Coronavirus testing expands across NSW as state's death toll hits 18
NSW Health is expanding coronavirus testing, with 13 hotspots identified across the state, as the number of mystery community transmissions rises.
Two more COVID-19 patients died in NSW on Sunday, pushing the state death toll to 18 and the national toll to 40. NSW's total number of confirmed cases sits at 2637, with 57 cases newly confirmed as of 8pm on Sunday. There are 397 COVID-19 cases that were acquired in the community from an unknown source.
The car park at Bondi Beach has been turned into a coronavirus drive-through testing site. Credit:Rhett Wyman
NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty said the drop in new case numbers was hopeful, but warned fewer tests were performed over the weekend. On Sunday, 2595 tests were done; last Monday 5592 were done.
Bondi Beach's car park has been turned into a drive-through coronavirus testing clinic, as NSW Health said it would begin testing all symptomatic people in areas of significant community transmission, including Waverley, Broken Hill, Lake Macquarie, Manning, Woollahra, Ryde, Macquarie Park, Dee Why, Manly, Nowra, South Nowra, the Byron Bay area and Port Macquarie.
Testing had been previously restricted to only symptomatic people who had returned from overseas, those who had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases or healthcare workers.
The number of total cases in Broken Hill has remained at one to four since the first case on March 31 and the number of cases in the Byron Bay area has remained steady at 13 for the past five days. But the area has had a 63 per cent increase in case numbers since last Tuesday, one of the highest in the state.
Over the same time period, Shoalhaven, which encompasses Nowra, has had a 50 per cent rise, while the Northern Beaches and Ryde have recorded a 30 per cent increase and Lake Macquarie and Port-Macquarie-Hastings have seen a 20 per cent rise.
Waverley, which has the highest number of cases in the state, has recorded an 18 per cent increase since last Tuesday; the Mid-Coast, which encompasses Manning, has had a 15 per cent rise; and the number in Woollahra has increased 9 per cent.
Waverley and the Northern Beaches are among the places with the highest number of locally acquired cases with an unknown source at 34 and 21 cases respectively. Ryde has 11 cases, Woollahra has eight, Port Macquarie has five cases. Meanwhile, Broken Hill, Shoalhaven, Mid-Coast and Lake Macquarie have between one to four cases.
A spokesperson for NSW Health said it was increasing testing in areas where there are some community transmissions and areas where there have been clusters.
"These are areas which we believe may be at elevated risk of community transmission, and we are encouraging people in these areas with symptoms to be tested for COVID-19," the spokesperson said. "By finding those cases early and identifying appropriate isolation and quarantining of close contacts, we can help prevent onward transmission in the community."
Given the rapid cluster growth in Waverley last week, Bondi Beach's car park at Park Drive North has been converted into a drive-through testing clinic, allowing motorists to be tested from their cars.
The drive-through will operate between 9am and 4pm daily and will accept patients who live or work at Bondi Beach or Bondi Junction and who have fever, or history of fever, or symptoms of acute respiratory infection - including cough, shortness of breath or a sore throat.
Last week, a pop-up clinic opened up at Bondi Pavilion. It will be open from 8am to 4pm seven days a week.
“Hundreds of people have been tested at the pop-up clinic at Bondi Pavilion since it opened this week and the drive-through clinic is another way the community can help slow the spread of this deadly virus," Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said. “I urge people with symptoms or who meet the testing criteria to visit either of the clinics and speak to the nurses for the right advice.
“Together we can save lives if we follow the advice of the authorities.”
Ryde's Mayor Jerome Laxale said he welcomed the expansion of testing and was working with NSW Health to see what additional services, such as a pop-up clinic or drive-through clinic, could be set up in the area.