NSW COVID: Infected security guard visited another venue on March 10

The list of venues visited by a Sydney security guard who tested positive for the more infectious UK strain of COVID-19 has grown, NSW Health officials have revealed.

New health alerts have been issued for two more venues visited by a COVID-positive security guard with anyone who visited at the same time told to monitor for symptoms.

The health alerts are for the stadium and gymnasium area of the Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre on Wednesday March 10 between 4.15pm and 5.30pm, and Coles at Hurstville station on Saturday March 13 between 7.30am and 7.40am.

A health alert previously issued for the same Coles on Wednesday March 10 has been revised.

Anyone who was there between 9.15pm and 9.46pm should monitor for symptoms. The initial health alert covered the timeframe of 8pm-9pm.

Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre, which was visited by the infected security guard.

LATEST NSW CASE HAS UK COVID STRAIN

No further local COVID-19 cases have been recorded in NSW after the state’s first community case in 55-days was revealed on Sunday afternoon.

A 47-year-old security guard who worked in two Sydney quarantine hotels tested positive for the virus on Saturday and is included in today’s figures.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant revealed on Monday that the man has the more infectious UK strain.

Genome sequencing traced the infection back to a returned traveller in the Sofitel Wentworth hotel.

“Investigations have confirmed that this gentleman did work a shift on the same floor, 11, in the Sofitel when the international returned traveller was infectious prior to them being transported to the Sydney health accommodation,” Dr Chant said.

Guests and other staff at the hotel at the same time are receiving extra testing.

Quarantined hotel guests at the Sofitel Wentworth. Picture: James Gourley

The quarantine period for people on the same floor of the hotel has been extended until March 23, 14 days after the infectious traveller was transferred to a NSW Health health hotel.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was a relief there were no new cases.

“We are relieved to say this morning that there are not any further cases of community transmission,” she said.

“There were more than 8000 people tested, notwithstanding it was over the weekend. We are pleased about those numbers and encourage anybody with the mildest of symptoms to come forward.”

Three returned travellers in quarantine also tested positive.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant said there is not yet an explanation on how the security became infected.

“We did review the CCTV footage and can I just say this gentleman was exemplary in his adherence to the procedures for mask-wearing and other protections and precautions,” she said.

“So we haven’t been able to find an exact source for how this person became infected. So we are testing everyone who worked with this gentleman.”

NSW authorities issued a little more than 37,500 vaccine doses in the first three weeks of the rollout, premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced.

The state met its target of issuing 35,000 Pfizer vaccine doses in the first three weeks, with about 2,000 AstraZeneca jabs also delivered so far.

Ms Berejiklian said 80,000 doses will be administered over the next three weeks - including 35,000 people who will get their second Pfizer jab.

Of the remaining 45,000 doses to be administered, 30,000 jabs will be the Pfizer vaccine.

VIRUS SPREADS IN LOCKED-DOWN QLD HOTEL

Millions of Queenslanders are anxiously awaiting COVID-19 results of more than 300 people after a doctor contracted the virus on the weekend and was linked to two returning travellers.

Six new cases have been confirmed overnight, but they were all detected in hotel quarantine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said none of the new cases were of concern, but that the next 24 hours would be “crucial”, as authorities confirmed three cases have been linked to the Hotel Grand Chancellor.

The positive result in the community came after a returning traveller who tested positive to the UK strain of COVID-19 while quarantining at the Hotel Grand Chancellor last week was transferred to the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane. Picture: Richard Walker

A female doctor said to have used “appropriate” PPE was exposed to the virus while treating the patient on Wednesday before spending Thursday out in the south Brisbane community.

She was tested on Friday morning after developing symptoms and returned a positive result later in the day.

At least 272 community contacts have been traced and 160 staff and seven patients were identified as close contacts of the doctor at the hospital, with test results expected to begin trickling in on Monday.

Three of the doctor’s close contacts had “most reassuringly” tested negative as of Sunday, according to the state’s deputy chief health officer Sonya Bennett.

Dr Bennett confirmed that genomic sequencing had shown a second guest at the Hotel Grand Chancellor had contracted the same strain of COVID-19.

The two cases were staying on the same floor of the hotel, and authorities are scouring over security footage to determine if there is a chain of transmission.

As a result, the facility has entered a 72-hour lockdown, with no guests allowed to leave and no further guests admitted until Wednesday.

VICTORIA CONSIDERS NSW BORDER RULES

Victorian health officials are weighing up border changes as a result of the security guard’s positive test.

The state’s health department revealed on Sunday night areas of NSW could be redesignated as red or orange zones as further information emerges about a 47-year-old guard who tested positive on Saturday.

A red zone designation means that people would be banned from entering Victoria if from that particular region, while an orange zone requires people travelling from that area to apply for a permit, get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival and self-quarantine until a negative result is received.

Auckland is currently the only region in Australia or New Zealand designated as an orange zone by Victorian health authorities. There are no red zones.