Tweet of the Week

 

I think it’s great that covid is over and no one has to worry anymore 🤦🏻‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/P7FZo5bEAn

— Prof Gemma Carey PhD MMedSci (@gemcarey) June 13, 2022

 

Living the pandemic ' new normal' in New South Wales January 2022

Want to know why in New South Wales chaos is the 'new normal'?

COVID-19 published data finally confirmed a truth - by week ending 9 January 2022 only 78.3% of total NSW population was fully vaccinated. Note: it’s possible that government was using June 2019 or 2020 population totals which would result in a lower fully vaccinated percentage total.

What this means is when Dominic Perrottet became premier in early October 2021 the real vaccination rate of the total state population (ABS pop. 30 June 2021) was under 55% & by 25 November 2021 it was still not the loudly boasted about 80% total. Even with est. 42% of the population aged 12 to 90 years of age & over being fully vaccinated.  And he knew those vaccination rates were misleading as he had been a member of NSW crisis cabinet since its creation.

Yet knowing all this Perrottet still kept Morrison & Berejiklian’s insane 'living with COVID’ push alive by further reducing public health protections in the face of a new Omicron Variant Outbreak combining with an existing Delta Variant Outbreak. 

The NSW Premier and MLA for Epping intentionally opened up vulnerable villages, towns & cities in 128 local government areas and communities them to fend for themselves.

The rest is history. Because ‘opening up’ the state with a real full vaccination rate well under the promised 70-80% (a percentage range much of the expert advice to government was based on) and, with the bare minimum of a test, trace, contact & isolate public health structure in place, the combined Delta-Omicron infection growth began to surge and is on its way to being an epidemiological tsunami which will toss New South Wales this way and that for at least the next six weeks, perhaps longer.

This because, despite the fact that full vaccination of those 12 to 90 years of age & older has now reached est. 86.1%, a significant number of those vaccinated since 22 February 2021 no longer have a high level of protection against the virus. 

By the week ending 9 January 2022, 68.9% of all COVID-19 cases hospitalized across the state were patients who had been fully vaccinated sometime in the last 22 months and, as of 15 January only 25.4% of all fully vaccinated NSW residents have received a vaccine booster injection to increase waning immunity levels.

Even reinstating a weak mishmash of previous public health restrictions is not going to change what is happening now that the virus has reached the status of uncontrolled.

The exact number of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual COVID-19 cases which have occurred in the New South Wales resident population can no longer be reliably quantified. The 'let it rip'  mentality of the Australian and NSW Coalition Governments had overseen the disintegration of a public health response to SARS-CoV-2 the virus and COVID-19 the infectious disease it caused.  A situation which was laid bare by December 2021 when it became impossible to test or count every person in the state who was displaying/fallen ill with COVID-19 symptoms.

There were at total of 23,456 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported by NSW Health to 8pm Saturday 15 January 2022, with the deaths of 20 people of whom 14 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 and six people were not vaccinated.

NOTE: The aforementioned total new cases includes both positive PCR and RAT results, but excludes those 11, 204 positive RAT results included in 15 January figures which actually occurred in the last 7 days. It seems that the difficulty in sourcing a RAT has resulted in only est. 2,478 COVID-19 positive home being reported within the last 24 hours to 8pm 15 January.

Currently there are 2,650 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, including 191 people in intensive care, 61 of whom require ventilation.

As of 8pm 15 January there are 342,838 active COVID-19 cases in the state - less than 1% of these people would currently be in hospital and the remainder are understood to be self-managing their illness outside of a hospital setting either in the home or insecure accommodation.

Currently NSW Health is recording the incidence of COVID-19 diagnostic testing in the last four weeks up to 15 January as 125 PCR tests done per 1,000 head of population. Since 26 November 2021 a large proportion of all positive PCR tests have not had genomic sequencing.

According to NSW Health of the 20,978 new cases confirmed by PCR testing as at 8pm on Saturday 15 January 2022: 4,063 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 3,139 are from Western Sydney LHD, 2,336 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 1,875 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 1,858 are from Sydney LHD, 1,755 are from Hunter New England LHD, 1,458 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 989 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 686 are from Northern NSW LHD, 610 are from Central Coast LHD, 571 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, 489 are from Southern NSW LHD, 439 are from Western NSW LHD, 257 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 67 are from Far West LHD, 2 are in correctional settings, and 384 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

To 8pm 15 January, 686 COVID-19 cases confirmed by PCR testing were recorded across 7 local government areas in Northern NSW Local Health District:

Tweed Shire – 353 cases

Byron Shire – 126 cases

Ballina Shire – 84 cases

Lismore City – 49 cases

Clarence Valley – 33 cases

Richmond Valley – 28 cases

Kyogle Shire – 13 cases

TOTAL 686

NOTE: NSW Location database is only updated 5 days out of every seven so postcodes for 15 January not yet available at time of posting.

Currently there are 52 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with 8 of these in ICU.

IMAGE: found on Twitter

The Weekend Australian reported on 16 January 2022:

“It is as we feared,” Dr Chris Ingall, from the hospital’s medical staff council, told the publication.

“We are seeing an almost exclusively unvaccinated population in the hospital and exclusively unvaccinated in the intensive care ward at this point.

“We predicted this, we said there would be a tsunami here, everyone predicted it would sweep through the pockets of the unvaccinated.”…..

One of the people in ICU is Mullimbimby-based tarot card reader and reiki master Helen Dean who had previously protested against vaccine mandates.

She caught the virus last month and has been on a ventilator since Christmas Day…...

The Daily Telegraph reported she was taken off life support on Saturday but remains in ICU…..

Meanwhile, NSW Health data has revealed the impact anti-vaxxers are causing on the health system.

Of NSW’s Covid deaths, 420 were unvaccinated while just 96 had the jab.

The Daily Telegraph also estimated the cost of ICU per patient per day is about $4375.

SOURCES

• https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/2022-nsw-health.aspx
• https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/critical-intelligence-unit/dashboard
• https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/blog/category/media-releases/
• https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/10/covid-19-vaccine-rollout-update-6-october-2021.pdf
• https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/latest-release
• https://twitter.com/NSWHealth
• https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332073/WHO-2019-nCoV-Adjusting_PH_measures-Criteria-2020.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Australia 2022: a study in betrayal

SARS-CoV-2 entered Australia on 15 January 2020. It came here by a commercial passenger jet. It was not until 25 January 2020 that the infected passenger was diagnosed with COVID-19 and became our own Patient Zero in Sydney, New South Wales.

That same day two more airline passengers who disembarked in Sydney were also diagnosed with COVID-19.

From the very beginning the public health response of both the Federal and NSW governments was never as swift and comprehensive as it needed to be.

Indeed, over the next 15 months it often seemed that Prime Minister & fundamentalist Liberal Party ideologue Scott Morrison was personally determined to sabotage any chance of coming through this pandemic with minimal viral infections, deaths and long-term health problems for those who recovered from COVID-19.

However, despite the increasing politicization and weaponing of the public health response by the Morrison Government, we almost made it through.

By 15 June 2021 Australia had limited infection spread so that the cumulative total of COVID-19 cases was 30,274 people – just 0.1176% of the entire population. Sadly the COVID-10 related death toll stood at 910 individuals, but on the other hand there were only 116 active cases remaining in the entire country and only 26 of these were still sick enough to require hospitalization. Such outcomes compared favourably with global pandemic data.

On 16 June NSW Health confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant had been discovered after testing a man from Eastern Sydney. It was then that first the population of New South Wales and later by the rest of Australia discovered that, when it came to elected members of the federal and NSW state governments, there had been no lessons learnt from the earlier litany of public health blunders.

The Delta Variant quickly became a state-wide outbreak that was exported to other states and territories once then NSW Premier & Liberal MP for Willoughby Gladys Berejiklian – seemingly in thrall to Scott Morrison – began to insist that communities across the state must learn to ‘live with COVID’ and that the other states needed to follow her plan to re-open borders and scale back public health order conditions & restrictions. Scott Morrison threw his weight behind the only state premier who agreed with him and COVID-19 infections began to grow and spread at an alarming rate.

Over the next 23 weeks the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia grew to a cumulative total of 205,271 people with a COVID-19 related death toll of 1,985 individuals. The number of active cases remaining at the end of that time numbered 13,492 infected people with 557 ill enough to require hospitalisation.

There was a faint light at the end of the tunnel because infection growth and spread had begun to fall in the state that started the Delta Outbreak. So that at 8pm on Friday, 26 November 2021 the daily number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in NSW only totalled 235 people with 174 COVID-19 cases currently hospitalized and, 26 people in intensive care 10 of whom require ventilation.

Two days later NSW Health heralded the arrival of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant after passengers who disembarked in Sydney from southern Africa on 28 November 2021 had tested positive for COVID-19 and their test results were being sequenced for this new variant.

The most charitable explanation for what happened next was that the entire NSW Government mindlessly panicked and, with new Premier & fundamentalist Liberal Party ideologue Dominic Perrottet at the helm, decided to treat this new outbreak in the making as a purely political and economic issue. Scott Morrison encouraged this approach just as he had encouraged open borders, lowering public health order restrictions and living with COVID.

This time Morrison appears to have gone further behind closed doors at the so-called National Cabinet meetings – rumours of verbal abuse, political threats and threats of financial sanctions by the federal government began to filter out.

By 15 December 2021 there was little left of what had always been an inchoate national public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, the states had begun to follow New South Wales down the rabbit hole Scott Morrison had so industriously dug.

On 31 December 2021 the national cumulative total of confirmed COVID-19 cases had grown to 395,504 people or 1.536% of the entire population. And tellingly, est. 190,233 more people had fallen ill over the space of the last 5 weeks. The cumulative national COVID-19 related death toll stood at 2,239 individuals. Active cases numbered 137,752 and current hospitalizations 1,591.

By 1 January 2022 that 190,233 figure appeared to have grown to 225,560 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia in the space of the last 5 weeks. 

When 2 January arrived  there was more unwelcome news. As at 8pm the number of additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 5 weeks had grown to est. 257,194 people nationally. 

The national daily number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases on 2 January was given as 32,354 people and the number of active cases as est, 188,957 individuals. Currently 1,978 infected people were ill enough to require hospitalisation (1,204 of those being inpatients in NSW hospitals), 148 being in ICUs (95 in NSW) and 51 being ventilated (25 in NSW).

While the cumulative national total confirmed cases according to the Australian Dept. of Health was 462,928 and total deaths since January 2020 were recorded as 2,258 men, women and children.

Unfortunately, after 23 months of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 , an erratic national public health response and a political response in recent months which has the effect of limiting community access to PCR tests & rapid antigen self- testing kits, the recorded tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases no longer represents a true and accurate total of the number of people who actually contracted the virus. The degree of undetected infection and the under reporting in official data to date has not been publicly quantified in Australia, but there is some suggestion that it could currently be somewhere between 20-25% and up to 50% for the latter part of December 2021. These percentages have the potential to impact on government's ability to assess probability and risk going forward into 2022.

Regions, local government areas and communities across Australia are in uncharted waters. It might never be possible to walk back the current high infection rate in the foreseeable future and, February 2022 may bring a new normal that is debilitating to national, state and regional economies, the public health system and social cohesion. 

Now one can argue about the level of virulence attached to the Omicron Variant and about whether cumulative, active, hospitalised or death toll numbers are important markers. However, what cannot be denied is that everyone of these active cases on any given day represents over time; a potential or real loss of productivity at state and national level, changes in the pattern of business profitability, yo-yoing consumer confidence, a decrease in tourism & hospitality turnover and an assault on the collective sense of safety and wellbeing. As well as a very real possibility that how Australian citizen’s cast their ballot at elections held in 2022 may be very different from past years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the first two days of 2022 Northern NSW Local Health District where this blog is situated had recorded a total of 715 new confirmed COVID-19 cases across the 7 local government areas and, reported up to 19 people in hospital with 4 in intensive care.

• Byron Shire – 260 cases

• Tweed Shire – 173 cases

• Ballina Shire – 108 cases

• Clarence Valley – 76 cases

• Lismore City – 74 cases

• Richmond Valley – 14 cases

• Kyogle Shire – 10 cases

TOTAL  715 

Sources

• https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/06/coronavirus-covid-19-at-a-glance-15-june-2021.pdf

• https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/11/coronavirus-covid-19-at-a-glance-27-november-2021.pdf

• https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/01/coronavirus-covid-19-at-a-glance-31-december-2021.pdf

• https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/2021-nsw-health.aspx

• https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/2022-nsw-health.aspx

• https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/blog/category/media-releases/

Our tin-eared Prime Minister Scott Morrison once again fails to comprehend how deeply he can offend with his constant self-promoting photoshoots

For reasons best known to himself Australian Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook (Sydney NSW) Scott Morrison fancies himself as a bit of a chef.

Though perhaps his persistence in displaying his dubious skills in frequent clunky, over-staged, photoshopped photoshoots could be laid at the feet of Annabel Crabb's ABC television show "Kitchen Cabinet" where in 2015 she featured Morrison cooking a curry while admitting that his self-applied nickname "ScoMo" was quite "new".

He obviously thought that episode a public relations relations success. In the years since he has pushed that #ScottyTheChef persona to a point where it has made him the subject of much derision and not a little bit of satire. 

After he infamously ran away from a national crisis in December 2019, holiday photoshoots have also been well and truly weaponised by the general public, cartoonists & satirists and that weapon pointed straight at his head. 

Take this recent piece..... 

Satirical blog The Shovel on Wednesday, 29 December 2021 when Australia’s daily COVID-19 new case count stood at 32,946 infected people including 8 dead in the last 24 hours:

With the nation facing its highest COVID case numbers ever, and testing facilities stretched to their limit, PM Scott Morrison made an urgent address to the nation this afternoon to announce a new Sri Lankan curry which he says is now one of his favourites.

“It’s curry night!” Mr Morrison said, as daily national case numbers climbed towards 20,000 and lines for PCR testing continued to stretch to more than five hours......

However, our emotionally tone deaf prime minister either ignores or fails to see the warning signs that makes it risky to promote his Kirribilli House New Year's Eve private harbourside parties to watch the fireworks. Particularly this time around as the nation enters its third year of a global pandemic.

This was #ScottyTheChef on social media on 31 December 2021 when the national daily COVID-19 new case count was 35,326 infected people, including 13 dead in the last 24 hours:

SNAPSHOT: @adamajacoby

Surely someone in the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet had registered the increasingly naked distress being expressed on social media, as infection and hospitalisation numbers grew on the Australian east coast, public health response//support measures began to be withdrawn and individuals, families and communities were being told in so many words that they were on their own now 'living with COVID'.

Perhaps his media team might like to suggest to Morrison that he lie low the day before Australia Day 2022 as 25 January is the anniversary of the very first confirmed case of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Pandemic as the country enters 2022

To recap the bad news we are all living as we enter 2022, with no end in sight....

 

# As at 8pm on Wednesday, 1 December 2021 NSW Health recorded 271 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in New South Wales.

These were spread across all 15 local health districts:

Of the 271 cases reported to 8pm last night, 68 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 57 are from Western Sydney LHD, 49 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 29 are from Sydney LHD, 18 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 12 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 10 are from Hunter New England LHD, nine are from Western NSW LHD, five are from Murrumbidgee LHD, three are from Mid North Coast LHD, three are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, three are from Southern NSW LHD, two are from Central Coast LHD, two are from Northern NSW LHD, and one is yet to be assigned to an LHD.

Currently there were 144 COVID-19 cases being treated in hospital, with 24 people in intensive care, 10 of whom require ventilation.

Additionally est. 2,112 people ill with COVID-19 were being cared for outside of a hospital setting and a day earlier on 30 November the number of active COVID-19 cases in the state was recorded as 2,633 persons.

At that point in time only 6 cases of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant infection had been identified in the state.

# By 8pm on Wednesday 15 December 2021 NSW Health recorded 1,742 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 of which 122 were identified as COVID-19 caused by the Omicron Variant.

Currently there were 192 COVID-19 cases being treated in hospital, with 26 people in intensive care, 8 of whom require ventilation.

At the beginning of that week there were an additional 3,342 people ill with COVID-19 recorded as being cared for outside a hospital setting and est. 5,179 active COVID-19 cases across the state.

On 15 December, COVID-19 cases were spread across all 15 local health districts:

Of the 1,742 cases reported to 8pm last night, 633 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 231 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 188 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 166 are from Western Sydney LHD, 159 are from Sydney LHD, 111 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 81 are from Northern NSW LHD, 43 are from Central Coast LHD, 38 are from Western NSW LHD, 28 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 23 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 14 are from Mid North Coast LHD, five are from Murrumbidgee LHD, four are from Far West LHD, three are from Southern NSW LHD, and 15 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

# At 8pm on Wednesday, 29 December 2021 NSW Health recorded 12,226 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 of which it was estimated that 80% were likely caused by COVID-19 with the Omicron Variant.

Currently there were 746 COVID-19 cases being treated in hospital, with 63 people in intensive care, 24 of whom require ventilation. On 29 December the Australian Dept. of Health reported est. 70,928 active COVID-19 cases across New South Wales.

On 29 December COVID-19 cases were spread across all 15 local health districts:

Of the 12,226 cases reported to 8pm last night, 2,229 are from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 2,085 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 2,042 are from Western Sydney LHD, 1,767 are from Sydney LHD, 1,310 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 708 are from Hunter New England LHD, 612 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 291 are from Central Coast LHD, 247 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 244 are from Northern NSW LHD, 120 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 107 are from Southern NSW LHD, 73 are from Western NSW LHD, 72 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, eight are from Far West LHD, three are in correctional settings, and 308 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

# The next day, Thursday 30 December 2021 NSW Health recorded 21,151 new confirmed COVID-19 cases including 6 deaths.

Currently there were 832 COVID-19 cases being treated in hospital, with 69 people in intensive care, 19 of whom require ventilation. There were est. 89,418 active COVID-19 cases across the state.

On 30 December COVID-19 cases were spread across all 15 local health districts:

Of the 21,151 cases reported to 8pm last night, 4,647 are from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 3,439 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 2,919 are from Western Sydney LHD, 2,278 are from Sydney LHD, 2,194 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 1,983 are from Hunter New England LHD, 821 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 632 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 597 are from Central Coast LHD, 260 are from Northern NSW LHD, 244 are from Western NSW LHD, 159 are from Southern NSW LHD, 131 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, 121 are from Mid North Coast LHD, six are from Far West LHD, and 720 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

Between 8pm on Wednesday and 8pm Thursday the number of new COVID-19 infections recorded came close to officially doubling, 

Given the under reporting of COVID-19 cases due to reduced access to testing facilities between Christmas and New Year; quickly followed by facilities not being able to process the high numbers of people presenting; followed in turn by the NSW Perrottet Government in conjunction with the Morrison Government actively seeking to deter people from seeking testing - including limiting eligibility for CPR testing as well as rationing distribution of rapid antigen test kits and threatening to charge around $200 for 'unnecessary' test requests; it is possible the true number of daily cases in NSW at 8pm on 30 December 2021 was in the vicinity of 25,381 infected men women and children.

It would not be surprising to hear that sometime next week New South Wales reported a daily case total of over 40,000.

A total of 35 people with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis died in NSW between 1 to 30 December 2021 bringing the state death toll since the start of the pandemic to est. 665 men, women & children. 

UPDATE 

# At 8pm on Friday, 31 December 2021 NSW Health recorded 22,577 new confirmed COVID-19 cases including 4 deaths.

Currently 901 people ill with COVID-19 are being treated in hospital, with 79 in intensive care. 

As there is a 24 hour lag in daily data publication and today is New Year's Day 2022 there is only this graphic published by NSW Health.

At 8pm Friday, 31 December, 306 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed across all 7 of the local government areas in the Northern NSW Local Health District:

• Byron Shire – 152 cases
• Tweed Shire – 63 cases
• Ballina Shire – 50 cases
• Lismore Shire – 24 cases
• Clarence Valley – 9 cases
• Richmond Valley – 5 cases
• Kyogle Shire – 3 cases.

TOTAL 306

Currently in Northern NSW there are 18 people being treated in hospital, with 3 in intensive care. 

SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021- Part Five

 

Following on from:

SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, 1-11 December 2021,

SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Two

SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Three and

SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Four.

NSW Health, Northern NSW Local Health District & Critical Intelligence Unit, media release excerpts and datasets, COVID-19 data for Monday 20 December to Tuesday 22 December 2021:

# NSW recorded 3,057 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday 20 December 2021, including 2 deaths.

There are currently 284 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 39 people in intensive care, 11 of whom require ventilation. The NSW public hospital system official stress level remains at RED.

• Of the 3,057 cases reported to 8pm last night, 820 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 525 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 386 are from Western Sydney LHD, 378 are from Sydney LHD, 346 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 268 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 85 are from Central Coast LHD, 82 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 48 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 26 are from Northern NSW LHD, 24 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 17 are from Western NSW LHD, six are from Southern NSW LHD, two are from Murrumbidgee LHD, and 44 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [my yellow highlighting]

To 8pm 20 December, 34 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 3 of the 7 local government areas of Northern NSW:

The following postcode list may be incomplete

• Byron Shire – 17 cases across postcodes 2479, 2481, 2482, 2483,

• Ballina Shire – 5 cases across postcodes 2478,

• Lismore City – 4 cases across postcodes 2480,

• Tweed Shire – 0 cases across

• Clarence Valley – 0 case

• Kyogle Shire – 0 cases

• Richmond Valley – 0 cases

TOTAL 26

On 20 December there were 5 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with none in an Intensive Care Unit.

To place growing numbers being reported into a local perspective as to degree COVID-19 has begun to penetrate Northern NSW: the total confirmed COVID-19 cases for every 10,000 people in the population of our 7 local government areas as 18 December 2021, according to https://www.covid19data.com.au/nsw-lgas-cases:

• Byron Shire – 85.8

• Kyogle Shire – 27.3

• Ballina Shire – 19.9

• Lismore City – 18.5

• Clarence Valley – 14.5

• Richmond Valley – 13.6

• Tweed Shire – 6.2

The New South Wales count on 20 December 2021 brings the cumulative total of COVID-19 infections in the state since the January 2020 start of the pandemic to 102,884 men, women and children.

Of these confirmed infections, est. 95 % or 97,447 cases were contracted since the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant entered New South Wales. The COVID-19 related death toll stands at 647 individuals, with 91% of those deaths occurring since 16 June 2021.

According to the Australian Dept. of Health’s frequently tardy Epidemiology Reports, during 2021 there has been an increase in the number of cases infected with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in Australia. By 5 December a total of 24,153 samples of Delta (B.1.617.2); 515 samples of Alpha (B.1.1.7); 84 samples of Beta (B.1.351); 12 samples of Omicron (B.1.1.529) and six samples of Gamma (P.1) had been recorded.

An est. 290 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern had been identified in New South Wales in federal data, by 20 December 2021.

As yet there is no firm percentage of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant infections in NSW since that variant entered the state on or about 27 November 2021and, NSW Health stated that it had ceased initial genomic sequencing tests for Omicron as of 17 December 2021 and would assume that all future positive COVID-19 tests were the result of Omicron Variant infections. 

As of 20 December 2021 the Dept. of Health, States and Territories Report stated that there were currently 30,155 COVID-19 active cases Australia-wide and 16,225 active cases in NSW. To date the majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases across Australia are due to community transmission.

Between Friday night 17 December to Monday 20 December 2021 at both public and private testing facilities across NSW more than 426,000 people have queued to be tested, with more than 8,000 new positive cases recorded in the past three days.

# NSW recorded 3,763 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Tuesday 21 December 2021, including 2 deaths.

There are currently 302 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 40 people in intensive care, 12 of whom require ventilation.

Currently there are 8,356 COVID-19 cases being cared for outside a hospital setting.

The viral reproduction factor stood at 1.24 on 21 December and total active cases had reached 21, 991 persons. If that factor stands it is possible total daily cases numbers will double every 3.2 days.

• Of the 3,763 cases reported to 8pm last night, 834 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 623 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 554 are from Sydney LHD, 456 are from Western Sydney LHD, 423 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 420 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 110 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 99 are from Central Coast LHD, 71 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 48 are from Northern NSW LHD, 40 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 39 are from Western NSW LHD, 17 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, six are from Southern NSW LHD, one is from Far West LHD and 22 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [my yellow highlighting]

To 8pm 21 December, 48 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 5 of the 7 local government areas of Northern NSW:

• Byron Shire – 27 cases across postcodes 2481, 2482, 2483;

• Lismore City – 8 cases across postcode 2480;

• Ballina Shire – 6 cases across postcodes 2477, 2478, 2479;

• Tweed Shire – 6 cases across postcodes 2484, 2486, 2487;

• Clarence Valley – 1 case in postcode 2460;

• Kyogle Shire – 0 cases;

• Richmond Valley – 0 cases.

TOTAL 48

There are 5 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with 1 of these in ICU.

 

A total of 1,364 healthcare workers are currently furloughed due to COVID-19 infection or exposure to the virus and, there is also some indication that NSW public health employees are taking leave of absence/terminating their employment at a higher than normal rate this month.

On 22 December 2021 the federal chief medical officer stated; “more than 500 cases of Omicron had been confirmed in Australia so far though genomic testing…..one person was in intensive care with the Omicron variant”.

# NSW recorded 5,715 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Wednesday 22 December 2021, including 1 death.

There are currently 347 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 45 people in intensive care, 13 of whom require ventilation.

• Of the 5,715 cases reported to 8pm last night, 1,186 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 976 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 841 are from Sydney LHD, 703 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 691 are from Western Sydney LHD, 514 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 199 are from Central Coast LHD, 136 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 123 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 102 are from Northern NSW LHD, 65 are from Western NSW LHD, 60 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 23 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, 15 are from Southern NSW LHD, five are from Far West LHD, one is from a correctional setting and 75 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [my yellow highlighting]

This week to date there have been 21,503 reported new cases of COVID-19 in New South Wales. That is an increase of 14,914 cases on last week's total.

The total number of actives cases within the state is est. 27,093 persons as of 22 December and Australia-wide active cases are currently estimated at over 37,206 persons.

To 8pm 22 December, 102 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 6 of the 7 local government areas of Northern NSW:

• Byron Shire – 59 cases across postcodes 2479, 2481, 2482, 2483;

• Lismore City – 15 cases across postcode 2480;

• Ballina Shire – 9 cases across postcode 2478;

• Tweed Shire – 10 cases across postcodes 2483, 2484, 2486, 2487, 2488, 2489;

• Clarence Valley – 8 case across postcodes 2460, 2464;

• Richmond Valley – 1 case possibly in postcode 2470;

• Kyogle Shire – 0 cases.

TOTAL 102

There are 6 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with 1 of these in an intensive care unit.

ABC News, 23 December 2021:

Masking wearing indoors will become mandatory in NSW from midnight tonight as the state government reintroduces restrictions to curb the Omicron wave.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced density limits of one person per 2 square metres for hospitality venues would also be reinstated from December 27, while QR code measures will be "back in a limited way".

The mask and density rules will be in place until January 27.

The wearing of masks indoors and the use of QR code check-ins were largely scrapped on December 15 but the state has seen a big increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Mr Perrottet said QR codes would be reintroduced in hospitality and retail settings.

He said the changes were "modest" and would relieve the strain on a health system decimated by the loss of 1,500 staff members who were unwell or isolating…..

Mr Perrottet also said the government was looking to roll out a program to distribute free rapid antigen tests as part of a plan to move away from PCR tests.

He said the health and finance ministers had been tasked to devise a model similar to the one used in the UK, which he hoped would begin in early 2022.

"It would make sense from our end that those rapid antigen tests could be made available at our vaccination centres, pharmacists and GPs, so making it as easy as possible," he said…..

Official acknowledgement that NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and his senior ministers blundered when they continued down the path of discounting or ignoring medical advice won't be forthcoming. This is the nearest the people of New South Wales will come to such an acknowledgement...... 

NSW Health, 23 December 2021:

The following adjustments will come into effect:

• Masks will be compulsory in all indoor non-residential settings, including for hospitality staff and in offices, unless eating or drinking from 12.01am Friday, 24 December

• QR code check-ins will be compulsory, including for hospitality and retail from 12.01am Monday, 27 December 2021

• Hospitality venues, including pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes will move to 1 person per 2 sqm rule indoors, with no density limit for outdoor settings from 12.01am Monday, 27 December 2021

• All settings will remain in place until Wednesday, 27 January 2022. QR check-in requirements are a reminder that if you receive a notification you should get tested if you feel unwell. You should also get tested if directed by NSW Health or if you have symptoms.

• Reduce mingling where you can including when eating and drinking, work from home where possible and hold events outside.

• Rapid-Antigen Test kits will soon be made available for free across the State as an additional testing option and to allow those who need to get a PCR test to do so.

UPDATE

# NSW recorded 5,612 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Thursday 23 December 2021, including 1 death.

There are currently 382 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 53 people in intensive care, 12 of whom require ventilation.

There were 32,174 active COVID-19 cases in New South Wales as of 23 December 2021 and 43,964 active cases Australia-wide. This time last year Australia only had a total of 146 confirmed COVID-19 active cases. Under the Morrison Government Australia has spent the last twelve months going backwards in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic.

• Of the 5,612 cases reported to 8pm last night, 1,218 are from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 862 are from Sydney LHD, 780 are from Western Sydney LHD, 641 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 605 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 592 are from Hunter New England LHD, 175 are from Central Coast LHD, 170 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 133 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 112 are from Northern NSW LHD, 88 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 45 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, 37 are from Western NSW LHD, 17 are from Southern NSW LHD, seven are from Far West NSW LHD, one is in a correctional setting and 129 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [my yellow highlighting]

To 8pm 23 December, 112 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in all 7 of the local government areas of Northern NSW:

• Byron Shire – 68 cases across postcodes 2479, 2481, 2482, 2483;

• Tweed Shire – 17 cases in postcodes 2483, 2484, 2485, 2486, 2487, 2489;

• Ballina Shire – 12 cases across postcode 2477, 2478, 2479;

• Clarence Valley – 7 cases across postcodes 2460, 2464, 2466;

• Lismore City – 6 cases across postcode 2480;

• Richmond Valley – 1 case in postcode 2469;

• Kyogle Shire – 1 case in postcode 2474.

TOTAL 112

In Northern NSW a total of 7 COVID-19 cases are being treated in hospital, with 1 of them in an intensive care unit.