THE STORY SO FAR.......
NSW Health, media release 28 November 2021:
Omicron variant in confirmed NSW cases
NSW Health can confirm urgent genomic testing undertaken today shows two overseas travellers have been infected with the new Omicron B.1.1.529 COVID-19 variant of concern.
Both passengers came to Sydney from southern Africa on the evening of Saturday November 27. They underwent testing on arrival and tested positive for COVID-19 late last night.
The two positive cases, who were asymptomatic, are in isolation in the Special Health Accommodation. Both people are fully vaccinated.
The two passengers were amongst fourteen people from southern Africa who arrived on Qatar Airways QR908, Doha to Sydney, which arrived around 7pm, Saturday November 27.
The remaining 12 passengers from southern Africa are undertaking 14 days of hotel quarantine in the Special Health Accommodation.
Around 260 passengers and air crew on the flight are considered close contacts and have been directed to isolate.
It is an offence not to comply with a Public Health Order and penalties can apply. Close contacts will be contacted regularly, and compliance checks will be undertaken.
In line with Commonwealth measures, all travellers arriving in NSW who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Malawi, and the Seychelles during the 14 day period before their arrival in NSW must enter hotel quarantine for 14 days, irrespective of their vaccination status.
All travellers who have been in any other overseas country during the 14 day period before their arrival in NSW must travel directly to their place of residence or accommodation and isolate for 72 hours, pending further health advice.
All flight crew who have been overseas during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must travel directly to their place of residence or accommodation and isolate for 14 days or until their departure on another flight that leaves Australia, consistent with the current rules for unvaccinated flight crew.
Anyone who has already arrived in NSW who has been in any of the nine African countries within the previous 14 days must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, and call NSW Health on 1800 943 553.
Current as at: Sunday 28 November 2021
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NSW recorded 185 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Saturday 27 November 2021.
A total of 2,703 COVD-19 cases are still considered active. Included in this figure are 165 COVID-19 cases currently hospitalized, with 24 people in intensive care, 9 of whom require ventilation.
Across NSW, only 92.5 per cent of people aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated.
Of the 185 cases reported to 8pm on Saturday 27 November, 51 were from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 41 from South Western Sydney LHD, 18 from Western Sydney LHD, 15 from Hunter New England LHD, 14 from Northern Sydney LHD, 12 from Sydney LHD, 9 from Western NSW LHD, 6 from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, four from Murrumbidgee LHD, 4 from Southern NSW LHD, 3 from Mid North Coast LHD, 3 from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 2 from Central Coast LHD, 1 is in hotel quarantine and 2 are yet to be assigned to a LHD.
Fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 in sewage samples collected from Cobar, Smithtown and Gladstone where there are currently no known or recent cases.
Both confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant who entered Australia around 7pm on 27 November 2021 aboard Qatar Airways flight QR908 from Doha had been fully COVID-19 vaccinated and, a third person recently arriving in Australia who had travelled briefly into Victoria before returning to NSW is of interest and is being traced.
On the same day the confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant entered the country, Australian Minister for Health & Liberal MP for Flinders Greg Hunt issues a media release concerning changed travel restrictions stating in part:
These actions are taken on the basis of prevention and are considered proportionate to the risk and consistent with actions being considered by other countries.
Effective immediately, anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, or their immediate family including parents of citizens, and who have been in African countries where the Omicron variant has been detected and spread – within the past 14 days – will not be able to enter Australia.
The countries are: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique.
Australian citizens and permanent residents, immediate family members including parents arriving from these countries will need to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days subject to jurisdictional arrangements.
It is noted that, in a fast moving situation, the travel prohibition which includes these 9 countries does not appear to have been expanded to include other countries with confirmed cases of the new highly infectious variant known to have an reproduction rate of 2.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald on 28 November 2021:
Just weeks after opening the borders, health authorities on Sunday night were scrambling to track down hundreds of overseas passengers who have arrived in NSW over the past fortnight to determine if they are carrying the new COVID-19 variant. A senior member of the government said border settings mean it is possible the strain is already circulating through Australia’s east coast.
As of 28 November 2021 this new SARS-CoV-2 variant has been found in 18 countries:
South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia,
Eswatini, Malawi, Seychelles, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, Germany,
Czech Republic, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Italy and Australia.
Genomic sequencing to date apparently links all cases outside of the African continent back to travel through southern Africa in November 2021. According to WHO the Omicron Variant was first identified on 22 November in South Africa, from a sample collected from a patient on 9 November.
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