SARS-CoV-2 DELTA & OMICRON VARIANTS IN NSW & NORTHERN NSW, DECEMBER 2021 - Part Two

Following on from SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW & Northern NSW, 1-11 December 2021.........

Across New South Wales there have now been est. 5,151 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in December 2021 to date. That is roughly equivalent to 396 people falling ill with COVID-19 infections every day.

That's 396 people unexpectedly being quarantined in hospitals, hotels or in the home - 396 people with family, friends, workmates or accidental close contacts who may also have to isolate, test & sometimes go into quarantine themselves.

The NSW public health system may have fallen to an AMBER stress level over the last 28 days, but that doesn't mean if infection numbers keep building rural and regional hospitals in particular won't begin to feel the strain. Already some local health districts are re-imposing stricter hospital visitor limits. 

From one regional perspective this is the situation as it is unfolding .....

Based on NSW Health & Northern NSW Local Health District, media release excerpts, COVID-19 data for 12 -13 December 2021:

# NSW recorded 536 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday 12 December 2021. 

There is a total of 64 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern in NSW. There were nine new cases confirmed with the Omicron variant overnight, and more are expected as results of genomic testing are confirmed. 

There are currently 171 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 24 people in intensive care, nine of whom require ventilation.

The Australian Dept. of Health's State & Territories Report lists NSW as having 4,677 active COVID-19 cases as at 9pm on 12 December 2021. Active cases are those in which it is less than 15 days since a person's COVID-19 symptoms commenced or regardless of days since symptoms began the person is still being treated in hospital.

• Twenty-eight new cases of COVID-19 were reported for Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Of the cases, 15 were in the Byron Local Government Area, five in the Ballina LGA, six in the Tweed LGA and two in the Lismore LGA. Seventeen of the 28 cases are linked to an existing case or cluster, while 11 remain under investigation. To date, no cases in NNSWLHD have been identified as the Omicron variant of concern. 

Five cases have now been linked with the Woody’s Night Club in Byron Bay, while a total of 46 cases have been linked with the Coorabell Hall event on 4 December. Nine cases have now been linked with No Bones in Byron Bay, connected with a function held there on 7 December. 

Two COVID-positive patients are being cared for in hospital in Northern NSW, with around 120 cases being cared for in the community by our Virtual COVID Care team. [my yellow highlighting] 

It would appear that as of 12 December 2021 there were est. 122 active COVID-19 cases in Northern NSW.

# NSW recorded 804 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Mon 13 December 2021, including 1 death. 

A total of 85 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed in NSW. However, NSW Health expects further Omicron cases to be confirmed in the coming days as results of genomic testing are confirmed. 

There are currently 168 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 21 people in intensive care, nine of whom require ventilation. A further 3,342 people infected with COVID-19 are being treated outside of a hospital setting.

NSW Health records 5,179 active cases as at 13 December and 459 healthcare workers in isolation.

Across NSW as of 13 December, 93.2% of people aged 16 years to 90 years and over are fully vaccinated and, 77.7% of children aged 12 to 15 years are fully vaccinated.

According to NSW Health, 26 cases of the 804 new cases recorded for 13 December are in the Northern NSW Local Health District.

• Twenty-six new cases of COVID-19 were reported for Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) in the 24 hours to 8pm 13 December.

Of the cases, 22 were in the Byron Local Government Area [in postcodes 2483, 2482, 2481, & 2479] , one in the Ballina LGA [in postcode 2477], two in the Tweed LGA [in postcodes 2486 & 2487] and one in the Kyogle LGA [in postcode 2474].

Fifteen of the 26 cases are linked to an existing case or cluster, while 11 remain under investigation. To date, no cases in NNSWLHD have been identified as the Omicron variant of concern.

Five cases have now been linked with the Woody’s Night Club in Byron Bay, while a total of 49 cases have been linked with the Coorabell Hall event on 4 December. Ten cases have now been linked with No Bones in Byron Bay. [my yellow highlighting]

Currently the equivalent of 13 people a day are falling ill with COVID-19 in Northern New South Wales.

UPDATE

# NSW recorded 1,360 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday 14 December 2021.

A total of 110 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed in NSW, including 1 death.

There are currently 166 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 24 people in intensive care, seven of whom require ventilation.

• Included in those 1,360 new cases are 45 new cases within Northern NSW Local District Health Service boundaries as at 8pm, Wednesday 14 December.

  Of the cases, 33 were in the Byron Local Government Area, eight in the Ballina LGA, two in the Lismore LGA, one in the Tweed LGA and one in the Clarence Valley LGA. Twenty-eight of the 45 cases are linked to an existing case or cluster, while 17 remain under investigation….There are currently no COVID-positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW. No further cases have been linked with the Woody’s Night Club in Byron Bay, while a total of 62 cases have now been linked with the Coorabell Hall event on 4 December. Thirteen cases have now been linked with No Bones in Byron Bay.

  
  

  By 14 December 2021 the official NSW public health system stress level is AMBER with Red for selected areas. To date hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Richmond and Tweed Valleys of Northern NSW; and in Newcastle, Maitland and Lake Macquarie areas of Hunter-New England are set to red status.

  
  

  9 News, 14 December 2021:

  
  

  From 12.01am on December 15, unvaccinated residents in the state will be given all the same freedoms as those who are fully vaccinated and density limits in all settings will be removed…..only some rules – such as masks in some settings and occasional COVID-19 check-ins – remaining. [my yellow highlighting] 

  *

It would appear that there are some Northern Beaches residents who don't believe that NSW COVID-19 public health orders apply to them

 

On the morning of 21 December 2020 the Northern Beaches local government area COVID-19 cluster had grown to 86 individuals.

Commencing at 5:02pm on Saturday 19 December, public health orders were put in place for Northern Beaches residents who have been told they are not to leave their home except to go shopping for food or other goods and services, receive medical care or for compassionate needs, exercise and work and education, where these cannot be done from home.

On 21 December 2020 public health orders were also made for Greater Sydney and the NSW Central Coast as contact tracing showed how far infected individuals and their initial contacts had travelled.

However, nine and a half hours into Monday 21 December Queensland Police had already turned around 81 vehicles and directed 112 people into quarantine as a result of random border checks which revealed they may have come from areas covered by these public health orders.

Unfortunately Queensland Police have also discovered that 4 NSW residents allowed to cross the border on condition that they self-quarantine for 14 days have decided to breach quarantine,

Those who have been in Greater Sydney since 11 December are now being denied entry into Queensland and a 'hard border' is being re-established by the Queensland Government, with returning Queenslanders now having to hotel quarantine if they did not cross the border before 1am today.

To date there have reportedly been 27 close contacts of confirmed Sydney Northern Beaches COVID-19 cases found in Queensland, all of which are now in quarantine, with one returning to NSW. Of these 7 appear not yet to be classified as testing negative for the virus.

People from the Northern Beaches are also travelling within New South Wales, though some may have left the Northern Beaches before public health orders were in place.

Over the last 4 days around 674 individuals from the Northern Beaches LGA in Sydney have turned up for testing at hospital COVID-19 clinics in the Northern NSW Local Health District https://t.co/k7zCG1EHmO @noplaceforsheep

— no_filter_Yamba (@no_filter_Yamba) December 21, 2020

A Northern Beaches resident was discovered in Shoalhaven on 21 December 2019, having left his/her home after public health order restrictions came into force in the early evening of 19 December.

School holidays began in New South Wales on 21 December and one can almost guarantee we will hear of more Northern Beaches residents deciding that public health orders don't apply to them.