A public health physician has assured the Tamworth community they will be upfront of any public locations where there has been a known risk of infection.
Hunter New England Health is now providing care and support to five additional people
confirmed to have COVID-19:
A woman in her 50s and a man in his 60s are in home isolation after recently returning from Italy
A woman in her 20s is in home isolation after recently returning from a Pacific cruise
A man in his 70s is in home isolation; he is a relative of a previously reported confirmed case of COVID-19
A woman in her late teens is in home isolation after recently returning from Canada.
This takes the total number of cases of COVID-19 in Hunter New England to 18.
Health staff continue to undertake daily wellness checks with all confirmed cases in the
District and their close contacts of the new cases, who are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
Tony Merritt, HNELHD's public health physician, said he understands there are concerns out in the community about the location of people confirmed to have COVID-19.
"These are challenging and confronting times, and I understand people’s desire to know as much as they can to best protect themselves against this virus," she said.
“You can rest assured that anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 and their close contacts are
either being treated in a hospital or are in self-isolation to ensure there is no ongoing risk of infection to others in the community.
“Locations, where these people with COVID-19 live, work or have visited, do not pose any ongoing risk to the public and it’s important that we respect their privacy while they recover.
"Those in self-isolation are doing a great service for our community; it’s them that will make the biggest difference in slowing the spread of this virus."
Dr Merritt said they will let the community know of any public locations where there has
been a known risk of infection.
"This is so you can monitor symptoms and seek medical assistance if you become unwell," he said.
“As the number of cases in our District continues to rise, I want to stress how important it is for everyone to do their bit. Wash your hands regularly, cover coughs and sneezes, maintain social distancing and stay home if you’re unwell."
Hunter New England Local Health District has opened its fourth COVID-19 clinic, at Belmont Hospital.
This is a drive-through clinic where people are screened via phone before presenting. Please call 4923 2211 between 8am to 4pm, seven days a week for the clinic.
The Belmont Hospital COVID-19 clinic joins those already operating at John Hunter, Maitland and Calvary Mater Newcastle hospitals.
IN OTHER NEWS: