Tag: NSW

Ace Daily News

(NEW SOUTH WALES) Full Storm Report: The fierce storm that battered the east coast over the past two days has claimed another life, with police recovering the body of a woman whose car was swept away by flood waters in the Hunter Region #AceWeatherDesk report

Post author By @ace101
Post date 29/07/2021

#AceWeatherDesk says a Mop-up continues as rain, strong winds in NSW hamper efforts Emergency services crews had been searching all day for the missing woman after her silver hatchback submerged just before 9am on Wednesday.

• Body of an elderly woman whose car was swept away in flood has been found.

• Three elderly people died due to floodwaters on Tuesday in Dungog

• 200,000 homes were without power in the Sydney, Central Coast and Hunter Region.

• Recovery effort “expected to take several days”.

• Almost 20,000 insurance claims lodged, with losses estimated at $129 million.

• Milperra residents told to evacuate after Georges River burst its banks.

• NSW SES received 11,003 jobs across the state since Monday; Most for fallen trees and roof damage.

• Twelve disaster zones declared across NSW.

• Sydney has experienced its biggest rainfall over 48 hours since 1998, with 225mm in the city.

• Worst of the weather is over and conditions will improve slowly improve.

• Damaging winds gusts of 100km/h are still possible for the coastal fringe.

• Motorists were urged to stay off the roads.

• Newcastle and Hunter Region were the worst hit.

The 86-year-old woman, from Gillieston Heights, was travelling from her home town into Maitland as part of a convoy when tragedy struck.

It is understood she was following a four-wheel-drive across Wallis Creek on Cessnock Road when she tried to go around a red Falcon, which stalled in front of her while travelling across the flooded part of the road.

Frantic bystanders tried to rescue the woman before the car was swept away, but were unable to free them from the sinking vehicle.

Earlier, police had received reports that two women were missing, but it’s now believed the driver was the only person in the car.

“At this stage we don’t have any evidence that a second person was in the vehicle,” a NSW Police spokeswoman told news.com.au.

Divers found the silver hatchback, and another vehicle, just after 6.15pm and it is understood specialist sonar equipment brought in to help with search efforts, is believed to have helped locate the missing cars several hundreds of metres from where it was washed away.

Police said they recovered the woman’s body at around 6.45pm.

The woman’s 66-year-old son is believed to have been at the scene throughout the day and one of the men who was travelling in the car that stalled is understood to have dived in after the woman as well as three other men on the other side of the flooded crossing, Fairfax media reports.

The development comes as residents in Milperra in Sydney’s south-west were being evacuated after the Georges River burst its banks.

Two drivers also died in a head-on collision on the drenched New England Highway near Singleton on Wednesday afternoon.

It comes after three elderly people died due to floodwaters on Tuesday in Dungog.

The woman and two men reportedly died in their homes as water surged through the small town after more than 300mm of rain fell in 24 hours.

NSW SES workers searching for two people swept from the causeway on Cessnock Road, Maitland today.

Meanwhile, residents in Milperra, in Sydney’s south-west, were evacuated after the Georges River burst its banks.

River levels peaked at 2.84m just after 4.30pm but have since subsided.

However residents from the 200 homes are unable to return to their homes as minor flood warning remains in place and a number of roads are still closed.

While most of the fierce weather is expected to subside, residents throughout New South Wales have been told to still expected periods of heavy rain and strong winds this evening.

A low pressure system still remains off the Hunter coast and a trough extends south towards the NSW South Coast.

The Bureau of Meterology while the most severe conditions have peaked, and will continue to ease as the low weakens, rain and squally winds are possible through the Illawarra and Sydney Metropolitan areas this evening.

Rain and winds are also expected to increase on the South Coast.

Over the past two days NSW has been battered by what has been described as the worst storm in a decade.

The Hunter Region has been the hardest hit and has already claimed three lives when they were trapped in their homes by floodwaters.

While the worst of the weather is expected to pass later today, conditions are still too rough for recovery to start in the worst affected areas — and a second storm cell again threatens to bring rain and wind to communities devastated by the rare storm.

NSW Premier Mike Baird said today there had been more than 100 flood rescues and more than 9000 calls for help since the crisis began.

He declared the storm a ‘natural disaster’, and said a declaration would help in the recovery process that will begin once the storm clears and the full extent of the disaster can be assessed.

“The state of emergency really gives you additional powers in terms of asking people to be removed from particular areas (and provides) powers for our emergency workers to move and act very quickly in response to very severe situations.”

An SES spokeswoman said “hundreds” more calls were coming in each hour.

The three people killed in Dungong have been identified by local residents as Robyn McDonald, aged about 70, and Brian Wilson, 72, and Colin Webb, 79.

Mr Wilson and Mr Webb are believed to have been trapped in their retirement village homes, while Ms McDonald is believed to have refused to leave her pets, The Australian reported.

Last night the Dungog Chronicle reported the female victim died while trying to save her dog.

However a NSW police spokeswoman could not confirm how the woman died, saying it will form part of the coronial inquiry.

Resident Sally Fitzpatrick, who is a former neighbour of the dead woman, told the paper that she heard the woman didn’t want to abandon her dog.

More than 200,000 homes and businesses are still without power with Ausgrid warning reconnection could still take a few more days.

“Customers in some locations affected by extensive storm damage could be without power until well into the weekend,” a company statement said.

The Insurance Council of Australia said by 7am Wednesday morning insurance companies had received almost 20,000 insurance claims, with losses estimated at $129 million.

These claims were for low-level property damage, mainly from water and wind damage to homes and damage to cars, insurers are also receiving claims for severe damage to houses and roofs.

Spokesman Campbell Fuller told news.com.au that he expected the number of claims to rise “sharply” over the next few days adding tens of thousands of people were still without power and those affected were trying to ensure their properties were safe.

“We would expect the number of claims in rise sharply over the next couple of days,” he said.

Ferries from Manly to Circular Quay have been replaced by buses and the Parramatta ferry is only going as far as Rydalmere, due to flooding at Parramatta weir.

All metro Sydney trains are operating this morning, although there were some delays, while the Central Coast and Newcastle and South Coast lines are closed.

The weather also affected Sydney Airprot with some internationl flights being diverted this morning and domestic flights delayed by an hour, however the airport remains open.

Authorities warned some low-lying parts of Narrabeen and North Narrabeen, near Narrabeen Lagoon, could also be at risk, with an evacuation centre opened at Pittwater RSL and Mona Vale.

Two more evacuations centres were opened up in Dungog as the flooding continued to ravage the town.

Residents in Manly, in Sydney’s northern beaches, were on standby to evacuate after fears Manly Dam would overflow.

No evacuation orders were issued but residents have been told to be ready to move quickly, as low level flooding —fuelled in part by a high tide— swept through several streets today.

SES Deputy Commissioner Steven Pearce confirmed the dam “had started to spill” but insisted there was “no danger to Manly Dam collapsing”.

There have also been incredible scenes in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, but not due to the flooding.

Huge winds have caused sand to blanket much of the famous Bondi promenade.

Footage from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service captures flooding around the Hunter area. Courtesy Facebook/NSW Incident Alerts/West[ac Rescue Service….

EARLIER

Residents who have escaped their flooded country NSW homes described their ordeals in terrifying detail, as homes and animals were washed away.

One resident in the town of East Gresford, just 20 minutes away from Dungog, where earlier an escapee described the town as a “mess”, sent news.com.au this image of a dramatic horse rescue.

The horse is barely seen afloat as it struggles to stay above water, as the resident in a “tinnie” bravely attempts to save it from rising floods.

According to Louise Oliver, the sister of rescuer Sean Oliver, the horse was one of three rescued from a neighbouring paddock after a local raised the alarm that there were a number of unaccounted horses on the property.

Sean and girlfriend Leah Van Ewijk, who were in the tinnie at the time of the rescue, “left their property to help neighbours,” Louise recounted.

“People and livestock were their priority. The rescuers towed the three horses to dry land, the weight of it would have flooded the tinnie. They used a lasso (lariat), cowboy style.

“It was absolutely incredible horsemanship by the two.”

Last night the SES sent out emergency texts to around 100,000 residents in the Newcastle region warning them of imminent flash flooding and intense rainfall.

It was reported that some employers in the region heeded Mr Baird’s advice by letting their staff go home early, with department store David Jones taking the lead.

The severe weather has been battering the Newcastle coastline for most of Tuesday with winds reportedly reached 135kph.

These pictures of Ross Street, Belmont near the Belmont Sixteens Sailing Club show a boat crashing into the rocks outside a house.

A boat smashes against a house at Belmont near the Belmont Sixteens Sailing club on Ross St Belmont. Picture: Owen hammond.Source:Diimex

A boat crashes into a suburban street in Belmont. Picture: Owen Hammond.Source:Diimex

And while most of us were taking trying to avoid the wild weather, two teenage thrillseekers ignored the emergency storm warnings by taking the plunge at Bronte Beach.

The pair jumped into the crashing waves and are pictured below clinging on to the railing.

Two teenagers ignore the storm warnings, by risking their lives at Bronte Beach, Sydney, Australia. Picture: Bill MorrisSource:Diimex

At Bondi, most of the famous beach ended up on the sidewalk while the skatepark resembled sand dunes after the strong winds blew a blanket of beach sand on to the surface.

In some parts the sand was a metre deep.

Two evacuation centres were set up in Dungog region in response to the ongoing severe weather conditions.

Emergency services advised those affected in the area to find alternative accommodation or use the centre set up at the local high school.

That has now been closed with the Senior Citizens Centre and the Shamrock Multipurpose Centre being used to house affected residents.

All that remains of Rankin Park house after falling tree split it in half. All the occupants escaped safely. Picture: Neil KeeneSource:Supplied

Roofs were lifted from buildings and homes, while in central Sydney a large glass window shattered and fell onto Market St.

Schools throughout NSW were closed for the day as has the University of Newcastle.

There rainfall has been breaking records in some parts of NSW.

From 9am until 5pm Maitland recorded 274mm, Seaham recorded 152mm, Tocal received 137mm.

Dungog, in the upper Hunter, has reportedly been drenched with 309mm in less than 24 hours, the highest since records began in 1897.

Sydney totals were impressive also: Wahroonga had 171mm, Homebush 134mm, City 115mm, Nth Parra 140mm, Hornsby 169mm.

The Bureau of Meterology said the Paterson River in the Hunter and Mid North Coast region reached 16.1m at 2pm causing major flooding in the area.

A severe storm still lashing Sydney has caused major damage. Collapsed scaffolding is seen here at Edgecliff, Sydney.Source:News Corp Australia

Wild winds sweep heavy rain through the streets as Sydney cops a beating….

Overnight wind gusts were recorded up to 135km/h at Norah Head, north of Gosford, which is the equivalent of a category two cyclone.

In Sydney, winds reached 93km/h at the airport and 80km/h on the harbour.

Forecasters say the wild weather is set to continue with 60mm of rainfall forecast today and expected wind gusts of up to 120km/h.

Hundreds-of-thousands of Sydneysiders faced a miserable commute to work yesterday morning just as they did last night when the storm first began to pack a punch.

Many Sydney ferry services were cancelled because of the danger posed by the weather, including the Manly Ferry to Circular Quay. The fast ferry is still operating but at reduced speeds.

Parramatta River ferries are in service but are stopping at Rydalmere due to overflowing at Parramatta Weir, while the Cronulla to Bundeena Ferry has been cancelled and replaced by buses.

Authorities warned of the possibility live power lines could be hidden by debris and floodwaters and urged extreme caution if people did have to travel.

Darling Harbour’s Sydney Exhibition Centre bore the brunt of the bad weather as one side collapsed under the pressure.

“The weather [was] very windy at the time, as you can see we were still quite a distance away but the noise of the collapse was so loud,” said witness Timothy Hardwick.

#AceWeatherDesk report …..Published: July.29: 2021:

Editor says …Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily all of our posts fromTwitter can be found here: https://acetwitternews.wordpress.com/ and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com

Tags NSW, Storm, Weather

Ace Daily News

(NEW SOUTH WALES) Water NSW Report: After three years of desperately low dam levels and zero water allocations for many irrigators, many of the state’s dams are close to overflowing, with more rain on the way #AceNewsDesk report

Post author By @ace101
Post date 28/07/2021

#AceNewsReport – July.28: The water authority said 67,000 megalitres of water had flowed into the dam since July 15: Water NSW’s Tony Webber said releases were being increased to 15,000 megalitres a day, up from 10,000, to make room for expected wet weather.

#AceDailyNews says Dams are near capacity across New South Wales, with authorities monitoring flood risks and rain forecast Burrinjuck Dam, near Yass, was more than 99 percent full this week when Water New South Wales began releasing water to prepare for more in-flows.

Blowering Dam was built to catch water released upstream from the Snowy Mountains hydro-electic scheme. (ABC News: Michael Patterson)

Blowering Dam near Tumut was more than 98 percent full and Water New South Wales said it was considering reducing the water level ahead of forecast wet conditions.

Together, Blowering and Burrinjuck Dam hold the equivalent of about five Sydney Harbours of water.

A return to water security is a familiar story across all of the state’s catchments.

In the Central West, Wyangala Dam, near Cowra, was 89 percent full after dropping below 10 per cent of its capacity during the drought.

The amount of water in Lake Wyangala has increased by 11 percent in the past week.

The recovery in water storages has now been seen across all catchments.(Supplied: Water NSW)

Similarly, Keppit Dam, near Tamworth, which was “functionally empty” during the drought, was now at 97 per cent capacity, having increased by more than 8 per cent in the past week.

“We’ve gone from a situation following years of drought where water security was quite perilous to the best situation we’ve seen in half a decade,” said Mr Webber.

“Dams that were really reduced to only months of supply now are potentially going to provide water security for years.”

Confident irrigators

Irrigators along the Lachlan River, who rely on Wyangala Dam, have been celebrating a return to water security.

The chairman of Lachlan Valley Water, Tom Green, said when carryover from last year was included irrigators in the region had on average access to 80 percent of their general security water licences.

“It’s a big boost to the regional economy and to landholders to know that there is some certainty,” Mr Green said.

Mr Green said farmers now had the confidence to plant summer crops because they know they’ll have the water to finish them off.

“Having [the water] this early allows us to prepare ground for crops and order fertiliser and seed,” he said.

“You can start to guarantee a level of production moving forward.”

Does that sound fair?

Chairman of the Southern Basin Connected Communities, Chris Brooks, says the allocations for southern irrigators doesn’t make sense.(ABC News: Will Kendrew)

But not everyone believes the return to water security in NSW was being shared evenly.

Chris Brooks, an irrigator from Barooga on the Murray River west of Corowa and chairman of the Southern Connected Basin Communities, said despite storages along the Murray increasing, irrigators only had access to a fraction of their licences.

“The irrigation allocation was just lifted to 10 percent [for general security] which is a disgrace considering the volume of water in the dams at the moment,” Mr Brooks said.

The Hume Dam near Albury, which is one of the dams in the Murray system, was sitting at 72 percent of its total capacity.

“There’s 5,820 gigalitres of water in the Murray system and the volume that they’ve given to the region here for [general security] productive use is 3.3 percent. Does that sound fair to you?”

While some irrigators have access to carryover water that wasn’t used last year, and allocations could be increased later on, Chris Brooks said growers needed allocations early to commit to summer cropping programs.

“You need to have the water allocation and all your fertiliser in place by about September,” he said.

“Giving us a water allocation in January or February is a complete waste of time, so people carried water over from last year because it was allocated too late.”

The New South Wales Water Minister, Melinda Pavey, said she wasn’t responsible for those decisions but allocations were conservative because of the recent drought.

“I think it’s a fair criticism and I think decisionmakers are being cautious, having just come through the drought,” she said.

Flood watch

With the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a wetter than average spring across the state Water New South Wales is now monitoring dam levels for potential spills.

Ms Pavey said the challenge now was managing the storages across New South Wales with wet catchments and the possibility of flooding.

“We have got Water NSW on a completely different footing and setting [than the drought] out there talking to communities, checking flood gauges, ensuring the rivers are running well, but also being prepared for warnings.”

She said the situation with dam storages in New South Wales justified the government’s attempts to increase the capacity of Wyangala and Dungowan dams.

“One of the challenges of climate change is we are going to have periods of dry and periods of plenty, and we need to be able to capture that rain during periods of plenty,” she said.

#AceNewsDesk report …….Published: July.28: 2021:

Tags Australian News, NSW, Views, water

Ace Daily News

(NEW SOUTH WALES) NSW Police Report: Two men and a teenager have been taken to hospital following a stabbing in The Hills District on Thursday evening #AceNewsDesk report

Post author By @ace101
Post date 24/07/2021

#AceNewsReport – July.24: They were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Westmead Hospital with non life-threatening injuries….

#AceDailyNews reports that two men have been stabbed and a teenager injured in Rouse Hill at about 6.10pm (Thursday 22 July 2021), emergency services were called to a reserve on Withers Road, Rouse Hill, following reports of a stabbing

NSW REPORT:

Thursday, 22 July 2021 08:35:36 PM

Two men – both aged 21 – were found with stab wounds.

Officers from The Hills Police Area Command established a crime scene and commenced a canvas of the surrounding area with assistance from the Dog Unit.

A short time later, a 16-year-old boy was treated by paramedics for minor hand injuries at a home in Schofields.

He is expected to be taken to Blacktown Hospital for further treatment.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is underway and anyone with information is urged to come forward.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

#AceNewsDesk report ………..Published: July.24: 2021:

Tags Australian News, NSW, Police

Ace Daily News

(NEW SOUTH WALES) Court Report: A Catholic priest has been found guilty of sexually abusing several students at a prestigious boy’s college in the NSW Southern Highlands in the 1980s #AceNewsDesk report

Post author By @ace101
Post date 17/07/2021

#AceNewsReport – July.17: The 79-year-old was arrested in Sydney in early 2019 and charged with nine child sex offences, and an additional 18 charges were laid in October of that year….

#AceDailyNews says a Catholic priest guilty of historic sex abuse of students at Chevalier College Anthony William Peter Caruana was convicted of 26 historical charges including the sexual and indecent assault of several of his students at Chevalier College in Bowral more than 30 years ago and during the seven-week trial, jurors heard evidence from 12 complainants who were between 11 and 15 years old at the time the offences were committed.

Anthony Caruana has been convicted of sexually abusing multiple students while he was a teacher at the college in the 1980s.(ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss)

The Sydney District Court heard the offences occurred while Caruana was employed as a teacher at the college from 1982 until he left the school in 1989.

Caruana also served as boarding house master, coach of the school rugby team, and band master.

The court heard Caruana used these positions to gain access to his victims.

The court found a 15-year-old boarder was sexually assaulted multiple times at the school boarding house at Buradoo while Caruana was dormitory master.

Most of the students were abused on the school grounds while one of the offences occurred at a swimming carnival at the Mittagong pool.

The jury delivered unanimous verdicts on 25 of the counts but was deadlocked on the remaining two counts yesterday.

After further deliberations, jurors delivered a majority verdict on one of the remaining counts but was unable to agree on the remaining count and was discharged.

Judge Robyn Tupman thanked the jurors for their efforts over the past two months for their “important role in the delivery of justice”.

“You have been tired, emotional, and perhaps overwhelmed by the things you have heard during the trial.

“But you have taken it in good stead. Thank you for the effort you have put in.”

Bail was refused and Caruana will be sentenced in August.

Several students were sexually assaulted on the grounds of Chevalier College in the 1980s.(ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss)

Chevalier College sent an email to current and former students yesterday after the initial guilty verdict was handed down.

Principal Sean McDermott apologised on behalf of the college.

“I want to emphasise our profound sorrow that such events — which we openly acknowledge as part of our Chevalier history — could ever have occurred,” the statement said.

The Catholic order that Caruana was a part of, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Australia, also issued an “unreserved apology”.

“That these men, as students, were abused by a person charged with their care and protection represents a profound breach of trust,” Provincial Chris McPhee said.

“I want to say to each of them that we are deeply sorry that such events could ever have occurred.”

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published: July.17: 2021:

Tags Australian News, Crime, NSW

Ace Daily News

(NEW SOUTH WALES) #Coronavirus Report: NSW’s #COVID19 outbreak will “take off” if lockdown ends while new cases are still being found out in the community, an epidemiologist has warned #AceHealthDesk report

Post author By @ace101
Post date 08/07/2021

#AceHealthReport – July.07: Since lockdown began, case numbers have bounced around but NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been pleased with the direction they’re headed.

#CoronavirusNewsDesk – NSW should leave #COVID19 lockdown in place until infectious cases in community are down to ‘zero’, expert says

More than 5 million people in Greater Sydney and its surrounds are in a 14-day lockdown.(ABC News: Brendan Esposito)

“I can say that the lockdown certainly has been effective in not doubling and tripling the figures that we were worried about,” the Premier said yesterday.

“The next few days are critical. We want to get out of this lockdown as soon as possible in a timely way.”

The percentage of people testing positive while infectious in the community is also trending downwards, from 60 per cent on June 26 to as low as 13 per cent on July 4.

However, epidemiologist Tony Blakely from the University of Melbourne said despite these promising signs, NSW did not appear ready to lift stay-at-home restrictions.

“For a lockdown to be successful, we really need to see the number of notified cases that are out in the community down to zero,” Professor Blakely said.

“There’s still cases popping up in the community where they’ve been infectious … that means there’s community transmissions happening out there.”

Stay-at-home orders for more than 5 million people in Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Shellharbour, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains are due to end at midnight on July 9.

But Professor Blakely warned it was too soon.

“If we just open up restrictions at that point, they will just take off again … that’s just how the virus behaves,” he said.

“It’s not just a situation for NSW, the virus can move around and get across borders, so it’s also an issue for the rest of Australia too.”

Professor Blakely said the Delta strain currently gripping Sydney was at least twice as infectious as the strain that forced Melbourne residents indoors for months during its second wave.

On average, a person who caught the strain in Melbourne was estimated to transmit the virus to 2.5 people, assuming pre-pandemic conditions with no masks and social distancing.

The Delta-strain, which has wreaked havoc in India, has a reproductive rate of at least five.

Tony Blakely says lockdown shouldn’t end while community transmission is still happening.(Supplied)

While the presence of the COVID-19 vaccine was a factor in the state’s favour, Professor Blakely said the government didn’t appear to be entirely on top of emerging cases.

NSW Health continues to alert more venues, and even suburbs, of concern.

At the weekend, chief health officer Kerry Chant gave a “special call out” to residents in Auburn, in Sydney’ west, after concerns emerged over multiples venues visited by a COVID-19 case.

Students and teachers have been forced into isolation due to positive cases in schools, while three infections announced yesterday were linked to an illegal party held in the Meriton Suites in Waterloo.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the next few days will be “absolutely critical”.(AAP: Mick Tsikas)

Professor Blakely said NSW’s contact tracing was “really, pretty damn good” and in lockdown conditions they were equipped and experienced enough to control the Delta virus.

He said every public health expert had their own “risk appetite” but Dr Chant was “no fool”.

“She knows how good her contact tracing is and all the rest of it,” he said.

“She will make her own judgement … but if I was in her shoes at the moment, I’d be getting a little bit worried that that numbers were not coming down.”

#AceHealthDesk report ………Published: July.08: 2021:

Tags Ace Daily News, Health, NSW

Ace Daily News Health

(NEW SOUTH WALES) #Coronavirus Report: An unvaccinated staff member at an aged-care facility in Sydney’s northwest is among 24 new #COVID19 cases in NSW, sparking renewed concerns that not all healthcare workers are getting the jab #AceHealthDesk report

Post author By @ace101
Post date 07/07/2021

#AceHealthReport – July.06: Two close contacts of this nurse have now also tested positive: a healthcare worker in her 20s who worked at Royal North Shore, Fairfield and Ryde Rehabilitation hospitals while infectious; and a man in his 60s who works at Royal North Shore Hospital.

#CoronavirusNewsDesk – Another unvaccinated health worker raises concerns as NSW records 24 new #COVID19 cases acording to Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the woman in her 20s worked at Summit Care in Baulkham Hills: It comes after an unvaccinated 24-year-old student nurse tested positive after working at Fairfield Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital.

What are the Delta and Delta Plus COVID-19 variants?

Dr Chant said the good news was that the man had not worked while infectious.

She also said while it was believed the aged-care worker was not vaccinated, the majority of residents at Summit Care had been inoculated.

“I was very pleased to be advised that around 135 out of the 149 residents at Summit Care were vaccinated and they had concluded their Pfizer vaccination for over a month,” she said.

To date, more than 390 staff and patients of the various facilities have been identified as close contacts, with investigations ongoing.

Dr Chant confirmed the student nurse had also not been vaccinated.

“At the moment there is not mandatory vaccination for all healthcare workers,” she said.

However around 200,000 vaccines had been administered to health professionals in the public and private systems, Dr Chant said.

NSW Health also confirmed a person tested positive to COVID-19 a day after attending the Sydney Olympic Park vaccination centre on Tuesday June 29.

In a statement, NSW Health said the vaccination centre had been thoroughly cleaned and contact tracing was underway, with some close and casual contacts already idenitifed.

Kerry Chant outlines the details of health care and aged care workers who tested positive to COVID-19.(ABC News)

A man whose mother resides at SummitCare Baulkham Hills said the situation showed how “bungled” the vaccine rollout had been.

SummitCare Baulkham Hills advised families of the positive result in an email early this morning, saying the majority of residents are fully immunised.

Richard Aichinger’s 88-year-old mother, who has received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, has lived at the home for nearly two years.

“Mum’s pretty stoic,” he told the ABC.

“She’s got no problems being there, she’s quite confident with the vaccine.

“They’ve taken very good care of her and the other residents. She’s fairly happy there but maybe a bit nervous with what’s happened today.”

The majority of residents at SummitCare are vaccinated.(Facebook: SummitCare)

In the letter to families, CEO Michelle Sloane said all staff who worked shifts at the same time as the nurse were isolating.

“Whilst we recognise that this is distressing news we wish to reassure you that all precautions have immediately been activated and all staff and residents will undergo testing first thing tomorrow morning,” Ms Sloane wrote.

Mr Aichinger said SummitCare had been exemplary through the pandemic, but his disappointment lay with the vaccine rollout.

His partner works in community aged care and has only just been able to get a vaccine booking in two weeks.

“I think it’s just a bungling of the whole vaccine rollout,” he said.

“Everyone had the impression that healthcare and aged care workers were going to be given priority and it doesn’t seem that they have been.”

‘Minimise movement’, Sydney residents urged

Earlier, NSW Premier Gladys Bereijiklian warned Sydney’s lockdown would fail unless people did more to reduce their movement.

The Premier said it was “cause for concern” that half of the new cases had been out in the community while infectious.

“If we want the lockdown to succeed, all of us have to minimise our movements,” she said.

“In too many examples we are seeing workers who are leaving the house with symptoms or going to work with symptoms, then inadvertently as they are going about shopping or other activity, they are passing it onto others.”

The person went to the vaccination hub on Tuesday June 29 between 3.30 and 5.00pm.(Supplied: NSW Health)

The Premier said the proportion of new positive cases already in isolation would be the “measure of our success” over the next few days.

“All of us to have minimise our interaction with others, as difficult as that is, to make sure that the lockdown is successful,” she said.

Full list of NSW COVID exposure sites NSW Health has confirmed more venues for both close and casual contacts, connected to the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 strain, including a H&M store and a Western Sydney gym.

There has now been 195 locally acquired COVID-19 cases reported since June 16, when a limousine driver based in Sydney’s eastern suburbs tested positive after transporting international flight crew.

Of today’s new cases, 17 were linked to existing clusters.

Dr Chant said two passengers on a Virgin flight from the Gold Coast to Sydney on Saturday had tested positive.

It comes after a crew member on the same flight tested positive after undergoing a rapid test on Saturday night.

The government today announced it would establish two new mass vaccination centres — in south-west Sydney and the Illawarra — as well as a large clinic in Sydney’s CBD to help the state with an influx of Pfizer vaccines being provided by the Commonwealth.

One of the major vaccination hubs will be in an old Coles building in Macquarie Fields while the other will be in a former David Jones in Wollongong.

More than 7,500 jabs were given at the Sydney Olympic Park vaccine hub in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday.(Supplied: NSW Health)

The government said the new vaccination hubs were expected to deliver thousands of additional jabs each week and would operate alongside the one already operating at Sydney Olympic Park.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the new Sydney City vaccination hub would be close to public transport, which would allow staff to work through extended opening hours.

Mr Hazzard also announced 22 pharmacies across regional and rural NSW would begin administering the AstraZeneca jab as part of a pilot program.

The first shots will be given from mid-July in pharmacies in towns including Gulgong, Narromine, Walcha, Dungog, Dunedoo and Merriwa.

There were 59,941 tests reported to 8:00pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 68,220.

Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from July 4 with a look back at our blog

#AceHealthDesk report ……Published: July.06: 2021:

Tags Ace Daily News, Australian News, Health, NSW, Sydney

Ace Daily News

(AUSTRALIA) #Coronavirus Report: An unvaccinated staff member at an aged-care facility in Sydney’s north west is among 24 new #COVID19 cases in NSW, sparking renewed concerns that not all healthcare workers are getting the jab #AceHealthDesk report

Post author By @ace101
Post date 05/07/2021

#AceHealthReport – July.05: Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the woman in her 20s worked at Summit Care in Baulkham Hills: It comes after an unvaccinated 24-year-old student nurse tested positive after working at Fairfield Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital.

#CoronavirusNewsDesk – Another unvaccinated health worker raises concerns as NSW records 24 new #COVID19 cases here’s a full list of NSW exposure sites NSW Health has confirmed more venues for both close and casual contacts, connected to the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 strain, including a H&M store and a Western Sydney gym.

What are the Delta and Delta Plus COVID-19 variants?

Two close contacts of this nurse have now also tested positive: a healthcare worker in her 20s who worked at Royal North Shore, Fairfield and Ryde Rehabilitation hospitals while infectious; and a man in his 60s who works at Royal North Shore Hospital.