Two more COVID-19 cases in Hunter says Gladys Berejikilian but no news on vaccines

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard provided details at 11am of a sophisticated process put in place to ensure 24,000 HSC students are vaccinated in time to sit their exams in October.

"This is your golden ticket, your golden opportunity for a vaccination," he said. "We have seen our olympians go for gold ... this is your chance...what we need you to do is to go for gold next week,"

The process involves a message containing a link on how to book in and where to go, as well as a newsletter and information for parents and students on how to get their jabs safely, from Monday.

"We are in the worst Delta pandemic now ... the worst of the worst," he said.

In the Hunter region, however, those people, including priority category 1a and 1b health and aged care workers, who were scheduled to receive vaccinations but were stripped of them, have had no news as to when, where or how they will receive their jabs.

The two new cases in the Hunter announced on Friday take the tally to seven. The first five were three people in their 20s and two children from Maitland Christian School, aged 8 and 11, initially believed to be linked to a party held at Blacksmiths Beach on Friday night. However, it is now thought the original exposure site was Charlestown Square. There is a long list of exposure sites at the centre with 'casual contacts' who were there between 3pm and 5pm asked to get tested immediately.

"Of the two new cases in Hunter, one is a woman in 60s [and] is linked to the known Central Coast cases announced yesterday," NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said.

The other is a woman in her 20s who is a household contact of a Newcastle case announced on Thursday.

Dr Chant said high testing rates in the Hunter would help determine whether the week-long lockdown would extend or end next Thursday.

"We need those high testing rates to assure us that we're not missing those chains of transmission," she said.

There have been 291 new cases of community transmission in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, with at least 50 of those infectious in the community, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

"Given this high number of cases we are likely to see this trend continue for the next few days," she said.

"Prepare yourselves."

On Wednesday, 84,000 people in NSW were vaccinated and the push is on for that number to increase.

"The sooner we all get vaccinated the sooner we can all live more freely," Ms Berejiklian said. "Once we hit the 70 per cent vaccination rate, life will be much easier."

But her words caught in the throats of the Hunter community's leaders and residents as the struggle to get a booking for a vaccination continued.

Federal Shortland MP Pat Conroy said the region was "being treated like dirt". "It's not just priority workers, it's people ... with significant health conditions who can't get vaccinated," he said.

"They stole our vaccines ... and they are bragging about this 'you beaut' system in place for HSC students in Sydney, but for people with significant health conditions to lose their jab and then have no information about when they are getting it - it is beyond the pale.

"They are showing complete contempt for the people of this region."

The Federal Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said people in the community were 'furious'.

''There are lots of residents contacting my office, trying to access the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder website but it keeps crashing," she said. "We are 17 months into this pandemic - this should not be happening.

"Because of the low vaccination rate and slow rollout, communities are continuously going into lockdown. The heart of this problem is the inadequate supply of vaccines.

"There are plenty of people who want to get vaccinated, but they can't because Scott Morrison failed to do his job and secure enough vaccines."

Ms Berejiklian also urged the "Newcastle community and surrounds" to come forward and get tested, which also proved difficult.

One Hunter woman, who was both a casual contact after visiting an exposure site at Charlestown Square has symptoms and is a health care worker, left home at 6am on Friday to get tested immediately, as instructed. She first visited Warners Bay test clinic, was turned away, and then was turned away from Gateshead as well.

"I was just thinking, I know they want to get the testing rates up in the Hunter but maybe there should be some kind of screening ... for people who have been at exposure sites, have symptoms and are frontline workers," she said. "They are telling you to get tested and isolate until you get a negative result ... but you can't do what the government is asking you to do."

State MP for Charlestown Jodie Harrison said it was clear more test sites were needed.

"I met with NSW Health on Wednesday and made it very clear that more sites with longer operating hours and days are needed, because of the large queues being experienced by people. Until these increased places and hours are provided I can only plead with people to be patient and say thanks for doing the right thing."

Meanwhile Hunter health officials have established a quarantine facility at a Newcastle hotel to house close contacts of the Hunter's COVID-19 as they move quickly to prevent widespread transmission.

Police and security have been called in to help manage the facility and monitor close contacts, in support of health staff who are providing care to those in isolation.

A spokeswoman for Hunter New England Health confirmed the quarantine site has been established "as a precaution to help limit transmission and to closely monitor close contacts."

It points to the likelihood that the Hunter's five COVID-19 cases are being treated in hospital, which officials have been unwilling to confirm.

It is unclear how many close contacts are currently being accommodated in the hotel quarantine facility.

Officials have also confirmed that the COVID-19 site which was scheduled to be up and running at Newcastle Racecourse has been moved to McDonald Jones Stadium and is expected to be up and running by 9am Friday.

It will operate from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 7.30am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

A full list of up-to-date operating hours for Hunter test sites is available on the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network website.

The region continues to hold it's breath with the announcement of more cases expected after comments on Thursday from Dr Chant who said that the currently small number of cases "does not fully explain" the level of viral fragments found in sewage at Belmont, Burwood and Shortland treatment centres in samples taken on Monday.

"We don't want anyone to be complacent that we have got the full picture at this stage," she said, urging people to come forward and get tested.

"That is in the best interests of anyone, at this time, to get to the bottom of it."

IN THE NEWS:

Follow us on Google News