Hunter doctors clock 'longer term' health impacts of COVID-19

The Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network has told health care providers they are likely to be identifying and supporting patients experiencing a wide range of symptoms and conditions following infection.

The Hunter New England region has recorded 1709 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, as four lives were lost to the pandemic in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, bringing the state's total number of deaths to 2023. Of the 29 people across the region being cared for in hospital, none are in ICU.

Most people are still confirming they have COVID-19 via PCR tests, 1096 cases, compared to 613 cases confirmed via Rapid Antigen Tests.

Of the four people who died with COVID-19 in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm Saturday, two men and two women, one was in their 60s, one person was aged in their 70s, one person was aged in their 80s and one person was aged in their 90s. The toll included one person from the Central Coast, and three from Sydney.

There are 1124 COVID-19 people being treated in hospital, including 33 people in intensive care - 15 of whom require ventilation.

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the region, families are relying on advice from their GPs, chemists, and NSW Health which has received large numbers of inquiries, as well as reaching out to friends and relatives to get advice on how best to manage positive cases in the home.

Many people remain confused about the rules and guidelines for those self-isolating at home, particularly following seven days of isolation as a household member of a positive case, when new cases emerge in the household days later.

Questions are also being raised about the sensitivity of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) as people cite testing positive on a PCR test the same day they test negative on a RAT.

Hunter New England Health advises that RATs are less sensitive to PCR tests which are considered the gold standard for testing for COVID, and that early on, or very late in the illness, the RAT could be negative while a PCR is positive.

Given their effectiveness, vaccinations can reduce the viral load and result in less severe illness and less chance of needing hospitalisation, as well as a much lower risk of long COVID "even if one gets mild illness", a spokeswoman said "The reduced viral load probably impacts on the ability of a RAT to diagnose COVID early in the illness.

"Omicron has a shorter incubation period with the usual period before developing symptoms being three to four days. The majority of people (70-80 per cent) will develop their symptoms in the first week. The remainder who go on to develop symptoms, will usually do so by day 10 after exposure."

Vaccination numbers across NSW are now at more than 95 per cent for people aged 16 and over having received a first dose, and 94.5 per cent have received two doses, as of Friday, March 18.

Of people aged 16 plus, 58.3 per cent have now received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This represents 62.2 per cent of the eligible population that received their second dose more than three months ago.

Nearly 84 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 have received a first dose, and 79.3 per cent have received two doses, while 48.8 per cent of children aged 5 to 11, 48.8 per cent have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

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