NSW records 1035 new Covid cases as vaccinations soar
NSW has recorded 1035 new Covid cases on the back of what was the state’s biggest day of vaccinations. This comes as NSW Health HQ was partially closed for deep cleaning after a worker tested positive, and the easing of some restrictions for weddings.
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NSW has recorded 1035 locally-acquired Covid-19 cases overnight and tragically, two more deaths.
The surge of infections came in the same 24-period the state set a daily vaccination record of 156,165 jabs.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the state recorded two more deaths overnight — a woman in her 70s from the Blue Mountains, and a woman in her 80s from western Sydney.
There have now been 83 deaths since the outbreak began on June 16.
The majority of cases continue to be in western and southwestern Sydney, with infections escalating in Guildford, Merrylands, Auburn, Granville, Bankstown and Greystanes.
Deputy chief health officer Dr Jeremy McAnulty said 778 patients with Covid were in hospital, 125 of those in intensive care and 52 requiring ventilation.
“There’s quite a few young people in their 20s and 30s who are requiring intensive care, and of the 125 in intensive care, 110 are not vaccinated, 14 have had one dose of the vaccine, and one person has two doses of vaccine,” Dr McAnulty said.
He said there was also a health worker in Westmead Hospital intensive care who had been vaccinated.
“The vaccine is very effective against this severe disease but is not 100 per cent,” Dr McAnulty said.
“We all need to protect the health workers who are on the frontline caring for us all in the community. To protect them we need not only healthcare workers to be vaccinated but all of us to be vaccinated as soon as we can.”
Weddings get go-ahead
Small weddings will be allowed from this week as restrictions start to loosen in NSW – even as the state’s Covid outbreak set more records on Saturday.
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Outdoor weddings with five guests will be permitted from Friday but authorities were still deciding on the fine print of the new rules and how many other people, such as photographers, can attend.
“We will work through that during the course of the week but I want people to know that if you do wish to get married, you certainly can as of Friday of next week,” Mr Hazzard said.
Guests would have to observe travel restrictions and although they would not have to be vaccinated, Mr Hazzard said anyone getting married should urge their invitees to be double jabbed.
Cops hit beach in mask crackdown
NSW Police led a compliance blitz at Coogee Beach on Saturday.
Police said they cracking down on people breaking mask rules and not exercising at Coogee and other Sydney beaches, and will continue the operation on Sunday.
Under the current rules, masks must be worn at all time except while exercising, and even then one must be carried with you.
Police were also out in Hyde Park and around the CBD making sure there were no attempts at any pop-up protests.
NSW Health HQ deep cleaned
The NSW Health headquarters where the daily 11am updates are held was partially shut down on Saturday after a cleaner tested positive to Covid.
The cleaner worked on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this past week while infectious.
“The reason we are outside this building today … is that like every other possible venue in NSW at the present time, it is the case that you can expect at some time to have a positive case come into your building,” Mr Hazzard said.
Saturday’s 11am press conference was held outside the building while cleaning took place.
“The building is currently in the relevant parts, and it’s a very big building, subject to having a deep clean and for that reason we are outside,” he said.
‘Not taxis’: Paramedics feeling pressure
Over the past three days, demand has surged to New Year’s Eve levels, NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan said.
The service is now on a status three alert level, meaning there were “impacts” on its ability to respond to the community, he said.
Mr Morgan warned too many people were calling triple-0 for non-medical emergencies, including for food delivery, transport to vaccination appointments, adding to the strain.
“These are extraordinary times and it places great pressure on our staff when we receive some calls that may not be medical emergencies,” he said.
“When we receive calls that do not require an ambulance immediately, it can have dire consequences. I have been advised this week that we had a 25 minute response to an 18-year-old cardiac arrest. This is devastating. Wherever possible we need to be avoiding this.”
Fertility misinformation called out
Mr Hazzard said health experts were concerned over misinformation spreading on social media that vaccines impacted fertility.
“The most senior health advisory service in Australia has confirmed absolutely, that there is no evidence whatsoever that a woman’s fertility or a man’s fertility would be in any way affected by having the vaccine,” Mr Hazzard said.
He said the advice was that not getting vaccinated, and falling ill with Covid including long-Covid, posed a greater risk to fertility.
“Don’t believe what is on some of these sites that indicate that the vaccines will cause any difficulty in you getting pregnant. It certainly won’t.”
NSW Cases: the breakdown
Of the 1035 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night
– 398 from Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD)
– 316 from South Western Sydney LHD
– 100 from Sydney LHD
– 78 from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD
– 52 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD
– 42 are from Western NSW LHD
– 25 are from Northern Sydney LHD
– seven are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD
– four are from Far West LHD
– three new cases for Hunter New England LHD
– two new cases for Central Coast LHD
– eight cases are yet to be assigned to an LHD.
New vax rules for authorised workers
NSW Health has announced rapid antigen testing will no longer be an alternative to vaccination for authorised workers who live in a local government area of concern.
In changes announced on Friday night, authorised workers must now have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose by Monday, September 6 to work outside their LGA.
Authorised workers under the age of 16 years will be exempt from the requirement.
Care workers over 16 from an LGA of concern must also have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by September 6 in order to attend work.
“This includes those who work in an early education and care facility or who provide disability support services,” NSW Health said in a statement.
NSW Health said further advice would be provided to industry on the role rapid antigen testing can play, and the types of workplaces that may benefit from such testing.
Workers from the LGAs of concern are being offered priority bookings for vaccination and can use the following links:
– Authorised workers who live in LGAs of concern
– 16-39 who live in LGAs of concern
– Childcare, disability, food workers who live or work in LGAs of concern
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