The difficulties in stopping the Covid-19 coronavirus crossing Australia’s borders are illustrated vividly today as NSW Health tries to contact passengers sitting close to a woman who flew from Melbourne to Sydney on Jetstar while positive with the virus.
NSW Health is contacting passengers who were close contacts on flight JQ506 from Melbourne to Sydney on 25 July 2020.
Passengers who were close contacts are being placed into self-isolation for 14 days after the flight and asked to monitor for Covid-19 symptoms, and get tested, even if they have only very mild symptoms.
“A woman in her 30s who tested positive for Covid-19 was a passenger on this flight,” a statement by NSW Health declared. “She is in isolation and contact tracing is underway.
“Close contacts on the flight were seated in rows 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14.
“Travellers who have arrived from overseas in the past 14 days are currently in quarantine.”
MEANWHILE, Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Potts Point is on high alert after NSW Health advised everyone who lives in, or has visited, Potts Point in the past two weeks to monitor for Covid-19 symptoms. Potts Point adjoins the popular entertainment locality of Kings Cross.
Fourteen new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in NSW yesterday morning, including six linked to the Bankstown funerals cluster and others associated with two restaurants in Potts Point, the Thai Rock and the Apollo.
“All people who live in or have visited the Potts Point area in the past two weeks should get tested if they have any symptoms of Covid-19, however minimal,” NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant stated.
NSW Health yesterday reported three new cases linked to the Potts Point area cluster.
“Two of the new cases visited The Apollo restaurant on Wednesday 22 July, then the Cruising Yacht Club Australia (CYCA) in Rushcutters Bay on subsequent nights. The yacht club has closed for deep cleaning. The two cases dined at both the Thai Rock Potts Point restaurant and The Apollo restaurant and NSW Health now believes this links the two outbreaks.
“The third new case is a staff member of Apollo.
“The public health alert for the Apollo restaurant has been extended by one day, and now anyone who attended the Apollo restaurant on July 22 must self-isolate for 14 days from the date of their visit and be tested regardless of symptoms.”
The alert coincided with chilling new research internationally, which found that more than half of heart scans among hospitalised Covid-19 patients were abnormal, “suggesting the coronavirus may have a devastating impact on this vital organ”, according an outline by BBC Science Focus.
A study from 69 countries, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), revealed that 55% of 1261 patients studied had abnormal changes to the way their heart was pumping, with around one in seven showing evidence of severe dysfunction.
Written by Peter Needham
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