Virus-hit Sydney aged care home Newmarch records first death
A western Sydney aged care home at the centre of a COVID-19 outbreak after a carer attended work infected has recorded its first death. It comes as health chiefs attempt to assemble a crew of immune Ruby Princess staff to take the stricken vessel to sea.
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A resident at an aged-care home in western Sydney has died from coronavirus.
Anglicare told families of residents in Newmarch House at Caddens of the death this morning.
“We are saddened to inform you that a resident of Newmarch House, who tested positive, passed away peacefully this morning,” Anglicare’s Residential Chief Operating Officer Gavin Pretorius told families by email.
“We would like to assure you that the staff are doing everything possible to care for your loved one.
“Please be assured of our prayers for you at this challenging time.”
As of Friday, there were 20 residents and 10 staff at Newmarch House who had contracted COVID-19.
The outbreak at Newmarch House is believed to have been caused by a member of staff who continued to work at the home for six days after unknowingly contracting the virus in early April.
NOT AN OLD PERSON’S DISEASE
A 42-year-old man has become the youngest person to die of COVID-19 in Australia.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, who confirmed the death, said the 42-year-old man was a crew member on the Artania cruise ship leaving Fremantle today.
“So that is by far our youngest person that has died in Australia from this disease and a terrible tragedy for that man and his family,” Prof Kelly told reporters.
“But it is a reminder for us that this is not just an old person’s disease.”
The 42-year-old crewman from the Philippines died in a Perth hospital on Thursday.
The news follows NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard’s warning this morning that younger people were not immune to the virus, with about 42 per cent of all cases aged under 40.
“So for those of you who think that you cannot get COVID-19 because you are younger, well, the answer is, you absolutely can,” Mr Hazzard said
“1238 people of the total 2936 cases that are confirmed (in NSW) are all under the age of 40.
“So my strong message … to young people is to take it very, very seriously. Very, very seriously.”
The age group with the highest infections are 20-29 year olds.”
Two more people died of COVID-19 in NSW overnight but just ten new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, despite the number of tests dramatically increasing to 5152.
The NSW deaths — an 83-year-old Queensland resident who died in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after recently returning from a cruise to South America on the Celebrity Eclipse, and a 58-year-old female who died in Tamworth Hospital — take the state toll to 28.
There are currently 25 patients in intensive care units, 18 ventilated.
Mr Brad Hazzard said the low new case numbers were an indication that social distancing measures were working and being adopted by the public.
“If the community had not listened to that message, we would certainly be in a lot more challenging times than we currently are.
Meanwhile health chiefs are trying to assemble a “core” crew of Ruby Princess staff who are immune from coronavirus before it returns to sea with police commissioner Mick Fuller said he was prepared to delay the COVID-19 stricken vessel’s departure.
A massive international expansion of the criminal probe into the virus-hit ship was also announced yesterday, with police to quiz almost 6000 passengers from its last two voyages.
CREW TESTED FOR ANTIBODIES
A COVID-19 antibody test developed at Westmead Hospital is being used to swab infected crew members to see if they have developed a resistance to the virus.
There are 153 crew members with coronavirus on the ship docked at Port Kembla, where it was due to leave on Sunday.
The death toll linked to the ship is now 21 after two ex-passengers died in the US.
NSW chief medical officer Kerry Chant said stringent testing was still being carried out.
“Some of the things that we’re looking at are, do they have sufficient staff to … operate the boat?” NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
“Obviously we need to make sure that the core group of people are well that need to operate the boat and preferably that they’re all, either, immune and they’re not at risk of coming down with the illness should there be any residual disease transmission on the ship,” Ms Chant said.
“The antibody test is a more laborious test. It is having to be done in batches, we have to bleed the staff, so it is more time consuming than taking the swabs.
“This will really help us formulate a plan to present to the commissioner (of police), Australian Border Force and Carnival.”
Mr Mick Fuller has the final say on when the ship must leave and said he would extend Sunday’s deadline if NSW Health needed more time.
“We’re still moving towards that day but clearly if health advice is that I need to wait another couple of days then no doubt Border Force and NSW Police would honour that,” Mr Fuller said.
PASSENGERS QUIZZED, CRUISE COMPANY SUED
The first international fatalities linked to the Ruby Princess emerged this week, when two US, Steve Lazaru and Chung Chen, died after returning home after the voyage.
Mr Chen’s family is reportedly taking legal action against the cruise company.
Detectives running the criminal investigation into the Ruby Princess announced on Friday thousands of Ruby Princess passengers and crew would be sent an online survey within days. Questions include whether the passengers had taken any videos or photos on board or if they had seen anyone being kept in quarantine.
Police are not only looking at the infamous voyage which disembarked passengers in Sydney on March 19 but the ship’s previous trip as well, from February 24 to March 8.
“Obviously what we’re looking to do there is create a baseline from which we can assess what occurred on the second cruise,” Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said.
“Obviously that goes hand-in-hand with the forensic examination of the telemetry box on the ship.”
Asked whether his detectives were looking for evidence the virus was on the ship before it left Sydney on March 8, Mr Stuart said: “I’m not going to speculate on anything until the investigation uncovers that and the coroner makes a decision”.
He said there were eight known deaths connected to the ship in NSW, another 11 suspected of being connected and “indirect deaths” would also be investigated.
“Obviously the coroner has an interest in indirect deaths — so a passenger interacts with an individual that may have contracted COVID-19,” Mr Stuart said.
The first international fatality to be linked to the Ruby Princess emerged this week, Californian man Steve Lazarus died in the US after travelling here with his wife.