A new case has emerged and sewage surveillance has detected fragments of COVID-19 in two more Riverina centres, NSW Health has revealed, including one where there are no known cases.
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NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty announced the discoveries had been made in samples taken from treatment plants in Griffith and Balranald.
"Yesterday we detected COVID fragments... in Balranald in the Far West and Griffith in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District," Dr McAnulty said in delivering the Saturday NSW COVID-19 update.
"So please watch out for symptoms and come forward for testing if you get any of those symptoms."
Fragments were also discovered in Byron Bay, Wardell in northern NSW and at Eden on the state's south coast.
Four new cases of the virus were found in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District [MLHD] in the 24 hours to 8pm Friday.
Three cases connected to a man in Young were previously announced by the MLHD on Friday afternoon, and one more has been detected in Albury, Dr McAnulty said
In other news
Hilltops Council was plunged back into lockdown on Friday after the discovery of the virus in the community.
A man in his 60s presented to Young District Hospital and was transferred to Wagga Base Hospital, MLHD announced on Friday morning.
Three household contacts of the man have since tested positive and are also being cared for in Wagga.
A school was closed in the wake of the Young cases and a swag of exposure sites have been listed across the district this week, with the latest addition a KFC over two days.
Venues of concern across in Young are:
- Young: BWS, Boorowa Street - September 3 between 3.15pm and 4pm
- Young: Young, 263 Boorowa Street - September 3 between 3.15pm and 4pm
- Young: Service NSW, 24 Lynch Street - September 8 between 12.10pm and 12.40pm
- Young: Bunnings, 288 Boorowa Street - September 8 between 12.15pm and 1pm
- Young: KFC, 24 Zouch Street - September 10 between 4pm and 9.30pm
- Young: KFC, 24 Zouch Street - September 11 between 12pm and 3pm
- Young: Service NSW, 24 Lynch Street - September 13 between 3pm and 4pm
- Young: MedCirc Young, 50-66 Boorowa Street - September 15 between 12.10 and 1.45pm
- Young: Young Diagnostic Imaging, 12 Cloete Street - September 15 between 2pm and 2.30pm.
A number of Wagga and Young venues have also been identified as casual contact sites after an essential worker spent time in both towns at the start of the month.
These include:
- Wagga: Mantra Pavilion, 22-30 Kincaid Street - all day
- Wagga: Woolworths, 30 Gurwood Street - Monday August 30, 9.15am to 10am
- Wagga: Northside Pharmacy, 12 Gurwood Street - Monday August 30, 9.15am to 9.45am
- Wagga: Caltex Northend, 170 Fitzmaurice Street - Tuesday August 31, 5.15pm to 5.56pm
- Wagga: O'Brien's Wagga Hot Bake Bakery, 89A Morgan Street - Friday September 3, 6.50am to 7am
- Young: BWS, Boorowa Street - Friday September 3, 3.15pm to 4pm
- Young: Woolworths, 263 Boorowa Street - Friday September 3, 3.15pm to 4pm
- Young: Cherry Blossom Motor Inn, 19 Zouch Street - all day September 3 to September 7
Testing has been ramped up in Young and people right across the region are being urged to come forward for a COVID-19 test for even the mildest of symptoms.
Tests can be carried out at the following locations:
- Cootamundra Hospital, 11am to 1pm
- Griffith MLHD testing clinic, Yambil Street, open 7 days from 9.30am to 1.30pm, no appointment necessary
- Griffith Showground, Monday to Friday from 1am to 2pm and Saturday 8am to 11am, no appointment necessary
- Griffith GP-led Respiraroy Clinic (Your Health), 105 Binya Street, Monday 9am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday 9am to 4pm, book online at hotdoc.com.au
- Harden Hospital, 1pm to 3pm
- Wagga Equex Centre drive-thru clinic (entry via Copland Street), open 7 days from 10am to 6pm, no appointment necessary.
- Wagga Laverty Pathology drive-through site, Riverina Playhouse car park, Tarcutta Street via Cross Street, 8am to 4pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 3pm Friday, 8am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday
- Wagga Murray Street clinic, 84 - 86 Murray Street (between the pharmacy and the Australian Red Cross), open 7 days from 9am to 4pm, no appointment necessary
- Young Town Hall, 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday
- Young Showground, 9am to 3.30pm Saturday
For other testing options or assistance accessing a test please call the Murrumbidgee COVID-19 Hotline on 1800 831 099.
The Sydney-Melbourne XPT is also of serious concern, with the passenger train listed as a close contact venue between Central Station and Albury on Sunday, September 12 between 7.43am and 3.18pm.
Anyone who was on the train that day must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result, and call 1800 943 553 unless they have already been contacted by NSW Health.
All are casual contact venues and anyone who was there at the specified times must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
Across the state, 1331 new cases of the virus were confirmed and more than 120,000 people were tested and six people died, Dr McAnulty said.
Of six cases in the Far West LHD, four cases were in Broken Hill and two were in Wilcannia.
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