NSW Health issues alert for southwest Sydney as COVID found in sewage
Residents across southwest Sydney have been urged to get tested for COVID-19 after the virus was detected in local sewage. SEE WHICH SUBURBS ARE AFFECTED.
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Residents across southwest Sydney have been urged to get tested for COVID-19 after the virus was found in local sewage.
Residents of Leppington, Catherine Field, Gledswood Hills, Varroville and Denham Court have been asked by NSW Health to get tested after virus traces were detected in samples from the area’s sewage.
The state’s sewage surveillance program found remnants of COVID-19 in samples from a local sewage pumping station, which drains from these suburbs, on November 4.
A statement from NSW Health asked residents to get tested even if they have “the mildest COVID-19 symptoms”.
“Symptoms like a runny nose or scratchy throat, cough, tiredness, fever or loss of taste or smell can all signal COVID-19,” the statement read.
Locals can get tested nearby at drive-through clinics in Prestons, Leppington and Gledswood Hills, a pop-up clinic in Oran Park, or Ingleburn Laverty Pathology.
PARENTS WELCOME BACK AT SCHOOL AS RESTRICTIONS EASE
Parents will be allowed to attend end-of-year presentation days after the government relaxed COVID-19 school restrictions.
The rule changes will also allow parents able to attend P&C meetings of up to 30 people held on school grounds held after November 12.
Students will also be allowed to leave NSW and travel to Canberra for excursions, while parents are now allowed to enter school uniform shops to buy clothes for next year.
The four square metre social distancing rule will still apply to adults under the rule changes, with principals to decide whether they will hold end of year events virtually or in person.
AUSTRALIA LOCKS IN TWO MORE COVID-19 VACCINES
Australia has secured two more potential COVID-19 vaccines, further boosting the nation’s chances of being immunised against the deadly disease next year.
The agreements with Novavax and Pfizer/BioNTech will deliver 50 million doses, imported from overseas, likely to arrive in early 2021 if they prove safe and effective.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said securing multiple COVID-19 vaccines options would give Australians the “best shot” at early access to a successful drug.
“We aren’t putting all our eggs in one basket and we will continue to pursue further vaccines should our medical experts recommend them,” he said.
“There are no guarantees that these vaccines will prove successful, however our Strategy puts Australia at the front of the queue, if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light.”
Added to the existing agreements in place for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca and the University of Queensland/CSL options, Australia now has two protein vaccines, one mRNA and one viral vector type vaccine in its portfolio.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said no matter which vaccine was available first, people in vulnerable groups would be prioritised to receive it.
“There are no surprises, health and aged care workers and the elderly and vulnerable will be the first to gain access to a vaccine that’s deemed safe and effective,” he said.
A vaccination rollout plan is expected to be taken to the National Cabinet within weeks.
Key vaccination sites will initially include GPs, fever clinics, state and territory vaccination sites and workplaces such as aged care facilities.
The federal government has stressed the vaccine will not be mandatory, but it will be free to those who want to access it.
It will purchase 40 million doses of the Novavax jab, which will be manufactured in the US and Czech Republic, and 10 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, which will be manufactured in the US, Belgium and Germany.
The Pfizer/BioNtech is a mRNA type vaccine and the Novavax vaccine is a protein type vaccine, similar to AstraZeneca’s candidate.
Australia is also part of the international COVAX facility, which will provide access to a large portfolio of COVID-19 candidates and manufacturers around the world for up to 50 per cent of the population.