‘More disease than the numbers reflect’: NSW records 11,201 new COVID-19 cases

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says the 11,201 new COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday most likely do not represent the full picture, as the Premier conceded some infections included in the count were from tests taken days ago due to pressure on the testing system.

“When you have a higher positivity rate, it tells us two things: that we probably aren’t ascertaining, you know, getting to all the cases, so there’s probably more disease in the community than the numbers reflect,” Dr Chant said. “But it also has impacts on our laboratory.”

She said the state’s testing resources had been constrained by “more prevalent disease”, and a higher positivity rate meant some pathology laboratory techniques could no longer be used, such as pooling or combining specimens that required retesting if they came back positive.

NSW Health is asking only those people who have COVID-19 symptoms or a positive rapid antigen test, who live in a household with a confirmed positive case, have been in a venue where there has been high transmission or in a setting with vulnerable people which is currently experiencing an outbreak to come forward for a PCR test.

The department said it was taking steps to “limit testing that is not clinically urgent” as the system experiences “enormous pressure”.

“Those queues for getting tested are getting out of control, from the point of view of the laboratories,” NSW Health Pathology’s Professor Dominic Dwyer said.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard added: “The worried well should not be lining up for PCR tests.”

There were 157,758 tests in the 24-hour period to 8pm on Tuesday, up from 93,581 tests the previous day.

Dr Chant said she expected case numbers to “jump around a little bit over [the] coming days, as we reflect testing numbers that have been performed over the Christmas and Boxing Day period”.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said some cases included in Wednesday’s count “go back, because of the time it is taking now to return those tests”.

“We apologise for any inconvenience with those long queues,” he said. “Rest assured we are doing everything we can to put downward pressure on those queues right across the state.”

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet apologised on Wednesday for the long COVID-19 PCR testing queues.Credit: James Brickwood

Hospital admissions increased to 625, up by 68 on the 557 reported on Tuesday. Of the 61 patients in ICU, 23 require ventilation.

“We’re continuing to see mostly unvaccinated people admitted to ICU,” NSW Health’s Dr Michael Douglas said on Wednesday.

Two of the three deaths reported on Wednesday were women who died at Newcastle’s Warabrook aged care facility, where they acquired their infection. One woman, aged in her 90s, had received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine while the other woman, in her 70s, had received two doses.

A man in his 80s from Sydney’s inner west died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and had been given two doses. All three had underlying conditions, NSW Health said.

Of the 11,201 new cases reported on Wednesday, 2181 cases are from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, 1855 from South Western Sydney LHD, 1744 from Sydney LHD, 1654 from Western Sydney LHD, 1359 from Northern Sydney LHD and 775 from Hunter New England LHD.

Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Wednesday morning the state would scrap its requirement for PCR tests before arrival in the state.

“From January 1, travellers into Qld from interstate hotspots can use a negative rapid antigen test to satisfy border pass requirements,” she said on Twitter.

Mr Perrottet responded, labelling it a “good move” by the Queensland government.

“PCR tests should be reserved for close contacts and those feeling unwell - not healthy tourists looking forward to a well-earned summer holiday,” he said on Twitter.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, NSW Health said people who attend testing sites seeking results to travel interstate “are unlikely to receive their results within 72 hours”.

“The delay means NSW travellers who intend to holiday in Queensland will not get their result before its January 1 changes to PCR swab requirements come into effect,” the department said.

“Holidaymakers are now urged to avoid testing queues to help ease pressure on laboratory testing.”

The NSW government announced on Tuesday it had placed an order for 20 million rapid antigen tests, which were expected to arrive by the end of January and would be provided free of charge.

Long lines have formed at PCR testing clinics over the festive season, with most clinics open over the Christmas and new year period but some closed or operating on reduced hours, NSW Health said.

Despite numerous facilities closing at midday, particularly over the public holidays this week, Mr Perrottet claimed they were operating at “full capacity”.

“Many of those clinics were not going to be open because they need to get their testing results back as quickly as possible. We have ensured and worked incredibly hard with both the private companies and NSW Health to have them operating at maximum capacity, and they are,” he said on 2GB radio on Tuesday afternoon.

In a direct plea, Mr Perrottet asked people who are not unwell and who have not been asked to get a PCR test by NSW Health to “please don’t do so”.

“I know this runs counter to everything we’ve been saying over the last two years in relation to testing, so I know we’re going through an adjustment phase ... but there are many people who are lining up for tests who do not need them,” he said.

Before the Queensland Premier’s announcement, NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said tourism testing was “clogging up the system” and called for consistency across the states, noting South Australia was now also allowing rapid antigen tests pre-arrival.

“The most important thing is that people only turn up to get tested if they’re symptomatic,” Mr Ayres said on Seven’s Sunrise program on Wednesday morning.

“If you don’t need to get tested, please don’t go and line up in one of those queues.”

Mr Perrottet also defended his decision to ease restrictions on December 15, including allowing the unvaccinated into hospitality venues and non-essential shops. Indoor masks and QR codes in settings such as supermarkets have been reintroduced in the past week.

Asked on 2GB whether he regretted dropping restrictions, Mr Perrottet replied: “No, not at all.

“We’ve always said as we open up, case numbers will increase,” he said. “These are the difficulties we’ll go through ... but I think NSW, despite this, is in a very strong position, and I’m very confident about 2022.”

St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney pathology service SydPath on Tuesday said it had closed its East Sydney Arts Centre and Rushcutters Bay Park testing clinics until further notice, and its Bondi Beach drive-through clinic would open from 8.30am to noon.

Its current test processing time is “up to four days”, according to its website.

The service has blamed human error for two bungles in the past week, including 400 COVID-positive people wrongly being advised they were negative, and a further 950 people being sent premature negative results when 486 of them were positive.

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