COVID-19 NSW: Third ADF case, Hunter Valley man, 70, confirmed with virus and more schools close
NSW health authorities are rushing to trace the contacts of a third Australian Defence Force member diagnosed with coronavirus as two schools were shut amid a “cluster” outbreak in Sydney’s north. WHAT TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN
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NSW health authorities are rushing to trace the contacts of a third Australian Defence Force member diagnosed with coronavirus as two schools were shut amid a “cluster” outbreak in Sydney’s north.
The ADF member, a man in his 50s, was among seven new NSW cases of coronavirus confirmed on Monday and is understood to be the father of a student at St Patrick’s Marist College at Dundas, who also contracted the disease.
Two Year 10 students — a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy — and their fathers, both in their 50s, were confirmed as coronavirus sufferers on Monday.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said authorities were investigating a virus “cluster” that links outbreaks at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged-care home, Ryde Hospital, the ADF, St Patrick’s and Epping Boys High School, which reopened on Monday after shutting on Friday.
“The principal purpose of that (investigation) is to identify any unrecognised cases of COVID-19 with the point of offering testing and again breaking the chain of transmission,” Dr Chant said. “There’s a lot of family clusters and people are employed in different industries — it’s a bit like detective work.”
There are now 92 confirmed coronavirus cases in Australia — 47 in NSW.
It was on Monday night confirmed that one reported case, a man in his 70s who had travelled to Italy, was being treated in the state’s Hunter Region.
In Sydney, parents wearing masks rushed to St Patrick’s on Monday to collect children from the school, which will remain closed today as professional cleaners decontaminate the campus. Students who either had face-to-face contact for 15 minutes or were in the same class for more than an hour with the two infected students have been ordered to isolate.
Meanwhile, students at Willoughby Girls High School in Sydney’s north shore were told to “hide under their desks” after a Year 7 girl tested positive for the coronavirus having contracted it from her mother.
Authorities said the mother’s case was puzzling as she had not travelled recently.
A Year 8 student said teachers had issued the health alert at about 11am on Monday.
“There was a lockdown so we all had to hide under the tables,” the student said.
“Then someone came and asked if anyone had been sick and we all got sent home.”
The closure of schools for a day for decontamination following coronavirus outbreaks is “likely to be the new norm” for parents, Health Minister Brad Hazzard has warned. He also urged students to take the outbreak seriously amid reports of some deliberately coughing on each other.
“I’ve heard of students thinking it’s a joke and they can cough and splutter on each other … well the message here folks to all the schools is this is not a joking matter, this is actually quite serious,” Mr Hazzard said.
Defence is co-operating with NSW Health to conduct extensive contact tracing following the mild outbreak, with members self-isolating and being tested as required. All ADF workers with flu-like symptoms have been ordered to stay home and get tested.
The extra measures are designed to enable the military — which could be called upon to support domestic efforts to contain the virus — to use its health capabilities if the state and territory systems require surge staffing.
“These measures were put in place to protect the health of our members and the community, as well as ensure Defence business continuity should it be needed,” a Defence spokesman said.
In NSW fever clinics for suspected patients to be tested and treated will be set up in every NSW hospital and at practices of GPs who volunteer. There are more than 220 NSW public hospitals and health services but it is understood clinics would only operate based on demand.
Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said anyone returning from overseas with a runny nose, fever or cough should be tested.
“We now have 106 countries in the world that have got cases and if we were listing specific cases, we’d be changing it day by day,” he said.
The country’s peak doctors’ body on Monday called for politicians to step aside and let Prof Murphy take the lead on the crisis.
“Leadership from the chief medical officer is essential at this time and obviously he can direct and influence the decisions made by the chief health offices in respective states,” Victorian Australian Medical Association president Julian Rait told reporters on Monday.