An Edgeworth nursing home is keeping its fingers crossed that COVID vaccines do their job after 11 residents tested positive to the virus.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Health authorities confirmed on Wednesday that a "young adult" from Sydney had caused the Hunter virus outbreak after catching a train to Newcastle on July 27 and attending parties, pubs and shopping centres over the next five days. The person later tested positive. Police are investigating.
Ten of the infected people at Hawkins Masonic Village are fully vaccinated but all were taken to hospital as a precaution on Wednesday.
The centre's chief executive, Frank Price, said the residents were "feeling well".
"We're just hopeful that continues," he said.
"If this was last year, I hate to think what would be happening throughout NSW in aged care. But, because of the vaccine, we hope the effect has been contained."
Mr Price said a second staff member had returned a positive test on Wednesday.
Jesmond Grove Anglican Care also announced that a staff member had tested positive, the third Newcastle nursing home in two days to be infected with COVID-19.
NSW Health said the Hunter had recorded 14 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, bringing the total in the region's August outbreak to 53.
Nine of the cases were under the age of 30. Seven were from the Newcastle council area, six from Lake Macquarie and one from Maitland. Six were active in the community while infectious.
The Hunter's one-week lockdown is scheduled to end at midnight on Thursday, but Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was likely to be extended.
More COVID news
- Jesmond aged care worker tests positive
- Toronto, Raymond terrace sewage detections
- 'Major blow': 11 cases in Edgeworth aged care home
- 'Doesn't look like it': end to Hunter's lockdown unlikely this week
- Business leader calls for some certainty on lockdown
- San Clemente Hunter's latest school to close for COVID case
- Teachers trek for Jenny's Place domestic violence cause
- Exposure sites: Queens Wharf, Honeysuckle Social added
"Hunter does not look like it will come out of lockdown this week, however, we'll await the health advice," she said at Wednesday's daily COVID-19 media update.
The state recorded 344 new cases on Wednesday.
Two people, a man in his 30s with other health problems and a woman in her 90s, died.
NSW has averaged 300 new cases a day over the past week, and Ms Berejiklian said the virus was showing no sign of slowing down.
HNEH detected the virus in sewage at Toronto and Raymond Terrace, suggesting the virus is spreading further.
New exposure sites emerged on Wednesday at the Belmont vaccination hub, San Clemente High School, Planet Fitness gym in Lambton, The Grumpy Baker at The Junction and Cardiff Woolworths.
A person who attended the Belmont hub on Thursday, August 5, between 11 and 11.45am, tested positive to the virus five days later.
NSW Health is contacting casual and close contacts.
San Clemente at Mayfield is closed for cleaning after NSW Health told the Catholic Schools Office that a student had tested positive.
All staff and students are asked to self-isolate until they receive further advice from NSW Health.
The student's infectious period started on Thursday, August 5, the most recent day they attended the school of 620 students.
The student, wearing a mask and sitting alone, travelled that day on the 6222 bus from Jesmond to Mayfield from 7.45 to 8.10am then caught the 6165 from Mayfield to Jesmond at 2.55pm, again alone and masked.
The Planet Fitness exposure was from 3.05pm to 5pm on August 3.
The Cardiff Woolworths exposures were on Monday, August 2, from 1pm to 6pm; Tuesday, August 3, from 7am to 10.45am; and on Saturday, August 7, from 1.15pm to 2pm.
The Grumpy Baker exposure was on Tuesday, August 3, from 12.25pm to 12:30pm.
Mr Price said he was struggling to find enough staff to look after residents at the nursing home.
"We are trying to get workforce from other places, but they have no one, either.
"The number of aged care workers the industry is short of at the moment is in the tens of thousands."
HammondCare Waratah, which announced on Tuesday that a staff member had been infected, said an initial round of testing had returned no positive swabs but a second round had begun.
It said all its Waratah staff would receive "at least a first round of vaccination" by early September as required by national cabinet guidelines.
Dubbo is in lockdown after two positive cases on Wednesday, but locked-down Tamworth, Armidale and Byron Bay did not register new cases.
