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Coronavirus live updates: NSW and Victoria health alert after new positive COVID-19 cases

NSW and Victoria has been put on alert overnight after officials confirmed new positive cases, with residents urged to check exposure sites.  

Natalie Brown and Bella Fowler
less than 2 min read
February 7, 2021 - 2:00PM
Infectious disease expert Professor Allen Cheng answers your COVID-19 questions

NSW and Victoria have been put on alert overnight after officials confirmed new positive cases, with residents urged to check exposure sites.  

Victoria posted an initial alert just before midnight, after a hotel quarantine worker at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport tested positive to COVID-19 a day after returning to work and developing symptoms.

A "full public health response" is underway, with Holiday Inn Airport workers and others who are considered primary close contacts being contacted by Victoria's Department of Health.

Residents are urged to check for exposure sites, which include a Dan Murphy's. More information can be found below.

Earlier, NSW Health issued an alert for several venues after a returned traveller tested positive to COVID-19 two days after they were released from hotel quarantine.

Household contacts have tested negative and the results indicate the confirmed case has a low level of infection.

There are still new warnings for a number of venues in and around Wollongong and southern Sydney.

Anyone who attended the Headlands Hotel at Austinmer between 1pm and 3pm on Tuesday February 2 or the Bulli Beach Cafe at Bulli between 1.30pm and 4pm on Saturday February 6 should immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive further advice from NSW Health.

Other venues are listed as casual contacts with attendees advised to get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result, and get tested again if they develop symptoms.

Follow our coronavirus blog for live updates.

Updates

Quarantine worker tests positive in Vic | Exposure sites alert

A hotel quarantine worker at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport has tested positive to coronavirus, Victoria's health officials confirmed in a late night statement.

The individual was tested on 4 Feb, returning a negative result.

They returned to work 7 Feb, developed symptoms, were tested and returned a positive result.

The individual is being interviewed and a full public health response is underway.

Victoria's Department of Health say they are contacting Holiday Inn Airport workers and others who are considered primary close contacts. They are required to immediately isolate, get tested and remain isolated for 14 days.

Initial exposure sites and times include:

Friday 5th February 2021


– Marciano's Cakes: Maidstone – 9:45am – 10:25am

– Dan Murphy's: Sunshine – 5:50pm – 6:30pm

Saturday 6th February 2021

– Off Ya Tree Watergardens: Taylors Lakes – 1:17pm – 1:52pm

– Dan Murphy's: Sunshine – 6:50pm – 7:30pm

Exposure sites were being fully identified and will also be updated here.

Testing capacity near exposure sites will be scaled up, with details to come.

NSW: New warnings after returned traveler test positive

A returned traveller who tested negative twice to COVID-19 while in hotel quarantine has been confirmed positive two days after leaving hotel quarantine.

The revelation has prompted new public health alerts from NSW Health.

NSW Health recently introduced symptom checking and day-16 COVID-19 tests for overseas travellers who have been released from hotel quarantine.

"The person did not have any symptoms but underwent testing as part of the recently enhanced day-16 follow-up," NSW Health said.

The test results indicated they have a low level of infection, and household contacts have so far returned negative results.

NSW Health believes they acquired the virus overseas and not while in hotel quarantine.

The confirmed case visited a number of venues in and around Wollongong as well as a south Sydney cafe.

Anyone who attended the Headlands Hotel at Austinmer between 1pm and 3pm on Tuesday February 2 or the Bulli Beach Cafe at Bulli between 1.30pm and 4pm on Saturday February 6 should immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive further advice from NSW Health.

The people at the following venues around the same time are considered casual contacts and should get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. If symptoms appear afterwards, get tested again.

Brighton Le Sands – Mootch & Me: Tuesday February 2 between 10.54am and 12pm.

North Wollongong – Optus store: Thursday February 4 between 1pm and 1.15pm

Fairy Meadow – Officeworks: Thursday February 4 from 3.45pm and 4.05pm and Friday February 5 between 3pm and 3.25pm.

People who were at the following venues at the listed times should monitor for symptoms and get tested if any appear.

Bulli – Woolworths: Wednesday February 3 between 9.15am and 10am

Corrimal Memorial Park: Wednesday February 3 between 12pm and 1pm

Thirroul Beach: Wednesday February 3 between 3pm and 4.30pm

Madden Plains Sublime Point Walking Track: Thursday February 4 between 8.30am and 10.30am

Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, particularly Australia Post, Kmart, Blooms The Chemist and Subway: Thursday February 4 between 2pm and 3.30pm

Fairy Meadow – Fedora Pasta Factory: Friday February 5 between 3.30pm and 3.35pm

A full list of COVID-19 testing stations is available on the NSW Health website, as is a full list of venues and related health advice.

'Important clues' into virus' origin

A lengthy investigation into the origins of the coronavirus has found "important clues" that could hopefully stop the next pandemic from happening.

British zoologist Peter Daszak, one of 10 independent experts assisting the World Health Organisation's (WHO) investigation, told Bloomberg the focus was on "trying to understand why these things emerge so we don’t continually have global economic crashes and horrific mortality while we wait for vaccines".

He said he anticipates the main findings of the investigation will be released this week.

Dr Peter Daszak (R) and other investigators arriving at the Wuhan Institute of Virology on Wednesday. Picture: Hector Retamal / AFP

The WHO was tasked with identifying which animal the virus crossed to humans from, including whether intermediate hosts played a role.

The closest known relative of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 came from bats more than 1500 kilometres away from Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in December 2019.

Since then the virus has infected more than 105 million people, killing more than 2.3 million.

One theory is that one of those bats may have infected another animal, possibly a pangolin, that was then sold at a wet market in Wuhan.

Dr Daszak and other scientists have refuted theories that the virus escaped from a Wuhan virology lab that had been studying bat-borne coronaviruses.

He said the investigation has been "collaborative" with Chinese counterparts, with daily meetings, information sharing, and visits to key places that could have played a role in the outbreak.

One new case in the NT

The Northern Territory have reported one new case of COVID-19.

The case is a young boy who recently arrived on a repatriation flight from India, and is currently being cared for at the Howard Springs quarantine facility.

Health authorities say he has mild symptoms.

Seven days without community transmission in WA

Western Australia has hit its seventh straight day of no locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.

The state also reported zero new cases in hotel quarantine – meaning its total infection tally stands at 907.

WA Health said of the 528 close and casual contacts of the quarantine security guard whose infection sparked last week's snap lockdown, 522 have tested negative.

They added they're following up on the final six, who are awaiting their test results.

No new cases in SA

Our donut streak continues: South Australia have reported no new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

The state currently has two active cases – both overseas acquired and in hotel quarantine.

SA's total infection tally stands at 602.

ScoMo accused of 'going missing'

Scott Morrison has been accused of “going missing” during the coronavirus pandemic, as the federal opposition continues to question his leadership on issues including state borders and national quarantine.

Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles said the prime minister has failed to unite the states during the crisis.

“When the states have disagreed, the ability of this prime minister to get consistency at a national level, across the states, has been essentially zero,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

“He has gone missing when the going has got tough.”

Mr Morrison has no legal powers to override state leaders closing their borders for health reasons.

But Mr Marles said the federal government had "relegated itself to the sidelines" and should be part of the decision-making process around closures.

– Kathryn Bermingham, NCA NewsWire

READ MORE

Vaccine 'stamp' to open up overseas travel

It's "highly likely" vaccination certificates will be required for international travel, Federal Minister for Government Services, Stuart Robert, told reporters earlier.

"There is still a range of decisions for governments to make, it's highly likely that a certificate will be required for international visitors to Australia and we will continue to work with our international counterparts on our framework for vaccination certificates," Mr Robert said.

"Australians can have assurance the certificate they will have will be robust, it will be anchored to them, so they will know it's their certificate, and it will be widely accepted."

He didn't confirm, however, whether they'll lead to a faster opening of international borders, saying he'd leave "any commentary" up to Prime Minister Scott Minister.

"But any requirement for borders to open up will require vaccination and it will require the widespread use of a certificate and that is what we are talking about today," Mr Robert added.

"Australians can have enormous confidence that the digital certificate or the paper-based certificate they have will be robust."

'Still got a week to go': Victorian Health Minister

During a press conference earlier, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley urged residents to stay vigilant, with another seven days to go before authorities can have confidence that the threat from the hotel quarantine worker case is over.

"We've still got another good week to go before we can successfully claim to see this one off, but the signs are positive," Mr Foley told reporters.

"But that is not an invitation for complacency, and we need to make sure that any Victorian who is facing even the slightest of symptoms of coronavirus comes forward to the almost 200 testing sites around the state and gets tested and isolates until those results are in."

NSW hits 21 days without community transmission

NSW has hit its 21st day of no locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.

"We need to continue to have high testing numbers to give us the best chance of finding any new cases and preventing new chains of transmission from becoming established," a NSW Health spokeswoman warned.

The state reported one new case of coronavirus in the last 24 hours in a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine.

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