Thai Rock restaurant in Potts Point now has confirmed COVID-19 case
Another Thai Rock restaurant is now embroiled in NSW’s second wave of COVID-19, with NSW Health confirming a staff member had contracted the deadly virus. The Potts Point restaurant has the same owners as the Wetherill Park Thai Rock eatery now linked to 67 cases in southwest Sydney.
NSW
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A second Thai Rock restaurant is at the centre of a coronavirus isolation warning after a staff member at the Potts Point restaurant tested positive for COVID-19.
NSW Health urged anyone who attended Thai Rock at Potts Point — which has the same owners as the Wetherill Park restaurant with the same name and which is at the centre of a 67-case cluster — for two hours or more between Wednesday July 15 and Saturday July 25 to immediately get tested for coronavirus and self-isolate for 14 days since their visit.
It follows a confirmed case last week who had reported visiting the Potts Point restaurant on July 17. A worker at the restuarant has since tested positive and the venue has been closed for cleaning.
NSW Health said investigations to date are yet to identify links between cases at the two sites, despite the growing Wetherill Park cluster where another six cases were confirmed earlier today.
Additionally, a couple who have tested positive to COVID-19 also dined at two western Sydney restaurants last week.
Anyone who attended Tan Viet Noodle House — also known as Crispy Chicken Noodle House — in Cabramatta July 22 between 1pm and 2pm or An Restaurant Bankstown on July 23, from 9-11am should self isolate immediately.
Finally, a student at Georges River Grammar School in Georges Hall has today been confirmed as having COVID-19.
The school has been closed while contact tracing and cleaning are underway.
The child is linked with the funeral and related church services in southwestern Sydney between 16 and 19 July.
Close contacts will be notified to undertake 14-day self-isolation after their last contact with the case and undertake testing for COVID if they develop symptoms.
VICTORIA’S CORONA CRISIS INTENSIFIES
The new cases came as Victoria’s coronavirus crisis continued to spiral as it recorded 459 new cases of COVID-19, including a record 10 deaths in one day.
One of the deaths was a man in his 40s, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said. Seven of the deaths were linked to outbreaks in aged care facilities.
Mr Andrew pleaded for Victorians to war a face mask so the state could avoid more deaths.
“This is not about human rights,” he said. “There are 10 families that are going to be burying someone in the next few days. Wear a mask — it’s not too much to ask.”
New cases of COVID-19 in NSW remain in the double digits after 14 people tested positive for the virus in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
NSW Health said the Georges River Grammar student was among four of the new cases linked to the southwestern Sydney church services after a woman in her 40s attended numerous funerals and masses between July 16 and 19.
The source of one case is still under investigation by health authorities while a further three people who tested positive were returning travellers.
The four new cases associated with southwest Sydney church and funeral services were first reported on Saturday and anyone who attended is now considered a close contact and must self isolate and get tested.
Anyone who attended St Brendan’s Catholic Church Bankstown for one hour from 6.30pm on July 16 or from 10am to 11am on July 18 must self isolate for 14 days and get tested. The same advice applies to anyone who attended Ausia Funeral Services at Fairfield East between 1pm and 8pm on July 17.
Additionally, anyone who attended a burial service at St John of God Lawn at Rookwood between 11.30am and 1pm on July 18 and Our Lady of Mt Carmel at Mt Pritchard for one hour from 7.30am on July 19 should also get tested and self isolate.
NSW Health said there were no new cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster of 56 cases or the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club cluster where eight so far have tested positive for the virus.
The latest results brings the total number of cases of COVID-19 in NSW to 3,479
ROYAL NORTH SHORE’S NEW $15M UNIT
The new figures come as Royal North Shore Hospital unveiled a new state-of-the-art 55-bed coronavirus recovery unit.
It might be sitting empty right now but the $15 million COVID-19 recovery ward, built in just over six weeks, has been added to the state’s coronavirus armoury.
Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital has completed a “rapid refurbishment” of an administration building to create a new 55-bed unit.
The Sunday Telegraph was given the first look inside the facility, ready to kick into action to treat patients recovering from COVID-19 but who require ongoing care.
Strict infection control measures will be enforced across the unit, including separate staff changerooms and personal protective equipment (PPE) stations.
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Nurses recently upskilled in respiratory care will also help treat patients.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it was “$15 million dollars of well-spent COVID preparation”.
“The message from Victoria is that COVID-19 can come back hard and fast, so NSW is continuing to build its capacity if the positive cases were to increase,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Royal North Shore is an amazing hospital but it now has an extra 55 beds in state-of-the-art premises in what was one of the dustier older buildings on the campus.
“It’s now ready to provide space for our doctors and nurses to look after patients if the need arises.”
Northern Sydney Local Health District chief executive Deb Willcox said two administration floors — previously the children’s ward until it was relocated in 2014 — were “flipped back into a hospital ward”.
Even Ms Willcox’s own office was cleared out to make way for the new beds.
“A rapid refurbishment would be a fair thing to call it,” she said.
“We hope not to use it but we’ve got the staff, the model of care, the space and the equipment. All we have to do is put sheets on the bed and get the food services in and we’re ready to go.”
Ms Willcox said specialist treatment including physiotherapy would be provided.
“A couple of patients that we’ve had actually had quite long recoveries,” she said. “There’s a group of patients that have a really slow recovery in terms of being quite deconditioned from it. If they are slow to recover, we’ve got plenty of space for people to walk and exercise — get out in the courtyard — to get them strong.”
Ms Willcox said the recovery ward showed how quickly the health system can move “when the chips are down and things need to be done”.
The State Government is continuing with plans to quadruple ICU capacity to 2000 beds throughout NSW.
NSW has currently tripled the number of beds to more than 1500.
Originally published as Thai Rock restaurant in Potts Point now has confirmed COVID-19 case