'This is deja vu': SA residents urged to mask up after outbreak spreads
South Australians are being urged to start wearing masks after 17 locally acquired coronavirus cases were detected in Adelaide, raising fears the city could be on the cusp of a significant outbreak that could overwhelm its contact tracing team.
The cluster has a number of parallels to the start Victoria’s second wave, as it is suspected it may have been seeded by a man who worked in hotel quarantine, and has already spread to other high-risk workers.
South Australian residents are being urged to get tested after the latest COVID-19 outbreak.Credit:Getty Images
"This is this is very much deja vu. This is very similar to what happened in Victoria,” said Professor Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist at the University of South Australia.
He said 15 of the new cases were within one large extended family and infections had been reported in those working in places considered danger locations for spreading the disease, including a nursing home and a prison.
There were 655 deaths when the virus made its way into dozens of Victorian aged care facilities, after escaping from two of Melbourne quarantine hotels.
The coming days will be crucial in establishing if South Australian authorities will be able to contain the surprise cluster, which are the first cases of community spread of the disease in the state since April.
Former Australian health department chief Stephen Duckett said South Australian residents should immediately start wearing masks.
“Masks are good, especially indoors – and it’s something that doesn’t impact on the economy, but it does slow the spread,” Dr Duckett said.
“It’s one of the things we should be doing quickly.”
On Monday morning South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the state could have to return to lockdown again, reinstating restrictions similar to those introduced nationwide in March and April.
“But that is worse-case scenario and it’s not a decision that has to be made right now,” he said.
South Australia is reportedly adopting the "third ring" strategy of isolating cases, close contacts and contacts of close contacts, a resource-hungry measure introduced in Victoria at the end of the state’s second wave.
Professor Esterman said while South Australia had a strong public health team, the contact tracing team was significantly smaller than Victoria’s, which is more than 2000-people strong, and would be challenged if the cluster was to grow further.
“If they crack down on it now, they will be fine. If it gets too much bigger, we’ll be struggling to have enough contact tracers.”
More to come.
Aisha Dow reports on health for The Age and is a former city reporter.