SA Covid updates: UniSA students among 25 new cases, as 22 aged care homes are caught up in exposure scare
Medicos with Covid visited 22 aged care homes across Adelaide but SA Health says “exposures were not widespread”, as daily case numbers hit the highest level this year.
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SA Health has revealed 22 residential aged care facilities have been potentially exposed to Covid-19, as case numbers rose to the highest level in more than 18 months.
A vaccinated doctor and physiotherapist visited multiple Adelaide aged care homes while infectious in recent days.
“While residents at 22 facilities have been impacted, the exposures were not widespread across the facilities and additional infection control and testing measures have been implemented based on the risk at each site. All test results so far have been negative,” SA Health said in a statement.
Records show Wednesday’s surge of 25 new cases is the highest number of infectious patients identified in South Australia in a single day since April 1 last year.
Premier Steven Marshall initially incorrectly identified the number as 26 but SA Health later corrected it to 25.
The new cases are five children, 11 men aged 24-57, and nine women aged 20-89. Of those, 13 acquired their infections in SA and are known contacts of an existing case, while in eight cases the source of infection is under investigation.
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“We’re going to continue to have more cases in South Australia, importantly though we are seeing the number of people who are directed into quarantine continue to fall,” Mr Marshall said on Wednesday.
“We have moved from the elimination phase to the suppression phase so it’s a different level of risk we’re dealing with at the moment.”
He said there were now fewer that 1400 people in quarantine in SA and that he hoped to hit a 90 per cent vaccination rate by the end of the year.
The new Covid cases include two UniSA students who tested positive late on Tuesday and had isolated and got tests as soon as they were notified by SA Health of their possible exposure.
Both are now in medi-hotels and have been assisting university officials as well as SA Health in identifying potential close contacts and exposure sites.
Multiple staff members and students who may have been in contact with these students are now being tested and are isolating while awaiting results.
Staff have been told that “out of an abundance of caution” the university will be closing Building X and Building D on the Mawson Lakes campus immediately to allow for deep cleaning to be undertaken.
Staff in those buildings have been told to work from home while cleaning is done.
The exposure risk time in Building X was on Monday from 9.50am-1pm and in Building D the same day from 8am-6pm and also on Tuesday from 8am-1pm.
Staff are being “strongly encouraged” to wear masks at all times while on campus, and to work from home in accordance with the earlier advice from the university, if able to do so.
Officials are also recommending that face to face meetings be moved online, and that any planned end of year events by staff in the two buildings be reconsidered.
Meanwhile, a man working on a construction site at Mt Barker Primary School has tested positive. SA Health said he poses no risk to the community.
On Wednesday night, SA Health updated new exposure sites, which included a close contact site at the Derrimut 24:7 gym at Norwood on Tuesday December 7 from 4:45–8.30pm and Monday December 6 from 5:25-8:30pm.
Casual contact sites included Art Gallery of SA (December 7), Bus 756 stops 87-97 on Tuesday December 7-Friday December 10, and Lonsdale’s Down South Party Hire on Friday December 10, Thursday December 9 and Wednesday December 8.
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OVERSEAS QUARANTINE REDUCED
The Premier defended delays in exposure site reporting, saying the situation and risk profile had now changed.
Mr Marshall said “effective immediately”, quarantine for vaccinated overseas arrivals would be reduced from 14 days to seven.
“That is now back in place, this also applies to people who might have come from overseas and have been interstate for more than seven days,” he said.
“I know this is going to be a huge relief because we have had a lot of calls from overseas and some from interstate as well.
“Moving it down to seven I think is going to provide huge relief to people and their Christmas plans.
“We are asking people to go straight to a testing facility, now that doesn’t need to be at the airport. We’re just saying to them you can’t go out to the cinema or the movies until you’ve had that test.”
AGED CARE HOMES EXPOSED
Several Adelaide aged care homes have been caught up in a new Covid-19 alert as the list of exposure sites continues to grow.
The scare comes as vaccinated South Australians are set to enjoy greater freedom by the end of the year.
A vaccinated doctor and physiotherapist visited at least four Adelaide residential aged care facilities while infectious in recent days.
The Adelaide Hills-based St Paul’s Lutheran Homes, at Hahndorf and western suburbs House of Saint Hilarion at Seaton, were placed in lockdown on Tuesday night.
Urgent testing of residents and staff was also launched as contact tracers scrambled to retrace the medicos’ travels.
The doctor visited a resident at UnitingSA’s Westminster Village Aged Care home, Grange, on Saturday but its boss Marilyn Repen told families visiting was unchanged as any outbreak “contained”.
The resident is isolating until a negative test.
The workers, who must be vaccinated under state law, were among 12 new cases including four ill children younger than 12.
It comes as new close contact exposure sites were listed late Tuesday night, including four licensed premises in Adelaide.
Anyone who visited Atlantis Lounge Bar, Plain Jane Bar, The Meat & Wine Co Adelaide or Zhivago at various times on Saturday and Sunday December 4 and 5 is considered a close contact.
But the advice from SA Health for vaccinated people to isolate for seven days after they visited the site has already expired, as the site was listed nearly two weeks after the positive cases were at the venues.
Anyone who visited the Payneham Tavern gaming area on Sunday December 12 is considered a casual contact and should get tested immediately, and quarantine until they receive a negative result. They must also get tested on days six and 13, and wear a mask around others at all times.
It’s unclear if any of the new cases are linked to Willunga Primary’s final school “super spreader” assembly of multiple Delta cases that has forced up to 500 students, parents and teachers into quarantine.
Huge testing queues were reported across Adelaide as SA Health revealed 14,833 checks statewide on Monday.
SA Health also published 12 new exposure sites across Adelaide including the Holden Hill police station, zoo, shops, cricket and football clubs as well as a public pool.
ABC Adelaide journalist Charles Brice, aged in his 30s, was also discharged from the Royal Adelaide Hospital after falling ill interstate.
Mr Brice, who is vaccinated, was treated in hospital due his quadriplegic disability. He declined to comment.
Another two men aged in their 30s and 60s, are in a stable condition in the RAH.
WA Health revealed three infectious SA-based truckies.
The government’s transition and Covid recovery committees, debated 90 per cent double jab milestone bans.
Police Commissioner and state co-ordinator Grant Stevens said vaccine “incentives” will be key and flagged more freedoms for venues with jab mandates.
Mr Stevens and Mr Marshall expect changes by New Year’s Eve but not pre-Christmas, meaning home gathering caps of 30 people will stay.
“Unfortunately the pandemic doesn’t follow a calendar,” Mr Stevens said.
Almost all restrictions will then be scrapped while international travel quarantine rules could further ease.
A date will emerge on Friday after a meeting of the recovery committee that Mr Marshall chairs. Senior government sources said officials were split on a pre-Christmas easing or in “early” January.
Mr Stevens said there were “conservative” and “aggressive” views about a date. Tradies can visit seven jab clinics and get an iced coffee drink
12 NEW CASES ON TUESDAY
Another 12 Covid cases were recorded in SA on Tuesday, including four children under 12 and two health workers who visited aged care sites.
The cases are four women and four men between the ages of 20 and 60, and four children under the age of 12.
SA Health has not confirmed if the four child cases are linked to the Willunga Primary School assembly exposure on Friday.
The whole school gathering from 9am to 10.30am on Friday, December 10 – which included pupils, parents, siblings and staff – has been declared an exposure site.
Premier Steven Marshall sympathised with the hundreds of families around Willunga suddenly put into quarantine as Christmas approaches, including unvaccinated children who will have to do the full 14 days and so be in isolation for Christmas Day.
He said confirmation it was the Delta strain would be a huge relief to people in the Willunga area but noted “it’s really tough” on affected families.
“Those people who are doing the right thing, who are in quarantine, are effectively providing the other 1.8 million people in South Australia with a fantastic Christmas this year,” he said.
His comments came as hundreds of people queued for tests at the Aldinga Covid test site and local businesses faced pre-Christmas uncertainty as employees as well as customers went into isolation — after a weekend with no such restriction, as the alert about the Friday morning assembly did not go out until Monday.
Of today’s cases, one acquired their infection interstate, five acquired their infection locally and are known contacts of a positive case, and in six cases the source of their infection is being investigated.
Two health care workers who have visited and delivered care to residents at a number of Residential Aged Care facilities (RACF) across Adelaide have also tested positive.
Affected aged care sites are being contacted by SA Health and testing of residents and staff has started.
A man in his 30s and a man in his 60s are in the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a stable condition.
13 NEW CASES ON MONDAY
Another 13 people tested positive for Covid on Monday, while SA Health declared a whole school assembly at Willunga Primary School a close contact site involving multiple confirmed cases of Covid.
The whole school gathering from 9am to 10.30am on Friday, December 10 – which included pupils, parents, siblings and staff – has thrown Christmas plans into chaos for hundreds of families.
The school has about 440 students and anyone who attended the assembly must immediately go into quarantine and get tested.
An Adelaide Magistrates Court staff member also tested positive for Covid-19 – but may have been infectious throughout last week’s hearings.
The Advertiser has learned the public servant, who works in the first floor section of the registry, tested positive for the virus during the weekend.
Courts Administration Authority (CAA) staff were informed just after 3pm on Monday. See the exposure site details here.
Meanwhile, SA Health has announced that quarantine after exposure to Omicron is now the same as for Delta – seven days.
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