There are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in residents of Northern NSW Local Health District.
There were 5,746 tests conducted among local residents in the week of 29 August to 4 September, compared to 6,712 tests conducted during the previous week.
At least a further 1800 people have been tested at clinics and hospitals throughout the region since the detection of virus fragments in the Byron Bay sewage treatment plant as reported on Sunday 5 September. This does not include tests done at the many GP and respiratory testing clinics.
All sites involved in the NSW Sewage surveillance program in Northern NSW will again be sampled this week as part of the usually weekly cycle. No further positive detections have been identified so far.
Northern NSW Local Health District’s Acting Chief Executive Lynne Weir said testing numbers needed to remain high to provide as much confidence as possible that there are no undetected cases circulating in the local community.
“High rates of testing are critical to detecting transmission and preventing further spread of COVID-19 in our area,” Ms Weir said.
“We know that people are feeling the effects of the extended pandemic, but it’s really important that we continue doing the simple things that we know work, including following public health advice and getting tested.
“Please come and get a test if you feel even slightly unwell and isolate while waiting for your result, there’s no reason to delay.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include a runny nose, scratchy or sore throat, cough, fever, shortness of breath, headache, tiredness, loss of taste or smell, nausea, diarrhoea or muscle aches.
There are more than 485 COVID-19 testing clinics across NSW. To find one near you, visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/how-to-protect-yourself-and-others/clinics or contact your GP.
Northern NSW Local Health District also continues to urge people to book their COVID-19 vaccination, if they haven’t already done so. People can make bookings via the Commonwealth Government’s eligibility checker.
“We encourage people to book in for their jab as soon as possible as more vaccine supply becomes available through General Practices in our region,” Ms Weir said.
NSW Health has also released a new, easy read factsheet with common questions and facts about the COVID-19 vaccines, which is available at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/vaccine/Documents/know-the-facts.pdf