One new Covid-19 case for Grafton as venues of concern rise

Another Covid case has been confirmed case in the Clarence after 15 venues of concern were listed, including one in which a person spent more than 30 minutes in Bunnings without a mask.

Residents were met with a long line at a new drive-through testing clinic in Grafton as the town grapples with its worst outbreak of the pandemic.

The new testing clinic opened on Thursday at Hawthorne Park in South Grafton and a long line-up of cars was seen snaking around the corner in an area usually reserved for horse events.

Such was the makeshift nature of the site, Clarence Valley Council staff were busily laying gravel over dirt roads due to the anticipated high use.

There was one new case of Covid-19 reported in the council area overnight, bringing the region’s total to 24.

The testing clinic opened after NSW Health announced a further 15 new venues of concern late on Wednesday evening.

They in included five supermarkets, the local swimming pool and Bunnings, where a person spent more that 30 minutes in the store without a mask.

The Grafton Aldi shopping complex was listed as a venue of concern by NSW Health.

As of Sunday the first-dose Covid-19 vaccination rate for the Clarence Valley stood at 87.1 per cent and 56.6 per cent of residents had received their second dose.

Clarence Valley MP Chris Gulaptis said he expected case numbers to rise but that the region’s vaccination rate was its “saving grace”.

He said the rate had been increasing faster over the past few weeks and the message was to go out and get vaccinated with one of the three vaccines now available in “abundance”.

“We have got a level of protection within the community that a lot of other communities didn’t have when they had their outbreaks,” he said.

“I just hope that the most vulnerable have been vaccinated.”

While the Clarence Valley’s numbers were slightly less than nearby Coffs Harbour, which just ticked over the 90 per cent first-dose mark, the region is well ahead of neighbouring Richmond Valley (83 per cent), Kyogle (82 per cent) and Tenterfield (81 per cent) council areas.

Mr Gulaptis put the lower vaccination rates down to a range of factors including “confusion” over the AstraZeneca vaccine, a lack of Pfizer availability and a degree of complacency because there were low case numbers.

However, he said accessibility to the vaccine was the biggest factor.

Meanwhile, Clarence Valley Mayor Jim Simmons has raised concerns over the state government response to the outbreak which began a week ago.

Mr Simmons said he was frustrated by a disconnect between the pandemic response in the city and the bush and said it should have provided more testing clinics sooner.

“The state government has given every opportunity to local government areas in the Sydney population to reach their required level of first and second jabs – whether it’s through pop up venues and that sort of thing,” he said.

“And they’re fine … but in the bush they haven’t had the same opportunities.”