Hunter Covid: Top doctor’s warning as region’s cases remain high

Rolling coverage: Hunter New England’s top doctor has issued a warning after the region recorded 74 new Covid infections — 20 per cent of fresh cases statewide.

A top health official has warned Hunter New England residents have “every reason to be concerned” as Covid infections remain high across the region.

The health district recorded 74 new Covid cases on Thursday, or 20 per cent of the state’s daily infections.

However active cases have slipped below 1000, to 940.

Public health physician Dr David Durrheim said the “pattern” among cases was troubling.

Dr David Durrheim in a prerecorded video update. Picture: Supplied.

“A large proportion of the cases (are) actually unlinked,” Dr Durrheim said.

“This means that we don’t know what their source was.

“This really says that there are chains of transmission that are busy circulating in our community and we’re not finding them because we’re not looking. We’re not testing enough.”

Of the new cases, 63 were in the Hunter, in the local government areas of Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock and Port Stephens.

A further 11 cases were recorded at Mid Coast and Tamworth.

Thirty-five of the new cases were linked to known infections while 30 were infectious in the community.

Twenty-three Hunter New England people are in hospital with Covid including three in intensive care.

The cases take the health district’s total to 2429 since the Delta outbreak began on August 5.

The health district recorded 74 new cases on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Peter Lorimer.

WEDNESDAY:

An unvaccinated Maitland man has died after contracting Covid-19 as the region recorded another 62 fresh cases, including 52 in the Hunter.

Hunter New England Health said the latest figures took the total number of the current outbreak to 2355, including 1049 active cases.

They were recorded across Lake Macquarie (22), Newcastle (10), Cessnock (8), Maitland (7), Port Stephens (5) and Singleton (2).

There were also fresh cases recorded in Mid North Coast (5) and Tamworth (5).

A man in his 40s has died in Maitland Hospital. Google street view.

A Hunter New England Health statement said a man, aged in his 40s and from the Maitland area, died in Maitland Hospital.

He had not received any doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

“Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends,’’ HNEH said in a statement.

It is understood to be the 10th death of a person with Covid-19 in the Hunter New England Health District since the outbreak began on August 5.

Of the total active cases, 24 are in hospital including three in intensive care.

Some 51 were linked, eight were unlinked and three were still under investigation.

There were 40 cases infectious in the community, 23 were isolating while infectious and three were still under investigation.

A woman in her 30s has died with Covid at John Hunter Hospital. Picture: Supplied.

MONDAY:

An unvaccinated woman in her 30s has died with Covid at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital, as the health district recorded a further 63 cases of the virus.

“She had not received any doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions,” a Hunter New England Health spokeswoman said of the death in a statement.

“Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends.”

The woman’s death comes just one day after two other Hunter women were reported to have died with Covid.

A Newcastle woman in her 50s and a Cessnock woman in her 70s were among the state’s deaths reported on Sunday.

The Hunter New England area recorded 63 new Covid infections. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Peter Lorimer.

Of the 63 cases recorded on Monday, 15 were from Lake Macquarie, 13 from Mid-Coast, 12 from Newcastle, 11 from Maitland, six from Cessnock, two from Port Stephens, two from Tamworth, one from Muswellbrook and one from Singleton.

Thirty-nine were linked to known infections and 30 were infectious while in the community.

Twenty-nine Hunter people are in hospital with Covid including four in intensive care.

The cases take the health district’s total to 2260 since the Delta outbreak began on August 5.

Statewide, 265 new cases were recorded and five people have died.