Hunter Covid: Cases still high as more than 700 test positive
Hundreds more Hunter residents are headed for an isolated Christmas as positive Covid-19 cases continue to rise, but the premier is standing firm on a number of key issues.
Newcastle
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Hundreds more Hunter residents are headed for an isolated Christmas as positive Covid-19 cases continue to rise.
In the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday night, 712 new cases were confirmed across the Hunter-New England health district, with Newcastle (356) and Lake Macquarie (176) LGAs the hardest hit. There were 85 new cases in Maitland, 35 in Port Stephens and 19 from Singleton. There are now 3725 active cases across the health district.
The new cases make up almost one third of the state’s 2566 new positive tests and firmly cement the region as the epicentre of this latest outbreak.
Despite pleas from various sectors of the community, including the Australian Medical Association, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has this morning resisted re-introducing mask or check-in mandates. The premier urged those eligible to get their booster shots and called on people to wear a mask when needed, adding the statistics they care most about is hospital and ICU admissions.
“We’ll get through this summer as we’ve got through the past two. The key today is please get your booster shot,” Mr Perrottet said at a press conference in Sydney alongside Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
“ICU presentations are our key metric. I’m incredibly confident that we can get through this.”
Hosptialisations across the Hunter-New England health district went up slightly, with 17 now being treated (up four from Saturday), with three in intensive care - up one from yesterday.
Testing numbers continued to rise, with 148,937 across the state getting swabbed, with many testing locations experiencing extended delays.
SATURDAY
The number of new Covid-19 cases in the Hunter New England region has quadrupled in four days, with today’s 899 a record for any local health district since the pandemic began.
With a week left until Christmas and exposure to the virus meaning imminent isolation, the usually bustling streets of inner city Newcastle have become a ghost town.
Newcastle and Lake Macquarie LGAs made up the lion’s share of the nearly 900 new cases, with 418 and 265 respectively. Elsewhere in the district Maitland LGA had 93 new cases, Port Stephens recorded 54, there were 19 in Cessnock and 16 in Singleton.
There are now a total of 3013 active cases across the Hunter New England Health District, with 13 of those being treated in hospital and two in intensive care. While testing is ongoing, a large percentage of the Hunter outbreak is believed to be the Omicron variant.
Across the state there were a record 2482 new cases, with 206 patients in NSW hospitals and 26 in intensive care.
With the region now the epicentre of the NSW outbreak, there are signs the tourism industry will take a massive hit heading into its busiest period.
“People are taking steps to cancelling appointments, cancelling lunches, cancelling accommodation,” Hunter Business CEO Bob Hawes said. “Our accommodation guys up here have been hit pretty hard by people who would have been coming up from Sydney who are now concerned that if they come up here they might catch the virus.”
While areas such as Nelson Bay and other tourist hot spots have largely been spared mass cancellations, Mr Hawes is concerned that the effects on business because of increasing numbers of staff in isolation will mean it may be a sub-par experience for visitors.
“Some accommodation has been harder hit than others, particularly the short-term stuff that has been knocked around like the hotels,” he said. “Places like Nelson Bay seem to be holding, but the problem they’re going to get there is that all these people are going to go up there with these high expectations of having a normal holiday and find that when they go to book or a restaurant or book a club, they’re either not open or trade is being restricted because they can’t get staff.”
And it’s not just the Hunter’s tourism industry that has been severely impacted by this outbreak.
“The other issue that we’re having, that we didn’t have in previous fazes of the virus, is that it has got into our manufacturing and other businesses that cannot work from home,” Mr Hawes said. “We are hearing from members who have had to close parts of their business - they don’t want to but they’ve had no choice because one or two staff members have either tested positive or have been close contacts and have been forced off the roster.”
FRIDAY
More nights at more pubs – the Covid-19 chaos that has gripped the Hunter is spreading as quickly as the new venues of concerns are.
It comes as NSW recorded another record day of cases, with 2213 people testing positive to 8pm last night from almost 130,000 tests.
The Hunter New England Health District reported a further 674 fresh positive cases on Friday morning, bringing the total number of active cases across the district to 2122.
A Northern Tablelands woman, aged in her 60s, has died in St Vincent’s Hospital. Authorities said she was not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
There are 12 active cases being cared for in the district’s hospital, with three in intensive care.
Newcastle (308 fresh cases) and Lake Macquarie (190) local government areas continue to be at the top of the outbreak, with Maitland (53), Port Stephens (41), Cessnock (24), Mid Coast (13), Singleton (11), Muswellbrook (7) and Upper Hunter (5) also reported fresh positives.
NSW Health have now identified fresh nights at some venues already listed as being of concern as well as adding a new popular pub to their list wbere it is known significant numbers of now confirmed positive cases had visited the establishments.
Finnegans and the Cambridge hotels were already on the list of venues of concern for late last week. Now, health authorities say last Saturday night at Finnegans (7pm until close) and at Cambridge (7pm until close) are also “times of concern”.
Sunday night at the Cambridge (6pm until close) as well as Saturday night at the Great Northern Hotel (12.01am until close) have also been identified as times of concern.
“NSW Health has been notified of a new venues and times of concern in Newcastle associated with at least 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19 present at these times. It is likely many of these cases have the Omicron variant of concern,’’ NSW Health said in a statement.
“Anyone who attended the following venues during the times should monitor for symptoms. If any symptoms are present, no matter how mild, people should get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
“NSW Health is appealing for anyone who attended but did not check in using the QR code to follow this advice, and for the community to ensure other potential attendees are aware of this advice.
“NSW Health is reminding everyone of the importance of maintaining COVID-safe practices as transmission is occurring at social events during the festive period.
“Everyone should remain vigilant when celebrating with family, friends and colleagues and should not attend any social functions if they have any symptoms.”
THURSDAY
The Lunar Electric music festival, which was set to attract 12,000 people to Newcastle Foreshore on the weekend and spruiked as the first big festival since Covid, has become the latest victim of the growing cluster to hit the Hunter.
A NSW Health statement said the festival was cancelled under a public health order.
“NSW Health considered that the ongoing spread of Covid-19 in the Newcastle area, where the majority of a record number of cases are the Omicron variant of concern, presents too great a risk for the festival to take place this weekend,’’ the statement said.
It is the third time the festival has been cancelled in Newcastle, with plans in 2020 and just last September also postponed due to Covid-19 issues.
Festival Directors Simon Leigh and Shaun Dunn said they were devastated.
“Newcastle’s Lunar Electric music festival was supposed to be an event to bring that much needed joy and release from the trials endured across the state over the past two years,’’ they said in a statement.
“We are currently working through the refund process and all ticket holders will be notified as soon as possible.”
“Unfortunately we will not be rescheduling the Newcastle festival as we now focus all our efforts on the 2022 tour which kicks off in March on the Gold Coast and continues onto Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.”
It comes as the Covid-19 outbreak across greater Newcastle continues to worsen, with a further 633 confirmed cases reported across the Hunter New England Health District as another popular pub is named as a venue of concern.
Newcastle (267) and Lake Macquarie (213) local government areas saw the bulk of the fresh positive reports on Thursday morning, with Maitland (45), Port Stephens (40), Cessnock (30) Singleton (8), Muswellbrook (7) and Upper Hunter (4) all recording fresh infections.
There are now 1452 active cases in the health district.
Nine active cases are being cared for in our hospitals and two are in intensive care.
The latest figures come after NSW Health listed the Cambridge Hotel at Newcastle West as another venue of concern.
Novocastrians have since put the pressure on local Covid testing sites, with reports of multiple locations reaching capacity both yesterday and today.
Notably busy sites appear throughout the entire city, including those set up at the University of Newcastle in Callaghan, Warners Bay, Speers Point, Adamstown and Belmont.
One Belmont local was even turned away due to the volume of testing being done today.
“The site opens at 7.30am, and when I showed up at 7.20 there was about a kilometre of cars already lined up and I was told to come back later,” she said.
“I had to start work, didn’t have enough time for a test in my lunch break, and the facility closed at 3.45pm before I finished work – so I still haven’t been able to receive my Covid swab.
“My partner, who I live with, is a casual contact and got a test done yesterday – he waited about an hour and a half.
“I haven’t received a notification saying I’m a contact, I wanted to do the right thing and get tested just in case, but it’s becoming really difficult given the opening hours and wait times.”
Health authorities have advised that anyone who attended the popular Hunter St pub from 6.30pm on Friday, December 10 until 2.30am the following morning is deemed a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for seven days.
All household contacts of close contacts should also be tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received by everyone in the household.
Authorities said the Cambridge was visited by confirmed Covid-19 cases and “it is likely some of these cases have the Omicron variant of concern”.
“NSW Health is urgently contacting anyone who attended The Cambridge Hotel at these times and checked in via the QR code and is directing them and members of their households to immediately get tested and follow public health advice,’’ a NSW Health statement said.
“NSW Health is appealing for anyone who did not check in using the QR code to urgently get tested and isolate, and for the community to ensure other potential attendees are aware of this advice.’’
The Cambridge joins Argyle House and Finnegans Hotel as venues of concern following the latest outbreak in Newcastle last week.
The superspreader event on Wednesday night at Argyle House was followed by positive cases attending Finnegans two nights later.
WEDNESDAY
The Newcastle Knights have cancelled a Queensland trip after up and coming player Chris Vae’lia tested positive for Covid-19.
The Knights announced Vae’lia had been in isolation since Monday and would continue to follow “required protocols until he is cleared to return to training’’.
The Knights sent their entire playing squad and administration staff to be tested and isolate after several players’ links to close contacts from the growing Argyle House cluster were discovered.
It is understood Vae’lia is not feeling ill and remains in quarantine.
Several players and staff returned to work on Wednesday after receiving negative test results.
However, a pre-season training camp in Brisbane planned for this weekend has been called off.
It comes as the mass isolation of Newcastle’s young adults following the growing nightclub cluster begins to put strain on small businesses.
Newcastle hospitality businesses are being forced to scale down and even close as they struggle through the viral spike which has thrown huge numbers of young and casual workers into isolation.
A large percentage of the casual workforce which carries Newcastle’s hospitality industry, including bars and cafes, have been directly impacted by last week’s superspreader event at the popular Argyle House.
With 680 people at the nightclub deemed close contacts – including more than 200 who have already tested positive – the viral tentacles have extended right through the city’s younger adults.
Hunter Business chief executive officer Bob Hawes said some businesses who have lost key staff members to positive results and isolation have not been able to find replacements.
“We have reports from businesses who have had to restrict what they are doing and some who have had to close temporarily,’’ Mr Hawes said.
There were also an unknown number of hospitality venues and small businesses who have had to close for deep cleaning after being visited by a positive case.
“It is not the December 15 opening we would have liked,’’ Mr Hawes said.
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