47 COVID-19 cases confirmed in NSW

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) STATISTICS

An additional seven cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed as at 2pm today bringing the total number of confirmed cases in NSW to 47.

Confirmed cases	47
Cases under investigation	476
Cases tested and excluded	7848
Total	8371

These figures refer to people who are in NSW and have been investigated for or have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus (COVID -19).

The new cases are:

A 14 year old boy and 15 year old girl, both in Year 10, who attend St Patrick’s Marist College, Dundas, along with their fathers, both in their 50s. These cases were found as part of the investigation of an ongoing cluster associated with Defence personnel and links to the Dorothy Henderson Aged Care Facility and Ryde Hospital.
A 12 year old girl in Year 7, who attends Willoughby Girls High School. This case is under investigation.
A female in her 50s, the mother of the 12 year old girl. She has not travelled overseas.
A female in her 30s was very recently notified having returned from the Philippines. NSW Health is establishing her travel movements and identifying any contacts who may require self-isolation and testing if symptoms develop.
NSW Health is continuing to make good progress in tracing contacts of previously identified cases and, in the majority of new cases, can track the chain of transmission within families, friends, and close contacts.

NSW Health has completed contact tracing for 77 delegates at a medical conference in Liverpool on February 18. No further cases have been identified and the two week quarantine period has now passed.

Dr Kerry Chant, Chief Health Officer said: “The vast majority of new cases can be traced to existing cases. This is reassuring as it means we are tracking how COVID-19 has been transmitted and in general we are not seeing random cases occur in the community at large.”

NSW Health is continuing to find and respond to cases as they are diagnosed to slow any spread of COVID-19 in the community.

Sydney Airport

Screening continues at Sydney International Airport. As at midnight 7 March, total of 23,814 passengers have been assessed, and a total of 77 were sent for testing.

NSW Health is alerting passengers who were on one of the following flights to monitor for symptoms, and contact their GP or call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 should they become unwell.

Jetstar Asia Airways Flight 5168 departed Kuala Lumpur 29 February 2020, and arrived in Singapore later that same day.

The man then flew to Australia on Qantas Flight QF82 Row 32 which departed Singapore 8.30pm on 29 March and arrived Sydney 1 March 2020 at 7.35am.

The man presented to his GP on 1 March and was referred for testing. He is isolated in Westmead Hospital.

An 11th person, a man in his 50s, has tested positive to COVID-19 having recently returned from Singapore on 28 February 2020 on Qantas Flight QF02 seated in Row 5. The man was symptomatic on the flight and has also been admitted to hospital for isolation at Westmead.

A 12th person, a female in her 60s, arrived in Sydney from South Korea on 27 February on flight Korean Air KE121. She became symptomatic on 28 February and was diagnosed on 3 March. She is currently in isolation at Westmead Hospital.

A 13th person, a female in her 60s, returned to Sydney from Japan on 21 February and

was diagnosed on 3 March. The patient is currently under home isolation.

The 14th is a male in his 30s who returned from Iran and arrived in Sydney on 1 March on flight Malindo Air OD171 from Kuala Lumpur. Because he may have been infectious on this flight while seated in ROW 15, passengers seated around him will be contacted by NSW Health. He is currently in Westmead in isolation.

The latest case, is a woman in her 50s, who has not travelled outside of Australia recently and is believed to have acquired the illness locally.

Travellers from Iran, South Korea and Japan should be particularly vigilant for symptoms as there has been a rapid increase in COVID-19 activity there in recent days.

The newly confirmed cases demonstrate the importance of returning travellers knowing the symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, runny nose or shortness of breath.

Any travellers with these symptoms should isolate themselves from others, seek immediate health advice and practice simple hygiene by covering their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow and wash their hands thoroughly.

In relation to the doctor who had worked at Ryde Hospital who was a confirmed case on 2 March, 13 doctors, and 23 nurses and 4 other health workers have been identified as close contacts and are in home isolation.

In addition, 8 patients of the infected doctor were identified as close contacts and have all been contacted and have no symptoms of COVID-19.

A further 29 patients were identified as casual contacts, of which 10 have been contacted while the remaining will be followed up tomorrow.

NSW emergency departments are continuing to see increasing numbers of patients presenting, above seasonal averages. Presentations for influenza-like illnesses are well above historic averages, as are those for other types of respiratory illnesses.

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