Testing numbers are on the rise as Covid sites creep closer to us
As authorities urge more testing, are we listening. We broke down the official NSW Health testing data to find out how many, and where people are being tested for COVID-19.
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With COVID-19 exposure sites creeping further up the coast, health authorities are maintaining their stance that people should get tested at the first sign of any symptoms.
And it appears that the North Coast has gotten the message, with testing on the increase.
From examining testing figures provided by Data. NSW, we broke down the figures for the past two weeks of testing data into postcodes.
Take a look at the testing figures here:
In the postcodes from the Coffs Harbour region of 2450 north to the border, the number of total tests for the week increased from 4379 from July 3 to 5147 from July 10, or a jump of 17 per cent.
In individual areas, the highest number of tests in a postcode remained in the 2480 Lismore area, whose tests jumped from 540 to 664.
In the Clarence Valley, testing in the Grafton-centric 2460 postcode jumped from 245 to 348 while the Tweed area around 2487 had the highest increase of postcodes with more than 100 tests, with a jump of 46 per cent over the week.
In the Northern NSW Local Health District, they reported there were more than 40 close contacts, including all staff members and other visitors, who were self-isolating after two COVID-19 cases attended the Ampol Service Station at Chinderah near Murwillumbah overnight on Tuesday and the morning of Wednesday July 13-4.
On the Mid North Coast, Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh posted what he said were exposure locations on his Facebook page, including the Hoey Moey Hotel, and Woolworths and Big W.
He has since taken the post down, and NSW Health issued a statement saying a confirmed case of COVID-19 reported in today’s numbers from Sydney visited venues on the Mid North Coast last week, including Coffs Harbour.
“The case was last believed to have been in the area on July 15 and may have been infectious for part of the time,” the statement said.
“NSW Health is undertaking urgent case investigations and further information will be provided as soon as available.
“Some venues have already been identified as potential sites of concern. People known to have been at those places have been contacted by NSW Health and are asked to follow the health advice provided and await further instructions.”
Extra resources have been put into testing, including more resource at Tweed testing sites, and a drive-through testing site at the Coffs Harbour stadium open from 8am-8pm.
For the full list of places to get tested, visit the website at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/health-and-wellbeing/clinics
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