COVID-19 NSW 2023: Counting Dead People - Part 6

 

NSW Dept. of Health, @NSWHealth, 19 May 2023

In the 7 days up to 18 May 2023 the national COVID-19 death toll was in excess of 114 people.

Between Friday 12 May to Thursday 18 May 2023 61 of these confirmed COVID-19 deaths occurred in News South Wales.

There have been no 7-day reporting periods in 2023 where NSW deaths have been recorded in single digits – according to Covid Live weekly deaths over the last 20 NSW reporting periods have ranged from a low of 22 deaths (17, 24 March & 14 April 2023) to a high of 131 deaths (20 Jan 2023).

As NSW Dept. of Health no longer publishes the COVID-19 fourteen-day tables which include deaths by gender, age group and health district, there is now no way to break down current COVID-19 publicly available death data for the state or for the Northern Rivers region.

The last published table recording COVID-19 deaths by NSW local health district was for the week ending 22 April 2023 and the last published table including a Northern Rivers COVID-19 death was for week ending 15 April 2023.

From January 2023 to 15 April 2023 there have been est. 40 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the Northern Rivers region.

All that can be stated from published tables from then on is that; as of 18 May there were 252 confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded that 7-day reporting period for the Northern NSW Local Health District, spread across all 7 local government areas and, that as of the preceding 6 May the health district was recording on a “Week To Date” and “Year To Date” basis more confirmed COVID-19 cases than confirmed Influenza and RSV cases combined.

The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care released the following information on 19 May 2023:

As at 8:00 am 18 May 2023 there are 3,132 active COVID-19 cases in 453 active outbreaks in residential aged care facilities across Australia. There have been 207 new outbreaks, 38 new resident deaths and 2,751 combined new resident and staff cases reported since 11 May 2023.

[my yellow highlighting]

New South Wales had the highest number of aged care facility COVID-19 outbreaks during 12-18 May period. As well as the highest number of aged care residents & staff with active COVID-19 infections. 

Sadly, compared to other states and territories New South Wales at 14 residential facilities also had the highest number of aged care facilities reporting COVID-19 deaths among their residents. Resulting in this state having possibly the highest number of residential aged care deaths* across all Australian states and territories.

Note: 

* The actual number of NSW aged care deaths in the 7 days to 18 May 2023 is problematic as the Dept. of Health for privacy reasons reported deaths in aged care facilities in blocs of “<6”. So deaths at the 14 individual facilities involved ranged from 1-5 elderly people per facility.

See: COVID-19 outbreaks in Australian residential aged care facilities: National snapshot, 19 May 2023, APPENDIX 1

Sadly the first violent death of a woman in 2023 recorded by the Counting Dead Women project occurred in Ballina, Northern NSW

 

Counting Dead Women

@DeadWomenAus

A research project of Destroy The Joint

NSW Police, Latest News:

Man arrested after body of woman located - Ballina

Wednesday, 04 January 2023 11:39:36 AM

A man has been arrested after the body of a woman was located in the state’s north overnight.

About 12.30am (Wednesday 4 January 2022), a man attended Ballina Police Station and reported a welfare concern for a woman known to him.

Officers from Richmond Police District attended Holden Lane, near Cherry Street, Ballina, and located the body of a woman.

She is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be aged 64.

The man – aged 66 – was arrested at the police station, where he remains in custody.

Local detectives, with assistance from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad, have commenced an investigation into the woman’s death under Strike Force Blaikie.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

ABC News, 5 January 2022:

A man accused of murdering his partner in northern New South Wales was already on bail for assault, a court has heard.

Robert Karl Huber, 66, did not apply for bail when he appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court this morning charged with murder and breaching an apprehended domestic violence order.

It is alleged Mr Huber killed his partner, Lindy Lucena, 64, on Tuesday evening before attending the Ballina Police Station at about 12.30am to speak to police.

He then allegedly led officers to a laneway next to the Salvation Army where her body was found.

Today, the court heard Mr Huber had been granted bail just days before the alleged murder after being charged with several violent offences, including common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Richmond Police District Commander Superintendent Scott Tanner yesterday said police were treating her death as a case of domestic violence.

"It's a matter where these people were in a relationship, and that's how we will be alleging," he said…..