Deaths, lockdowns in worst day of Covid-19 outbreak for NSW

NSW has recorded its worst one-day rise in Covid-19 deaths since the start of the June outbreak, with five people succumbing to the virus on Wednesday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian in Sydney on Thursday. Picture: Getty Images

NSW has recorded its worst one-day rise in Covid-19 deaths since the start of the June outbreak, with five people succumbing to the virus on Wednesday and a sixth death reported in a woman who suffered blood clots after receiving her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The state government on Thursday announced a new daily high of 266 infections across the state and moved to lock down the Hunter and Upper Hunter regions due to sudden transmissions.

The deaths were three men in their 60s from the city’s west, south and southwestern suburbs, a man in his 70s from the city’s inner west, and a woman in her 80s from the southwestern suburbs, where cases of the virus remain highest.

The sixth death, that of a 34-year-old NSW woman, was reported by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in its weekly safety report, released on Thursday. It said the woman died on Wednesday as a result of confirmed blood clotting that followed her first dose of AstraZeneca.

“We are in close communication with NSW health who are undertaking further investigation of this case,” the TGA said.

The 34-year-old was among three new cases of blood clotting reported to the TGA in the week of July 26-August 1, the others ­including a 51-year-old NSW woman and a probable case in a 67-year-old woman from Victoria.

The administration said these cases amounted to 93 of total Australian reports of blood clotting out of about 6.8 million doses, or 0.001 per cent of cases. “The protective benefits of vaccination against COVID-19 far outweigh the potential risks of vaccination,” it said.

Facing increasing infections and a health system under strain, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a one-week lockdown for the Hunter and Upper Hunter after five positive cases were ­detected in the Newcastle area. Another nine cases were detected on the Central Coast, eight of which live in the same household.

Restrictions similar to those of Greater Sydney will be applied to Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock, Dungog, Singleton and Muswellbrook.

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said she believed the source of the virus was a gathering held on Blacksmiths Beach, near Newcastle; among the attendees were people who had travelled from Greater Sydney, allowable only in limited circumstance.

Of the newly detected cases in NSW, 72 were known to be infectious in the community and the isolation status of another 80 cases remain under investigation.

Case numbers appear to have stabilised in some of the eight Sydney local government areas that are subject to more stringent lockdown orders. But infections have increased in nearby LGAs, including Strathfield and Bayside, where case numbers remain low but the rate of transmission has increased, according to analysis by researchers with the Burnet Institute.

With the lockdown of businesses likely to continue well into September, some business lobby groups have raised concerns about a lack of funding flowing to companies applying for grant assistance.

A NSW government official confirmed that 175,000 applications had been made for assistance, with $282m paid and another $153m approved, although these account for a fraction of the funding sought.

Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive Wes Lambert said hospitality services in Greater Sydney had applied for grants but many had not seen any funds. “Members are now reporting hours and hours waiting on the phone. Employees on Disaster Relief got payments quickly,” he said, pointing to federal payments ­afforded to workers. “Why haven’t businesses?”