’s practice go straight to a voicemail message that that practice has had to close the clinic at “short notice” due to Covid-19.

Mr Marshall said only three people have been admitted to hospital since borders opened, and one remains in a stable condition.

“We are still encouraging every single person in this state to get vaccinated.”

He said authorities were considering bringing the time boosters could be administered to fully vaccinated people forward to less than five months – which is the current national time frame following the Omicron scare.

“We’re less concerned now then we probably were three weeks ago because we know more about it,” he said.

“We’ve ruled out statewide lockdowns going forward but we do need to keep some Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine (TTIQ) requirements in place.”

“Now we will continue to see those numbers climb, and people shouldn’t be concerned about that, what we will be doing is constantly keeping you updated about hospital administrations.”

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said people who are cases will now be getting an SMS text and the TTIQ process would be scaled back.

“Instead of getting a very long detailed interview with the case we have shortened our interview process and will be using some online surveys as well.”

She said they would still be doing genome testing to see what strain of Covid a person had and SA Pathology would test random sample of all cases.

“So again, trying to get a sense of how much Omicron we’ve got in our state,” Prof Spurrier said.

“When I looked at the percentage of our cases a day or so ago, we had 10 per cent of our caseload was from international arrivals and 30 per cent was from interstate arrivals, so we’re certainly getting more of a disease burden from our interstate arrivals at the moment.”

She urged anyone eligible for a booster shot – which includes people who were vaccinated more than five months ago – to do so as soon as possible. 

“We are learning more about this particular variant ... vaccines in the two doses are likely to be not as effective as they were for Delta.” 

She said SA Health also was looking at adjusting what the definition of a close contact is in the near future.

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She said positive cases were almost certain at the Adelaide Test. “To be perfectly frank, I would be very surprised if we have zero cases at the cricket, I think we will have cases of people that have come from New South Wales or Victoria.”

On the Covid rules that wiped Australia’s new captain out of the Ashes Test, Pat Cummins, Prof Spurrier said she stood by her decision.

“We have to remember that both Delta and Omicron are transmitted by air, so aerosol they’re highly transmissible. Even if you have the virus coming into your eyes you can get infected and so Mr Cummins was not being treated differently to anyone else in this space,” she said.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, there was plenty of Covid news across SA:

– THE state recorded 24 new cases – four of those the Omicron variant.

– CRICKET captain Pat Cummins was wiped out of the Adelaide Ashes Test after he dined at a venue attended by a Covid positive person on Wednesday night.

– NEW arrivals were forced to wait in four-hour queues to be tested for Covid

– AND SA Health classified a Christmas event as an “essential activity”.