There are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in residents of Northern NSW Local Health District. That covers the area from below Grafton to Urbenville in the west and the Queensland border in the north.
Lynne Weir, Acting Chief Executive, Northern NSW Local Health District confirmed that the are ‘contact tracing investigations have resulted in additional information for the contact location – BP travel centre, West Ballina, on Friday 20 August’.
Anyone who attended the BP Travel Centre at 5–5.35am and 8–8.30am on Friday 20 August is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
‘If you are directed to get tested for COVID-19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the rules, whether or not the venue or exposure setting is listed on the NSW Health website.,’ said Ms Weir.
To find your nearest testing clinic visit Health NSW or contact your GP.
Sewage testing
No fragments of the COVID virus were detected in samples taken from the Ballina treatment plant on 19 August and Byron Bay treatment plant on Saturday 21 August.
‘There have not been any further detections among the 17 sites currently being tested between Grafton and Tweed Heads as part of the NSW COVID-19 sewage surveillance program across the state,’ said Ms Weir.
‘Samples are usually collected weekly and more frequently if there is a positive detection. Sewage surveillance can provide an important early-warning sign of potential COVID19 infections.
‘We treat positive wastewater detections seriously as they could indicate there are positive cases in the community who have not been tested. Detections can also be due to shedding of the virus by someone who may have previously had the illness and may no longer be infectious, or from someone who has since left the area.’
Recent stories, information and updates regarding COVID-19
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Life shows life expectancy in Australia has decreased slightly for the second year in a row. An international team of researchers has found more evidence that COVID-19 came from animals in a Wuhan food market. The lab-leak theory that Covid-19 came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology – instead of a nearby wet market – was thrashed about in public recently, with the US Senate Homeland Security Committee holding a hearing into Covid-19. Eighteen schools in the Northern Rivers division of Richmond have received $25,000 each as part of the federal government’s School Upgrade Fund, Labor Member for Richmond Justine Elliot said last week. COVID-19 reversed earlier trends toward longer life expectancies. During the pandemic, life expectancies globally dropped by 1.6 years according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal. Let’s not forget that Covid-19 is still a big issue in our community with 31,935 cases reported across Australia in the last week – an average of 4,562 cases per day. The Global Carbon Budget is about to be refreshed, giving the world a critical insight into how efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are (or are not) progressing. Masks will no longer be mandatory on public transport from tomorrow, Wednesday 21 September. SW Police are urging festival-goers at this weekend’s music festival to celebrate in a safe and responsible manner, whilst also being aware of COVID-Safety measures. The Northern NSW Local Health District reports that to 4pm yesterday, Sunday May 22, there were 40 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with one of these in ICU.
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