Coronavirus: worker in iso hotel infects their family

An 80-year-old woman is among three new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in South Australia.

South Australia chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier. Picture: Russell Millard

An 80-year-old woman is among three new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in South Australia after a worker from a quarantine hotel infected their family members.

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier revealed the woman was diagnosed on Saturday along with a woman in her 50s and a man in his 60s who returned positive test results on Sunday.

“One of those people works in our medi-hotels,” Professor Spurrier said.

“This is where we consider the source to be.”

Urgent contact tracing is under way to track any potential links to the source of infection.

The woman in her 80s was tested at the Lyell McEwin Hospital emergency department and remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Despite wearing a mask at the time, 90 people, including hos­pital staff members and patients, have been directed to quarantine.

Professor Spurrier said the new cases were “very troubling”, and several other relatives of the impacted family were already showing coronavirus symptoms and were undergoing tests.

“It is somebody who has turned up positive in our community,” she said.

Crowds line up for testing at the Lyell McEwin Hospital COVID-19 clinic in Adelaide, South Australia, on August 3. Picture Matt Turner

“This is an example of community transmission … although we can get rid of the virus for a ­period of time in South Australia, there is still the risk of re­introduction.”

Professor Spurrier said one of the confirmed cases had visited Parafield Plaza Supermarket in Parafield Gardens, north of Adelaide’s CBD, between 10.30am and 11.30am last Thursday while potentially infectious.

SA Health has since issued an urgent warning to anyone experiencing symptoms of the virus to present for testing.

The local case announced on Sunday could halt the planned border opening on December 1, which would mean people travelling from Victoria to SA will no longer need to undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

A man in his 30s also tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday but he is a returned traveller who was diagnosed in hotel ­quarantine.

It comes as Victoria’s streak of zero new infections continued for another day, with the state recording its 16th consecutive day without a case being detected, from more than 8000 tests.

Similarly, there were no locally acquired cases of coronavirus in NSW up to the 8pm cut-off on Saturday, but nine infections were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.

Saturday marked one week since the state last recorded a case of community transmission.