South coast Covid: Eurobodalla cluster grows after death as fragments found in snowfield’s sewage
New Covid cases have been detected in Narooma, Kianga and Moruya as fragments of the virus are found in sewage at the NSW snowfields.
The South Coast News
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The Batemans Bay area has recorded new cases , with one yet to be linked to the growing cluster after a woman in her 70s, died earlier this week after receiving both doses of a vaccine.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said on Thursday, four new cases of Covid were detected in the Batemans Bay area, with three linked to the growing cluster, which now sits at 32 active cases.
Bega state Liberal MP Andrew Constance said the four cases are residents of Narooma, Kianga and Moruya.
The Batemans Bay Coles, WetPac Bank and Woolworths were added to the growing list of venues of concern, as was NArooma’s Aldi, Woolworths and Narooma Bridge Seafoods.
Ms Chant urged regional residents to get vaccinated and tested if they have any symptoms as regional NSW case numbers continue to grow.
She said fragments of the virus had been detected in sewage at Moruya and Thredbo.
The Shoalhaven recorded 10 new cases on Thursday, with five yet to be linked to active cases.
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Bega MP Andrew Constance took to social media to say the woman’s death earlier this week was a “sad day” for the community.
The woman in her 70s had underlying health conditions and was not diagnosed with the virus until after her death.
“The virus is now leading to the loss of life within our wonderful community,” Mr Constance said.
“I am very serious about the pain this insidious virus is going to continue to bring for individuals, loved ones and our people. It is a very sad time and my thoughts are with those suffering.”
Across the state 863 new covid cases were recorded and another 15 people have died with the virus.
It comes as cases on the south coast continue to rise, and exposure venues continue to be listed by NSW Health.
In the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, 94 cases were recorded across the Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District, and 18 were recorded in the Southern NSW region.
There are now 23 positive cases in the Batemans Bay area, and one cases has been listed in Narooma.
“Please be conscious of its impact if a person is vulnerable and suffering from other medical conditions and other circumstances that heighten the risk of Covid,” Mr Constance said.
“We also have people starting to be hospitalised and I want to show our gratitude to our paramedics, nurses and doctors who are there to save us and keep us safe.
“This is a very tricky situation. Please continue to get vaccinated, tested and minimise your travel.”
The Shoalhaven has had more than 100 positive cases since the start of the Delta outbreak, with the majority of them in the Nowra area.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the case rise in the Illawarra was “worrying”.
Wollongong Hospital has installed a marquee outside its emergency department as it prepares for an upsurge in Covid cases.
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District chief executive, Margot Mains, said the marquee would allow ‘the safe and efficient transition of patients from the community into the emergency department”.
“This is to ensure the hospital is prepared for potential increases in ED demand due to COVID,” she said.
“The area is on currently on stand-by and will be activated, if required. When operational, the space will allow ED staff to assess and triage patients, perform rapid testing and safely transfer to the most appropriate treatment location based on clinical need, and in line with COVID-19 management guidelines.
“The potential capability to assess and stream patients before they enter ED is a key strategy in Wollongong Hospital’s escalated COVID response plan, and is in line with practices employed throughout NSW and the world.
“The LHD is taking lessons learned from the experience of others. We are ensuring robust preparedness in all areas, including readiness for significant increases in ED presentations
“The installation of this additional clinical area will ensure we continue to remain well prepared to support our community to access safe, quality emergency care in a timely manner.”
On Friday, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region recorded more than 100 new cases of Covid in just a day, the fifth highest number across the state.
Across the region, which spans from Bulli to Bawley Point, 103 new cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday.
It was the fifth highest number of cases in a health district, only behind four city health districts, and brings the total number of active cases in the local region to more than 1000.
“We are seeing increased cases in particular in the Illawarra area,” Dr Kerry Chant said on Friday while urging residents in the region to get tested.
Of the new cases in the health district, 82 are residents of the Wollongong LGA, with the source of 64 under investigation.
Five cases are in the Shoalhaven, with two unlinked and 14 new cases were recorded in Shellharbour - half of them not linked.
Two new cases in Kiama are connected to previously reported cases.
In comparison, just three cases were recorded in the southern NSW region, none of which were in the Eurobodalla and Bega LGAs.
It comes as defence force personnel hit the streets of the Shoalhaven to ensure people are complying with health orders, as case numbers in the region continue to rise.
There’s now more than 65 active cases in the Shoalhaven, the majority in the 2540 and 2541 postcodes in the northern part of the LGA.
But, there are at least 7 active cases in the 2539 postcode, which takes in Ulladulla to Bawley Point.
The ADF will join forces with NSW Police to patrol the streets of Nowra and ensure people who have been told to isolate at home are where they should be.
Southern Region Commander Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar welcomed the arrival of troops in the region.
“The troops are here to support the community alongside police. Locals can expect to see them checking on the welfare of our most vulnerable people,” he said.
“Our officers and ADF personnel will be making daily visits and checking in on those who are self-isolating and making sure they’re okay during lockdown.”
Two people died with the virus in the Illawarra on Tuesday, both of them had underlying health conditions.
There’s now 16 active cases in the Batemans Bay Delta cluster and one in Narooma, with suggestions numbers in the Eurobodalla will likely climb.
It comes as 60.1 per cent of Eurobodalla residents become double dosed with a Covid vaccination, and 59.3 per cent of Bega Valley residents are fully vaccinated.
In the Shoalhaven, 54.8 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.
People “frustrated with the lack of testing” in the southern Shoalhaven have called for more facilities in the region.
A Eurobodalla Council said on Tuesday it will provide logistical support to the Southern NSW Local Health District in the fight against the Covid-19 outbreak.
The shire’s vaccination rate has hit more than 85 per cent for first dose, among the highest in the state.
“From Monday, our community services team will relieve clinical staff of the task of transporting essential care packages, including food and prescriptions, to Covid-impacted households,” council general manager Dr Catherine Dale said.
“Our people are trained and trusted in the community, and it allows those clinical staff to be where they’re most needed, providing healthcare.
“We’re also opening up one of our larger facilities in Batemans Bay for NSW Health to store those supplies.”
“We have a number of staff on standby to assist with contact tracing if required, and we’re cooperating with NSW Health to extend sewerage detection beyond Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma to include all the shire’s treatment plants at Tomakin, Tuross Head and Bodalla.”
A record number of daily cases in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Health District on the weekend renewed calls for more vaccines to be sent to the region.
A woman in her 80s from the Wollongong region died in Wollongong Hospital with the virus this week.
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NSW Police and ADF personnel are patrolling the streets of the Illawarra, ensuring people who are isolating are remaining at home.
A positive Covid case in Wollongong, who did not wish to be named, said police who checked on her over the weekend were “compassionate” and “asked if we needed anything”.
“They asked us to hold our IDs up to the window and asked how we were,” she said.
NSW Covid-19 vaccination map
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In Wollongong, police and NSW Health continue to monitor two apartment complexes closely after outbreaks inside the buildings on Keira Street and Crown Street.
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District CEO Margot Mains said the building on Keira Street was “a community of residents who move between apartments and use communal areas”.
“The residents’ close and frequent interactions are similar to those in a household and, as a result, all residents of the apartment complex are considered close contacts,” she said.
“The premises will be subject to tight restrictions limiting access, and residents will be required to stay within their own rooms to assist in minimising transmission between residents of different apartments and into the wider community.”
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