NSW recorded one new case of locally acquired COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. The case, a hotel quarantine worker, was publicly disclosed yesterday and is recorded in today’s numbers.
Five cases were also reported in overseas travellers. This brings the total number of cases in NSW to 4,414 since the start of the pandemic.
There were 11,128 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with 13,306 in the previous 24 hours.
NSW Health is treating 77 COVID-19 cases, none of whom are in intensive care. Most cases (95 per cent) are being treated in non-acute, out-of-hospital care, including returned travellers in Special Health Accommodation.
The source of the case in the hotel quarantine worker remains under investigation. Urgent genome sequencing is underway to help determine whether this infection was acquired through work at the hotel quarantine facility or from elsewhere in the community. Results are expected in the next 24 hours.
Testing of close contacts of the case is continuing. There have been no further positive results so far. After further investigation, some staff at the Novotel Hotel who worked on 27 November are being tested and placed in isolation. This is in addition those who have already been identified as working on the 28, 29 or 30 November.
The case travelled on a number of train and light rail services between 27 and 30 November, including trains between Minto and Lidcombe and Lidcombe and Central, and light rail between Central and Capitol Square and Central and Convention. Details of routes and times are available on NSW Government - Latest COVID-19 case locations in NSW.
People who travelled on the below services and who were or may have been in the same carriage on the train as the case are considered close contacts and should immediately get tested and self-isolate until further notice.
People who know they were not in the same carriage should get tested and self-isolate until a negative test result is received:
People who travelled on the Light Rail line at the time specified on Latest COVID-19 case locations in NSW are advised to get tested immediately and self-isolate, until a negative test result is received. They should monitor for symptoms and re-test if they develop.
Additionally, anyone living in the Minto and Lidcombe areas who is feeling unwell – no matter how mild the symptoms – is urged to come forward immediately for testing, and to isolate until a negative result is received.
Fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 were detected earlier in the week in recent samples from the sewerage system that drains parts of Riverstone, Vineyard, Marsden Park, Shanes Park, Quakers Hill, Oakville, Box Hill, The Ponds, Rouse Hill, Nelson, Schofields and Colebee.
Detection of the virus in sewage samples could reflect the presence of known cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in recent weeks in the area served by this sewage treatment plant. However, NSW Health is concerned there could be other active cases in the local community in people who have not been tested and who might incorrectly assume their symptoms are just a cold.
There are more than 300 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW. To find your nearest clinic visit COVID-19 testing clinics or contact your GP.
To help stop the spread of COVID-19:
Note: Case counts reported for a particular day may vary over time due to ongoing investigations and case review.
*notified from 8pm 2 December 2020 to 8pm 3 December 2020 **from 8pm 27 November 2020 to 8pm 3 December 2020
Video update with Dr Jeremy McAnulty