Senator’s sister in Territory Covid-19 outbreak

The Northern Territory is in a race against time to stop a Covid-19 outbreak that could overwhelm its health system.

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy says her sister has contracted Covid-19. Picture: Floss Adams

The Northern Territory is in a race against time to stop a Covid-19 outbreak that could overwhelm its health system, with a senator’s sister the first person to test positive in a ­remote Aboriginal community.

Two cases of Covid-19 were detected in Aboriginal Territorians late on Monday, one of them a Katherine man and the other a woman in the Gulf of Carpent­aria community of Robinson River. They were household contacts.

The discovery triggered a snap lockdown. Nine more cases were identified on Tuesday, all in Aboriginal people aged between five and 75, and all close contacts of the initial two.

Authorities suspect the 11 cases are linked to an outbreak in the Katherine region earlier this month, but they do not know how. That outbreak was caused by a female traveller from Cairns who lied to authorities about having visited Victoria.

Police recorded “significant vehicle traffic” out of Katherine after the lockdown was ­announced but before it came into effect on Monday, raising the possibility that infected people are spreading coronavirus elsewhere.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner asked all symptomatic Territorians to urgently get tested, describing the outbreak as the Top End’s most severe yet and a realisation of authorities’ worst fears. “There’s a chance this virus has seeded and moved,” he said.

“This is a lot of cases. This is a case in a remote community. These are Aboriginal Territorians. This makes real every fear that we’ve had.”

Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy revealed it was her sister in Robinson River who had contracted the disease. “I’d like to say a personal message – and that is to my sister, who is the source of the Covid infection in Robinson River – that our thoughts and prayers are with her and our family,” she said.

“To my uncle and aunties and cousins – who have been flown in from Katherine, who are in Howard Springs – to stay strong. I’m proud of you that you’re double-vaxxed, proud of you that you’re there, and you’re in safe hands.”

Mr Gunner said no additional cases had been detected in Robinson River but every person would be tested. NT deputy chief health officer Charles Payne said the Territory was in a “very serious situation”. “We really need our community to come forward and get tested,” he said. “We’re in a desperate race to track this down and identify further cases.”

He said Territory hospitals could manage at most four ­patients on high-flow oxygen at once. One of the 11, a 65-year-old Aboriginal woman, has been hospitalised but Dr Payne said she was not in intensive care.

Katherine’s lockdown will be extended until Monday, and extra vaccine doses have been sent to the region. All Territorians will be required to wear a mask while authorities attempt to trace any ties between the first and second Katherine clusters.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said the scenarios authorities dreaded involved coronavirus “permeating” Aboriginal families. “The harsh reality of overcrowding is something that leads this particular Delta strain to be very problematic,” he said.

Authorities are conducting wastewater testing around the NT and monitoring another Gulf community, Borroloola.