Coronavirus Australia: Three paramedics infected in Liverpool, southwest Sydney

The paramedics are linked to Liverpool station, forcing up to 70 workers into isolation and raising fears of staff shortages.

Three paramedics linked to Liverpool ambulance station in Sydney have tested positive for Covid-19, the NSW ambulance union has confirmed.

Australian Paramedics Association NSW said it became aware of one case in a paramedic on alternate duties on Thursday morning, with two more cases confirmed in on-the-road paramedics in the afternoon.

The major infection scare has forced up to 70 workers into 14 days of isolation, raising fears of potential staffing shortages.

“We were deeply concerned to hear about today’s positive cases, and our thoughts are with these Paramedics and their loved ones,” APA (NSW) secretary Gary Wilson said.

The Liverpool station was closed for deep cleaning but was expected to reopen for the night shift, according to an email to ambulance staff circulated in social media.

“Following on from yesterday we have had two more paramedics test positive today,” the email said.

“One was already isolating following a patient exposure and the other has been in contact with Employee Connect and the Ambulance Public Health Unit (APHU).

“Contact tracing is underway to determine who needs to be tested and who needs to isolate.

“At this stage the only station impacted is Liverpool and it is currently closed for a deep clean.”

This comes after Liverpool Hospital was forced to postpone non-emergency surgery on Wednesday after a patient tested positive for Covid-19.

‘Welcome drop’, with sting in new cases tail

NSW has recorded 65 new cases of locally acquired transmission, with 28 of those cases infectious whilst in the community. While Gladys Berejiklian said it was a “welcome drop” in the numbers, she cautioned cases will rise tomorrow.

Of the new cases, 40 are linked to a known case or cluster and the source of 25 cases remains under investigation.

There were over 58,000 tests conducted yesterday.

Ms Berejiklian said the state “will get through this” and was pleased with the drop in mobility across the city in recent days.

The NSW Premier said while the high number of cases infectious in the community was worrying, she was optimistic that the current restrictions in place were working.

“That 28 number was too high and I expect the case numbers will bounce back up tomorrow,” she said.

“We are in a stage of stabilising but we want to do better than that to get out of the lockdown.”

“We won’t hesitate to make difficult decisions we need to, but I want to say this to the community of New South Wales. We have been through these difficult times before. I know we can do this again.”

Health authorities are also cautioning against people visiting medical facilities and pharmacies after a string were exposed to the virus.

People with symptoms are being urged to ring pharmacies and doctors clinics ahead of time if they need care.

Where transmission is persisting

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant outlined several areas of increased concern for officials as the outbreak grew by 65 cases.

Fairfield Heights, Smithfield, Saint John, Canley Heights, Fairfield West, Bankstown, Condor Park, Hurstville, Roselands, Rosebery, Canterbury, Belmore Shire, St Georges River, the Liverpool local government area have all been placed on high alert.

Health authorities are also concerned about an unlinked case that has been detected in Emu Plains. Several new exposure sites have been added including the Village shopping centre.

Nine cases have been detected at a Greenacre construction site sending dozens of workers into isolation.

NSW recorded 65 new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/tW6Zxiitm6

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 15, 2021

There are currently 73 people being treated for Covid-19 in hospital with 19 of those in intensive care and five of whom are ventilated.

“Of the 19 people in the intensive care unit, one is in their 20s, one is in their 30s, two are in their 40s, five are in their 50s, six are in their 60s, three is in their 70s and one is in their 80s,” Dr Chant said.

“My key message is that we have to work together to decrease our exposure to others. So stay at home.”

Premier defiant over calls to shut non-essential retail

Ms Berejiklian has again rebuffed calls to shut down non-essential retail or define essential work.

When asked whether the current settings were enough, the NSW Premier said the lockdown has helped the state avoid an explosion of cases.

“We know that had we let this virus rip, the case numbers and those infectious in the community would have increased exponentially, doubling, tripling day after day,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Gladys Berejiklian and Kerry Chant at Thursday's press conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

“We are not seeing that trend. What we are seeing at the moment is the start of a stabilisation process.”

Ms Berejiklian also said officials have seen more transmission in healthcare settings such as pharmacists and GP clinics rather than in shops.

Dr Chant confirmed a worker at Chris O’Brien Life House has tested positive for Covid-19.

The case was detected through surveillance testing and rapid testing of all close contacts is underway.

NSW Health has upgraded the PPE requirements for a number of health settings.

“Obviously we are working through that issue,” Dr Chant said. “We will update the community as soon as possible.”

Contact Service NSW if unsure of work rules

Businesses are being asked to contact Service NSW if they need clarification about whether they should stay open or not during lockdown.

Since the NSW government has not explicitly defined which businesses were essential, Ms Berejiklian said people can contact the government to help them decide.

“I am not pretending this is easy or there is perfection in the settings, there never will be no matter where you draw the line,” she said.

“If your business has closed or else your employer has given you less hours because of the pandemic, you can get help.”

Ms Berejiklian said a large number of businesses had decided to close in light of the lockdown.

She also urged people to apply for financial assistance if they have lost hours or need help.

“This is the whole reason why we fought for a strong economic package to allow people to make those important decisions that will stop many businesses from being open and some have chosen to close.”

‘Too early’ for face-to-face learning call

Ms Berejiklian flagged there could be some changes to restrictions on face-to-face learning but that officials would need the next fortnight to make their decision.

She said her first priority was getting students back into the classroom and thanked government and non-government schools for their co-operation.

“We know that our first priority is to get kids back to face-to-face learning,” she said. “So that is why some of the decisions we have taken around that aim.”

“We will be able to say something about that beyond the July 30 date, depending on how we go in the next fortnight.”