Six western Sydney suburbs on alert as coronavirus spreads

Certain areas of Sydney have been singled out as particularly concerning as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the city.

Six Sydney suburbs have been singled out as areas of particular concern as the city’s coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told residents in Auburn, Merrylands, Yagoona, Guildford, Punchbowl, Blacktown, and the areas surrounding those suburbs to be on their watch.

“We ask people in those communities to be extra careful, and assume every time you step out the door you have the virus, or anyone you come into contact with has the virus,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Suburbs with more cases are shaded in darker colours in this map by NSW Health.

Those suburbs are all in the city’s west and southwest, where most of the cases in the current outbreak have been identified.

There were 753 new local coronavirus cases in NSW reported on Tuesday.

Of the new cases:

• 283 were from Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD)
• 233 were from South Western Sydney LHD
• 73 were from Sydney LHD
• 41 were from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD
• 36 were from Western NSW LHD
• 36 were from South Eastern Sydney LHD
• 19 were from Northern Sydney LHD
• 14 were from Far West LHD
• three were from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD
• three were from Central Coast LHD
• one was from Hunter New England LHD
• 11 cases are yet to be assigned to an LHD

Outside of Sydney, certain areas in western NSW were also highlighted by authorities.

There were 36 new cases in the Western NSW LHD, with 23 in Dubbo, five in Parkes, two each in Bourke, Gilgandra and Wellington, and one each in Coonamble and Narromine.

Up to 8pm last night there have been 36 cases identified in the WNSWLHD. 23 in Dubbo, 5 in Parkes, 1 in Coonamble, 2 in Bourke, 2 in Gilgandra, 2 in Wellington and 1 in Narromine.

Sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 at Cobar. pic.twitter.com/kBIXAA4bxv

— Western NSW LHD (@wnswlhd) August 24, 2021

NSW Health’s Susan Pearce told reporters many in the regions had come forward to get vaccinated in recent days.

“Our rural communities are responding incredibly well,” she said.

“We have sent vaccine supplies to Western NSW to further support them, as have the Commonwealth.

“We will keep doing that until we get as much coverage as we can. No-one will be left behind in this vaccine rollout.”

Chief health officer Kerry Chant said there were some infected people in the Dubbo area who required intensive care, and said her health team is directing resources towards that area and Wilcannia.

“We urge the community to respond, everyone has to do their part,” she said.

“Vaccine is accessible in those communities and I encourage you to go and get vaccinated in those sites like Parkes, Mudgee and Bathurst.

“We have had positive cases in a number of those communities and it is critical people take up vaccination.”