NSW records 207 new locally acquired coronavirus cases and one death

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant has urged anyone who has had their first shot of AstraZeneca to come forward for their second dose after a man died after only receiving his first jab.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Source: AAP

NSW recorded 207 new local COVID-19 infections and another death on Monday, with at least 50 of the latest cases infectious in the community.

A man in his 90s from south-western Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital on Sunday.

He had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in April, with saying it highlighted that two doses of the vaccine were more effective.

"There is an opportunity to bring forward your second doses of AstraZeneca to afford that protection," Dr Chant said.

"Please, anyone who has had an AstraZeneca shot with a spacing of four weeks, come forward and get vaccinated."
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also urged people to get vaccinated, saying no COVID-19 patients in the state's ICU wards had received both doses of the vaccine.

"August is the month where we all should come forward and get vaccinated," she told reporters.

"It will be a combination of seeing where the case numbers are in a month's time, as well as the rate of vaccination, that determines what August 29 looks like.

"I have been saying for some months that 80 per cent of the adult population vaccinated would get us freedoms beyond no more lockdowns, and that is 10 million jabs."


Of the new infections, NSW Health said 71 were in the community for all or part of their infectious period, while the isolation status of 46 remains under investigation.

There have been four new cases at Wyoming Nursing Home in Summer Hill, with Dr Chant saying that 18 patients and two staff had so far been impacted.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said a Christmas in July event was linked to the spread of the virus in the facility where 10 of the 61 residents and one in every four workers were not vaccinated.

Workplace transmission

Dr Kerry Chant urged workplaces to check their COVID-safety plans, pointing out that staff kitchens and tea rooms are an obvious place for transmission.

"What we are seeing, sadly, is a number of transmissions in workplaces, some as many as 30 colleagues in some workplaces that have been infected," Dr Chant said.

"It is critical that people don't work while they have got symptoms but also you can take the proactive step of choosing to get vaccinated.

"That will protect you, your loved ones and also your colleagues at work."

Dr Chant said the government wanted to vaccinate workers in high-risk settings such as meat processing plants, distribution centres and freight companies that needed to be operational to support the community.

"We want to pre-emptively get into those workplaces, those high-risk work places and vaccinate them and also call out for young people," she said.

"This outbreak in south-western Sydney has been largely a very young demographic, which reflects the fact that the majority of people are staying at home but those that have to work in those essential industries are going out and they tend to be younger.

"That is what is driving the transmissions, both back into the household and in the workplaces."

ADF joins police effort

Up to 300 members of the Australian Defence Force have been deployed to eight Sydney LGAs from Monday to assist NSW Police and NSW Health.

Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said police were checking on people who had tested positive to COVID-19 or were subject to orders.

"My understanding is well over a thousand checks have been made already," he told media on Monday. "That will continue this week and will be ramped up."

NSW Police Commission Mick Fuller said the ADF will assist with "a myriad of roles and responsibilities".

"They will be helping with some sense of ensuring that people are complying with the health orders," he said.


"That could be as simple as making a phone call to a household, it could be dropping care packages off to houses, it could be helping contact tracers."

Brigadier Mike Garraway from the ADF said troops were playing a supporting role.

"We're not a law enforcement agency and we'll be doing tasks that are supportive in nature," he said.

"What you've got with the defence force is a disciplined, capable organisation that's vaccinated, it's tested and it's compliant and is able to do a range of tasks to take the pressure off the police and take the pressure off the department of health and other organisations, so they can get out and do what they can do best."

At this stage, the vast majority of the ADF team have had two vaccinations.
"I will have a small number of people by virtue of the timeline who may not have had their second vaccination," Brigadier Garraway said.

"If that's the case, they'll be doing back-of-house tasks.

"Anyone in any front-facing task... will be fully vaccinated, they'll be wearing full PPE, they'll be swab tested as a minimum every three days, they will be temperature tested regularly."

As for concerns from migrant communities who have told SBS News that for some, seeing a member of the ADF at their doorstep may be confronting, Brigadier Garraway said they are communicating with community leaders.

"I can understand those concerns," he said.

"We're reaching out to cultural groups just to make sure that they understand exactly what we're doing and more importantly, what we're not doing."

Victoria tightens border bubble with NSW

Victoria will limit the number of reasons border-bubble residents can cross to and from NSW after reporting two new local COVID-19 cases.

From 11.59pm on Tuesday, border-bubble residents will only be able to state-hop for six reasons including medical care, compassionate purposes, work, education, playing sport or getting vaccinated.

The new measure applies to residents on both sides of the NSW-Victorian border, who must also not travel any further than necessary for that specific purpose.

"If you're from Albury, please don't shop in Wangaratta, Werribee or Warrnambool if the essential reason for your travel can be attended to in Wodonga," Health Minister Martin Foley told reporters.

NSW cross-border residents have previously been able to travel into Victoria including Melbourne for any reason.

With AAP


Share
6 min read
Published 2 August 2021 11:11am
Updated 3 August 2021 11:31am
By Jennifer Scherer



Share this with family and friends