In the last 22 days up to 5 October 2021 the Northern NSW Local Health District covering the 7 local government areas in north-east NSW has had 41 cases COVID-19 community transmission after its resident populations being COVID free for 165 days

 

In the last 22 days up to 8pm on 5 October 2021 the Northern NSW Local Health District covering the 7 local government areas in north-east New South Wales - from the southern boundary of the Clarence Valley to the NSW-Queensland border - has had 41 confirmed cases of COVID-19 community transmission.

Before that the region’s resident populations had been COVID free for 165 days.

However, by Day 107 of the far north coast’s COVID free period its fate had already been sealed. Because the NSW Coalition Government’s COVID-19 Crisis Committee, urged on by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, had already decided that all of New South Wales should learn to ‘live with COVID’.

It was not only then NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, then Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Health Minister Brad Hazzard making this political decision to listen to big business & a bullying prime minister rather than to wiser heads.

Then Treasurer and current NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Services NSW Minister Victor Dominello, and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres were part of the crisis committee and were apparenently gung-ho for the regions to be stripped of full public health protections (PHPs) before resident populations 15 years & over were 70% fully vaccinated.

So that inevitably the local health district in which I live which had zero community transmission became seeded with the SARS-Cov-2 Delta Variant under the Lib-Nats state government’s learning to ‘live with COVID’ plan.

NSW Health, Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 6 October 2021:

There have been three cases of COVID-19 reported in the Northern NSW Local Health District to 8pm yesterday, Tuesday 5 October.

Two cases are in the Casino area of Richmond Valley Local Government Area (LGA), and one case is in the Lismore LGA.

All three are household contacts of confirmed cases. Two of the cases had been self-isolating and one had been infectious in the community for 24 hours.

Two cases are now being cared for in hospital, and both are in a stable condition.

To 8pm 5 October, there have now been 41 total cases confirmed in Northern NSW since 16 June when the current Delta outbreak in Sydney began.

NNSWLHD can confirm there have now also been four positive cases in the Grafton area reported since 8pm.

These case are under investigation, and will be reported in NSW Health’s figures tomorrow.

Expanded clinics will be available in Grafton this week:

Grafton Base Hospital, 184 Arthur Street, Grafton, open seven days. Today, Wednesday 6 October until 7.30pm. Thursday and Friday 7am – 7pm.

Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology Grafton South, Coles Complex, Shop 9, 4 Bent Street, South Grafton. Open 7am – 4pm Thursday and Friday. Please note – this clinic will only be providing COVID-19 testing over these days, no general pathology.

Further dates and times for these testing clinics will be advised in due course.

For the week of 19-25 September there were 10,562 tests conducted among local residents of Northern NSW Local Health District. In the four days to 30th September a further 6,372 tests were conducted.

Thank you to everyone who has come forward for testing. If you have had a negative test and then develop new symptoms at a later date, please come and get another test. It’s important that we keep testing numbers as high as possible, to identify any new cases among our community.

Investigations are continuing into any possible public venues of concern relating to confirmed cases, and more information will be provided as soon as it’s available.

NSW Health does not disclose details about venues unless there is a public health reason to do so.

Stay-at-home orders are in place for Lismore LGA, Casino, and Kyogle LGA until 11 October due to an increased COVID-19 public health risk.

Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason, which includes shopping for food, medical care, getting vaccinated, compassionate needs, exercise and work or tertiary education if you can’t work or study at home.

Anyone with even the slightest symptoms should get tested as soon as they feel unwell. There are more than 500 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW. Find a clinic at COVID-19 testing clinics or contact your GP.

We encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are able to. Find available bookings at the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder (previously eligibility checker), or you can also call Health Direct on 1800 571 155 for assistance to book.

Will NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet follow in Berejiklian & Barilaro's footsteps and abandon the state government's public health responsibilities for regional New South Wales?

When on 16 July 2021 the NSW Coalition Government discovered that the Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2 had entered Australia, the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) covering 7 local government areas in north-east New South Wales had not had a confirmed locally acquired case of COVID-19 infection in its resident population for 107 consecutive days.

There was no community transmission of this highly infectious, lethal disease in any of those seven council areas.

Even after then Premier Gladys Berejiklian, then Deputy Premier & Minister for Regional New South Wales John Barilaro, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, then Treasurer Dominic Perrottet began to pressure their own Crisis Cabinet and conspire with Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook (NSW) Scott Morrison and the big business sector to impose ‘living with Covid’ on the state population, north-east NSW still managed to identify and contain infected people who came into the region from elsewhere. So the region continued to have no local community transmission for another 58 days.  Right  up to 13 September 2021 when a local family who had taken a trip to Greater Sydney brought the virus back with them.

Since then - under multiple tweeks to the public health order which have allowed more mobility in the population generally, demonstrated a growing government aversion to lock downs, exposed a weakening of the test, trace, isolate & quarantine system and revealed a less than transparent NSW Coalition Government - the NNSWLHD has gone from 72 historical COVID-19 cases over the first 13 months of the pandemic (none of which were active after the end of March 2021) to 38 active cases in the last 21 days up to 4 October 2021.

New confirmed locally acquired COVID-19 cases are now being reported daily within the local health district borders.

And with only five days left to the first stage of opening up the state, these seven north-east NSW local government areas have fully vaccinated percentages in their respective populations which by 3 October were still way below the NSW 70% fully vaccinated target set for Monday 11 September 2021:

Tweed Heads LGA - 52.5%

Ballina LGA - 57.8%

Byron Bay LGA - 41.6%

Kyogle LGA - 50.3%

Richmond Valley LGA - 49.8%

Lismore LGA - 47.0%

Clarence Valley LGA - 50.3%

[Australian Government, Operation COVID Shield, 4 October 2021]

The public health risk that these percentages reveal was the reason a cross party letter, from all five state members of parliament whose electorates cover these seven LGAs, was sent to the then Premier & Deputy Premier on 23 September 2021 asking them “to adjust public health orders….by restricting non-essential travel to the North Coast until it too has reached the milestone”.

It is obvious Berejiklian and Barilaro didn’t really give a damn about regional New South Wales, but will Perrottet? 

After all, like Berejiklian, Perrottet’s private residence & electoral office fall within faraway metropolitan local government areas which have exceeded that 70% fully vaccinated population target.

On his first day in office Perrottet has answered that question. According to The Australian  he "will reshape his crisis cabinet to prioritise economic recovery and community wellbeing over day-to-day emergency management in one of his first acts as NSW Premier".

It is apparently Perrottet's intention to allow the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all its forms to run wild in New South Wales.

This is only the start of our region's woes.....

NSW Health, Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 5 October 2021:

There have been six cases of COVID-19 reported in the Northern NSW Local Health District to 8pm yesterday, Monday 4 October.

Five cases are in Casino area of the Richmond Valley Local Government Area (LGA), and one case is in the Kyogle LGA.

Of these six cases, three are household contacts of confirmed cases who had been self-isolating, one is linked to a public exposure location and the source of the remaining two cases is under investigation.

Investigations are continuing into any possible public venues of concern relating to these cases and other cases reported in recent days, and more information will be provided as soon as it’s available.

NSW Health does not disclose details about venues unless there is a public health reason to do so.

There have now been 38 total cases confirmed in Northern NSW since 16 June when the current Delta outbreak in Sydney began. One case is being cared for in hospital, and is in a stable condition.

Stay-at-home orders are in place for Lismore LGA, Casino, and Kyogle LGA until 11 October due to an increased COVID-19 public health risk.

Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason, which includes shopping for food, medical care, getting vaccinated, compassionate needs, exercise and work or tertiary education if you can’t work or study at home.

Anyone with even the slightest symptoms should get tested as soon as they feel unwell. There are more than 500 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW. Find a clinic at COVID-19 testing clinics or contact your GP.

We encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are able to. Find available bookings at the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder (previously eligibility checker), or you can also call Health Direct on 1800 571 155 for assistance to book. 

NOTE:

NSW Health appears to be no longer focussing on cumulative COVID-19 infection numbers in local health districts but on current "active" cases. COVID-19 cases will remain statistically active for 14 days after a confirmed diagnosis or until an infected individual is released from hospital - after which they will no longer appear in daily reports.

Three days after Liberal MLA Gladys Berejiklian announced she was resigning as NSW Premier and quitting state parliament so bringing on a by-election in Willoughby, Nationals MLA John Barilaro suddenly announced he was resigning as NSW Deputy Premier and quitting state parliament thus bring on a by-election in Monaro

 

As we emerge from lockdown, we must embrace this time as a new beginning for our State, and welcome the opportunity it presents for a refresh.

I have decided now is the right time for me to hand the reins over to new leadership, and resign as Deputy Premier of NSW. pic.twitter.com/MeWBWMR38P

— John Barilaro MP (@JohnBarilaroMP) October 3, 2021

Rumours are swirling around both resignations, with some recalling past and present corruption allegations and others hinting that Barilaro is considering standing at the forthcoming federal general election. 

The new lineup for NSW Premier, Deputy Leader and Treasurer being favoured by mainstream media punters is that hard right culture warrior, Opus Dei member, current Treasurer & Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party, Liberal MLA for Epping Dominic Francis Perrottet, will become Premier;  while current Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney & MLA for Penrith Stuart Ayres will be made Deputy Leader; and current Minister for Energy and Environment and Liberal MLA for Hornsby Matthew Kean will be installed as the new Treasurer.

The Liberal Party Room is expected to vote on these three positions today. 

Literally days away from the problematic first stage of the NSW Government's 'roadmap' to 'living with covid' and an abrupt change of Coalition leadership occurs - what could possibly go wrong?

Stay-at-Home order issued for Lismore Local Government Area from 4 to 11 October

 

Yesterday NSW Health reported two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the Lismore area, bringing the number of active case confirmed in north-east New South Wales to 28 people.

I don't know exactly who at a local level may be advising the state government down is Sydney to apply such a fragmented public health response to growing locally acquired infection numbers in this region, but I have my suspicions.

Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 3 October 2021, excerpt: 

Six cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in residents of the Northern NSW Local Health District to 8pm 2 October. 

 Four of these cases were announced yesterday and are included in today’s numbers – three in the Tweed area and one in Kyogle. All are close contacts of previously reported cases. 

The two new cases are from Lismore and are also linked to the Kyogle cluster. Contact tracing and investigations are continuing, and information about any new public exposure venues will be provided as soon as possible. 

The total number of active cases in Northern NSW is 28. 

Sewage surveillance has detected fragments of the COVID-19 virus in samples taken from the Banora Point and Kingscliff treatment plants on 1 October. 

The plants serve around 73,000 people in Tweed Heads, Tweed Heads South and West, Banora Point, Terranora, Bilambil Heights, Fingal Head, Kingscliff, Chinderah, Cudgen and Casuarina. 

There are confirmed cases in this area, and we continue to encourage residents and visitors to be vigilant for symptoms and get tested as soon as they feel unwell.....

The South Grafton sewage treatment plant serves about 6,300 people in the Clarence Valley. It tested positive for COVID-19 virus fragments on 27 and 30 September 2021. 

The Ballina sewage treatment plant serves about 31,100 people and it tested positive for virus fragments on 28 September 2021.

NSW Coalition Government admits vaccination certificates may not be available by 11 October 2021 & concerns grow that QR code monitoring may be removed from state's public health response and COVID-19 case tracing & contacting downgraded to an ineffectual level

 

YASMIN CATLEY MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DIGITAL

NO VAX APP FOR ROADMAP, BEREJIKLIAN GOVERNMENT ADMITS

The NSW Government has admitted that the vaccination certificate feature on the Service NSW app will not be ready when the state reopens on 11 October.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Customer Service and Digital, Victor Dominello also told 7:30 he is planning on withdrawing mandatory QR codes completely come December – which received a no comment from the Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant at a Parliamentary hearing yesterday.

VICTOR DOMINELLO: I think the QR codes should be retired once we get to the 90 per cent mark.
[ABC 7:30, WEDNESDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2021]

The delay of this app is causing significant anxiety amongst the business community who face having to police the vaccination status of customers.

QR codes and the check-in system have been vital to testing, tracing, isolation & quarantine (TTIQ), a cornerstone of the National Roadmap and Doherty Institute Modelling.

The Committee also heard that the Government is still considering what TTIQ looks like at 70 per cent, with reopening only a week away.

Minister Dominello also indicated future measures may increasingly rely on automated text messages and questionnaires, which the committee was told yielded lower compliance - with a response rate of as little as 40-50 per cent.

NSW Labor is concerned without a working app and a clear approach to contact tracing, public confidence in the reopening will be seriously undermined. We are seeking assurances that this will not place an additional burden on hospital capacity.

Shadow Minister for Customer Service and Digital, Yasmin Catley MP said businesses are desperate for certainty and are deeply concerned the failure of the app to be ready for reopening will place staff in the difficult position of enforcing compliance with the health orders.

“The Minister has form in letting business down consistently throughout this pandemic and the delay of the app is just another instance of the Minister failing to provide certainty”, Ms Catley said.

“This is the Minister that botched the rollout of critical financial support to businesses right across this state, leaving business waiting weeks for applications to be processed while their income completely dried up.

“The NSW Government needs to step up to the plate and provide the business community with clear answers on if the app will be ready on 11 October, and if not when can business owners expect the app to be available?” Ms Catley said.

DATE: FRIDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2021

Copyright © 2021 NSW Labor SPLP Media, All rights reserved.

COVID-19 State of Play in North-East NSW: Venues of Concern growing & a Sydney-centric vaccination myth annoys

 

Echo Net Daily, 2 October 2021:

The Northern NSW Local Health District has been notified of new venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region.

NNSWLHD says that a anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed are considered a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until they get a negative result.

NNSWLHD Venues of Concern, Saturday October updated 9.18pm.

If you are directed to get tested for COVID-19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the rules given to you by Health staff, whether or not the venue or exposure setting is listed on the NSW Health website.

Echo NetDaily, 29 September 2021:

Byron’s vaccination coverage is 20 per cent below the rest of NSW and it needs to lift – quickly. Political and health leaders suggest ‘vaccine hesitancy’ as the problem, but the main issue has been vaccine supply. With thousands of Byron Shire adults not due to receive a first COVID vaccine dose until October, creative solutions – and a greater sense of urgency – are needed to get us ahead of what’s coming.

The recent Shire-wide lockdown resulted from just one Sydney traveller visiting a few Byron shops on her trip from Ballina Airport to Kingscliff. The travel was permitted, but the retail therapy was not. The traveller later tested positive for COVID, and within hours more than 100,000 of us were back in a snap seven-day lockdown.

The whiplash-inducing hard shift from ‘mostly-open’ to ‘mostly-closed’ is a regional NSW peculiarity designed to protect places like ours that have been largely COVID-free, but which also have below-average vaccination rates. Byron Shire has the second lowest first dose vaccination rate in NSW today – an extraordinary 20 per cent below the State average.

If you watched any of the daily COVID updates recently, Byron’s low vaccination rate – and what that means for the October statewide reopening plans and regional travel – is finally getting attention in Sydney. But there’s something a bit off. The questions lead with an assumption of why the vaccination rate is trailing; an assumption that respondents are too willing to reaffirm.

Take this example from 22 September:

Interviewer: ‘What’s the strategy to get the vaccination rate up in Byron Bay, Mullumbimby…?’

NSW Premier: ‘Well as I said, unfortunately there are pockets of resistance… And even if you don’t care about the safety of those around you… And even if you don’t care about your community, I think people are looking forward to doing things we haven’t been able to do for a while, and I think that’s a big incentive. But as we know there will always be pockets of resistance, but we are trying to identify those communities that legitimately have lower vaccination rates, it might be access issues… and as you know we have done incredibly well as a state considering the lumpiness of the supply we have received… it’s been a challenge for us to make sure it gets to the right places… I know there are some regional communities that are slightly behind the state average and we are trying to increase those as quickly as we can.’

Wow. That’s as unsubtle as it gets. Let me translate: There are a handful of places with legitimately low vaccination rates (problems the government is working hard to fix!), and then there are places like Byron where the rate is illegitimately low owing to the selfish (in)actions of some…..

Ballina man charged with 40 counts of sexually and indecently assaulting boys in Lismore area between 1960 and 1991

NSW Police, News, 30 September 2021:

A man will appear in court today charged over the alleged historical sexual abuse and indecent assault of seven children in the state’s north.

Last year, detectives from Richmond Police District established Strike Force Erldunda to investigate reports a man had been sexually and indecently assaulted as a child by a man who was known to him.

During the investigation, police identified a further six men who were allegedly sexually and indecently assaulted by the same man.

Following extensive inquiries, an 82-year-old man was arrested at a home in Ballina about 1.30pm yesterday (Wednesday 29 September 2021).

He was taken to Ballina Police Station and charged with 40 offences including 31 counts of indecent assault on male, four counts of indecent assault where victim under the age of 10 years and five counts of sexual intercourse with person under the age of 10 years.

Police will allege in court that the man sexually and indecently assaulted the boys – then aged between five and 12 – on several occasions between 1960 and 1991 in the Lismore area, while performing duties as a scout volunteer and a boys’ brigade volunteer.

The man was refused bail and is due to appear at Lismore Local Court today (Thursday 30 September 2021).

Investigations under Strike Force Erldunda are ongoing.