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EMERGENCY

In an emergency, always call triple zero (000) for an ambulance. Ambulances are the safest way to be assessed, treated and transported to the right hospital for the care you need.

Triple zero (000) is a free call from any phone, mobile or phone box.

For less severe but still urgent situations, go to an Emergency Department.

There are 12 public hospital Emergency Departments in Northern NSW Local Health District and they are all available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Emergency departments are located at:

COVID-19 update: 5 August 2020
Published: 05 Aug 2020

There are two patients with COVID-19 being cared for at Lismore Base Hospital. One patient, a man in his 60s, is ventilated in Intensive Care, while the other patient, a woman in her 60s, is in a stable condition on the ward.

The total number of cases in residents of Northern NSW Local Health District remains at 58, with 53 known to have recovered.

Of these, only the two cases in hospital are still requiring isolation. All earlier-reported cases are no longer infectious and have been released from isolation.

Source
Total

Overseas or interstate acquired
53

Locally acquired – contact of a confirmed case or in a known cluster
4

Locally acquired – source not identified
1

Under investigation
0

Total
58

 
If there are any locations which a confirmed case may have visited that pose a risk of transmission for the community, we will alert the public.
 

Please get tested if you have symptoms

Across the Northern NSW Local Health District more than 40,000 tests have now been done since the pandemic began.

Thank you to everyone who has come forward for testing, and those who are taking their personal responsibility seriously by keeping a safe distance from others to help minimise any transmission of the virus.

We’re reminding the community that anyone with even the mildest of symptoms, such as a runny nose or scratchy throat, should come forward for testing. You must self-isolate until you receive your test result.

Stay at home, and do not go to work or catch public transport until you are cleared of COVID-19.

Anyone directed to undertake a 14-day self-isolation period must stay in isolation for the full period, even if they test negative.

This is because early testing may not detect an early infection, and release from self-isolation based on a negative test could allow an infectious person to infect others in the community. The self-isolation period is 14 days as most people who are infected and develop symptoms will develop symptoms within 14 days of infection.

Testing clinics are located at:

  • The Tweed Hospital: open 10.00am – 6.00pm daily
  • Byron Central Hospital: open 9.00am – 5.00pm daily
  • Lismore Base Hospital: Note new time- open 9.00am – 5.30pm daily
  • Grafton Base Hospital: Note new time- open 9.00am – 5.00pm daily

There are also GP and pop up clinics in the region. A full list of testing clinics can be found at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/clinics.aspx

 

Stop the spread, wear a mask

Wear a mask in situations where it is difficult to stay 1.5 metres away from other people.

The advice from NSW Health specifically recommends:

  • The use of face masks in indoor settings where physical distancing is hard to maintain, such as on public transport or in supermarkets;
  • The use of face masks (where practical) in indoor settings with a higher risk of transmission, such as for the staff of hospitality and customer-facing venues i.e. cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs; and
  • During attendance at places of worship.

Wearing a mask in any of these settings is not mandatory but is highly recommended, especially in areas where there has been community transmission.

Visitors to hospitals and other public health facilities will be asked to wear a mask upon entering. Masks help us protect ourselves and each other.

NSW Health staff are required to wear masks if they are within 1.5 metres of patients to protect the patients.

A mask is not a substitute for physical distancing, and should be used in conjunction with other measures.

For more information on mask wearing visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/face-masks

 

Restricted visiting hours

While the NNSWLHD has seen relatively low case numbers, restricted visiting hours remain in place across our facilities to help keep the community and vulnerable patients safe.

There is currently a limit of one (1) visitor per patient in all our hospitals. This person is to be identified by the patient in consultation with their family or carer.

The visiting hours are restricted to between 1pm – 6pm daily.

Visits occur in the patient’s room, and are limited to one (1) hour only, once per day.

Upon entering a facility, as a precautionary measure, visitors are asked some basic screening questions to make sure they have not been to at-risk areas or in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

We appreciate that these measures may cause inconvenience for some hospital patients and visitors, but we thank you in advance for your cooperation.