All COVID cases in Howard Springs facility will now count to NT’s case tally, not their home states
A NEW change in reporting policy has changed where people who test positive for COVID-19 in Howard Springs will be tallied up
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EVERYONE who tests positive to COVID-19 in the Howard Springs quarantine facility will now be counted towards the Northern Territory’s total case tally and not their home states, health authorities say.
A Department of Health spokesman said the cross border policy for reporting COVID-19 cases by the jurisdictions to the commonwealth changed on May 18.
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Under the changes, jurisdictions responsible for initiating the public health management of a COVID-19 case will count and report that case regardless of where the case usually resides until the case is transferred to their jurisdiction of residence at an agreed census time point.
It comes as five repatriated Aussies, including two three-year-old children, recently tested positive to COVID in Howard Springs quarantine after arriving from India on Tuesday, bringing the NT’s total case tally to 39.
Prior to the implementation of this change to the case reporting policy in May, the reporting of cases was done by the person’s jurisdiction of residence.
This is why Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers who tested positive to COVID while under quarantine at Howard Springs in February were not counted to the NT’s total case tally.
A SecureNT spokeswoman said given that the prevalence of COVID-19 is higher in those countries from whence repatriated Australians are returning, it was always expected that there would be positive COVID-19 cases.
National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre executive director Len Notaras said the next planeload of repatriated Aussies was due to arrive in about a week.
Two more flights will follow from London and will touch down in Darwin on November 7 and 11, while the subsequent Delhi departures are set for November 9, 23, and 27.
Each flight will take about 175 passengers.
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Dr Notaras said health authorities in Howard Springs were “comfortably” equipped to deal with about 2 to 5 per cent of flights testing positive. “I don’t want to predict that it’s going to be any larger than it’s going to be at the present time but by the same token if it is the larger number, yes we can cope with it,” he said.
“We have arrangements in place with the other jurisdictions as well that if somebody becomes particularly unwell from COVID, we will repatriate them to their home state.”
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