Far West LHD COVID-19 Update - No Cases Reported

All active cases are in isolation and are being contacted regularly by NSW Health staff for health and welfare checks. Follow up investigations and contact tracing are continuing.

There are two new casual contact venues listed in the Far West LHD:

BWS Broken Hill, Westside Plaza, 7 Galena Street

Anyone who attended these venues is a casual contact and must get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. For a full list of locations, including close and casual contact venues, public transport routes or changes to previously reported venues, visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/COVID-19/nsw-COVID-19-case-locations

Five more cases recovered in Wentworth LGA yesterday, all in Dareton.

The District's total number of recovered cases is 300 (one from Balranald, 121 from Broken Hill, one from Menindee, 25 from Wentworth LGA and 152 from Wilcannia).

The total number of active cases is 14 (11 in Wentworth LGA, two in Balranald and one in Broken Hill). One case has been removed from Wentworth LGA as it was deemed a false positive.

Anyone currently experiencing or who has recently experienced even mild cold-like symptoms is asked to come forward immediately for testing. It's important that you isolate after your test until you get a result if you have symptoms. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, sore throat, cough, headache, runny nose, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches or pains, and a change in taste or smell.

Surveillance testing has been implemented across the Far West Local Health District to encourage more people to get tested. Surveillance testing is the same as normal COVID-19 testing but allows the person to not have to self-isolate while they wait for their test results, provided they have no symptoms and they are not a close or casual contact of a confirmed case and everyone at home is well. Anyone with symptoms must still isolate until they receive a negative result.

Find your nearest testing clinic here: COVID-19 testing clinics | NSW Government.

Sewage surveillance testing has detected traces of the virus that causes COVID-19 in samples taken at Broken Hill and South Broken Hill (26 October), Wilcannia (19 October) and Dareton and Buronga (26 October). Residents are urged to be vigilant for symptoms and come forward for testing. Sewage testing did not detect the virus in Balranald (18 October) or Wentworth (14 October)

Far West LHD continues to urge eligible people to come forward for vaccination (providing they are not cases, contacts of cases, are not isolating, and do not have symptoms). People who were not vaccinated at the time of contracting the virus are also eligible to be vaccinated as soon as they become COVID-19 negative. Those aged 12 years and above are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination.

Two ADF Medical Teams supported by Far West LHD staff will hold a number of pop-up mobile vaccination clinics throughout Wentworth LGA and Balranald this week.

The clinics will offer the Pfizer vaccine and predominantly focus on the local Indigenous residents in these towns, who may have had difficulty in accessing vaccination clinics. There may also be further clinics held at different locations during the week based on feedback and demand from the community.

The mobile clinics will be held in the following towns:

Euston - Thursday, 28 October

o Anderson Park, 30 Perry St, 11am to 3pm (BBQ lunch available)

o Euston Bowling and Recreation Club, 11am to 3pm

ï‚· Balranald - Friday, 29 October

o Lions Park, 10am to 4pm (BBQ lunch available)

o Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation, 10am to 4pm (BBQ lunch available)

People can make bookings via the Commonwealth Government's Vaccine Clinic Finder.

Anyone in the community with COVID-19 who is isolating at home is reminded they should call the public health unit on +61 1300 066 055 if they have any health concerns. Please call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency, including a deterioration in symptoms.