Nhulunbuy records first Covid case, still under investigation

Residents of Nhulunbuy are being urged to get tested for Covid after a person in the region was confirmed positive.

UPDATE, DECEMBER 31 6.35PM: Nhulunbuy has recorded its first case of Covid-19.

The case arrived into the region on December 29 and is under investigation.

Information from Secure NT said exposure sites would be updated in due course.

“This case does not explain the initial detection of Covid-19 in waste water in Nhulunbuy last week, which occurred before the current positive case arrived in Nhulunbuy,” it read.

Residents are urged to get tested for Covid, even if they don’t feel well.

EARLIER: A NEW Covid testing facility will open in East Arm, with the Marrara drive-through to revert back to a sporting arena.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the facility at 26 Nebo Rd was anticipated to open December 30.

The facility will have a dedicated staff, nine lanes for testing and will also distribute Rapid Antigen Tests.

The facility is primarily bookings but it will accept walk-ins.

“It is a much better facility in terms of being an all-weather facility for both the heat and the rain we experience here in the Top End,” she said.

Ms Fyles added the facility would be anticipated to be open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week.

She said the centre would be the distribution point for the collection of Rapid Antigen Tests for people travelling to a low vaccination rate remote community.

Covid vaccine bookings have also opened for children aged five to 11.

Ms Fyles also clarified the 15th and 16th cases of Covid reported on Tuesday positive following being tested at the Marrara drive through.

Interviews are underway. It is unknown if they are local or interstate individuals.

UPDATE 12.30PM: AN INTERSTATE arrival has been identified as the source of a mystery Darwin Covid case, as the Territory records 16 new cases overnight.

Five new cases are linked to the NT remote outbreak, bringing the total number of cases for the cluster to 151.

The five cases are household contacts of previous cases in the Tennant Creek area.

Four of the cases are in the Alice Springs quarantine, while the fifth case is in Tennant Creek Hospital.

Four cases are interstate arrivals, with one case in the community while infectious.

The interstate arrival was at a number of locations in Darwin, with the government releasing a list of public exposure sites in relation to this case.

Five cases are close contacts of interstate arrivals and are all in isolation.

The 15th and 16th cases tested positive following being tested at the Marrara drive through.

Interviews are underway. It is unknown if they are local or interstate individuals.

Health authorities have also confirmed the source of a mystery infection of a Darwin woman in her 60s.

It is believed the woman picked up the virus while at the Bamboo Lounge restaurant from a recent interstate arrival who was also there.

The interstate arrival later returned a positive Day 6 test on Monday.

Bamboo Lounge has been listed as a close contact public exposure site.

Anyone who was at this site on 21 December between 7.20pm – 9.20pm is required to self-isolate, call the Covid-19 Hotline on 1800 490 484 and identify yourself as a close contact.

A number of low risk public exposure sites have been listed for the Darwin area.

It comes as the 20 Covid patients are being treated in hospital, including one in the intensive care unit.

Health authorities said the majority of admissions are for the purposes of infection control and assessment.

Almost 1180 Covid-19 tests were processed across the NT yesterday.

Anyone who shows any symptoms such as a cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, change in taste or smell and a sore throat should get tested.

The Nhulunbuy community particularly is encouraged to get tested for Covid-19 following positive wastewater results.

Covid-19 testing sites are open in Nhulunbuy, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs. Testing is also available at NT Health clinics in remote communities.

Everyone in the NT has been reminded to check the Covid-19 website to review the list of NT public exposure sites.

EARLIER, 11AM:THE Territory government has caved into growing pressure over its radio silence following a rise in Covid cases over Christmas.

Less than an hour after announcing a press conference would not be held, the Government quietly backflipped to set up a briefing with Health Minister Natasha Fyles, at 1pm today.

This will be the first government Covid press conference since Christmas Eve.

The conference was announced an hour after the NT News sent through a list of questions to the government over the Territory’s growing case numbers.

More than 50 cases Covid cases in the Territory were confirmed over the silly season, including a Royal Darwin Hospital health worker and a mystery case of a Darwin woman in her 60s.

On Monday, Opposition Health spokesman Bill Yan said it was concerning the government was not holding daily health briefings given the rise in cases.

“I think everyone deserves a bit of a break from Covid over Christmas, but sadly Covid is here,” Mr Yan said.

“People are worried about it and they want to know what’s going on so they can make their plans and keep themselves and their families safe.”

Mr Yan said Alice Springs residents were waiting more than 80 hours to get results back, while Barkly residents had reported a five-day delay.

Mr Yan called the government’s pandemic planning “a dog’s breakfast”.

“We’ve been speaking about this for months and months, is the hospital ready to deal with a Covid outbreak, particularly now that we have health staff infected,” he said.

He said the health worker, understood to be an eye clinic doctor, resulted in fellow nurses and hospital staff being forced into isolation.

Mr Yan said it was unknown how many health workers were taken off roster as a result of their infection.