There are 23 confirmed cases in Shepparton but it is not clear whether last night’s case is included in that tally or not.Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp announced a Notre Dame College student had tested positive for the virus late on Sunday night.Staff, students and their household contacts from that should should be tested at the Shepparton Sports Precinct.“Due to a positive case being identified at Notre Dame College late today, different arrangements are being applied tomorrow (Monday) in relation to testing at Shepparton Sports Precinct for a priority group of students and staff from the College,” Mr Sharp said.“Students and teachers from certain classes at Notre Dame College will receive communication from the college regarding priority access for testing.”The school’s principal John Cortese announced on Monday morning the school was working to identify a group of about 150 people deemed to be close contacts.“Notre Dame College is currently working with Matt Sharp and GV Health to identify a group of priority staff and students for testing,” he said.“This group have been deemed close contacts to the student who has tested positive to Covid. We are now contacting all in this group of around 150 people.“This group will be able to access testing from 8.30am today at the Sports Precinct. GV Health staff at the site will have a list of names and will be checking staff and student IDs against this list. “At this stage all others in the NDC community need to continue to follow the stop and stay order and should not even leave the house to seek testing yet.”It comes after Mr Sharp announced the town’s cluster had risen to 23 on Sunday.GV Health says up to 11,000 people need to be tested in the coming days as the list of exposure sites continue to grow with at least 2000 people in isolation.“We know this is tough. It’s a difficult time with everyone being weary,” Mr Sharp said.“Please take care of yourself and each other. I thank everyone for their patience.”Shepparton outbreak spreads to MansfieldShepparton’s Covid cluster has spread with a case confirmed in Mansfield on Saturday night, health authorities have confirmed.Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said he expected the cases in Shepparton to grow in coming days.A testing blitz is underway on Sunday with five sites opened and drive-through capacity doubled.More than 3000 tests were completed in Shepparton on Saturday.Mr Foley confirmed the Mansfield case was linked to Shepparton.“They (the infected person) were not treated in Mansfield, they were taken to a more Covid safe location,” he said.Shepparton linked to Royal Melbourne Hospital outbreakHealth authorities believe a Shepparton man could be the source of a Covid outbreak in the Royal Melbourne Hospital.At Sunday’s press conference, Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson said authorities believe a surgery patient residing in Shepparton brought Covid to the hospital.The index case is a visitor who caught the virus from a family member that was sharing a room with the source case, a man from Shepparton awaiting heart surgery.Ms Matson said the male patient was not tested until after the visitor tested positive.He was not tested prior to surgery because authorities didn’t believe there was a risk in Shepparton.Health providers have been contacted to re-introduce pre-surgery testing.How Shepparton became the centre of a Covid outbreakOn Thursday night Shepparton, a country town in the state’s north-east, was blissfully unaware what was around the corner.Covid had been detected in the town’s wastewater for days but no one could have predicted the Goulburn Valley would become the hotspot that plunged regional Victoria back into lockdown.On Friday morning Shepparton had recorded its first Covid case in more than 300 days.By Friday afternoon, 11 more were added to the tally.By 8pm that skyrocketed to 17.On Saturday afternoon Goulburn Valley Health’s boss stood in front of media to officially place the community on high alert as another four were added — with more likely to come.Alarmingly, he said most of those infected were children.“We are working as hard as we can,” Mr Sharp said.“(The number of people isolating is) going to be in the thousands. I’d expect more people to test positive.“Based on what we’re seeing it’s probably more than likely the Delta strain.”Mr Sharp said the original case was still being investigated but his resources had been significantly impacted with at least 100 of his workers isolating.Greater Shepparton City Council mayor Kim O’Keeffe said she was concerned for the community but urged people to be strong.“The community is concerned because we have seen the increase in numbers,” she said.“But we are doing everything we need to be doing.“I am really proud of our community. We’ve certainly shown in the past (when Shepparton had its first cluster in late 2019) and we’re doing it again.“It is so important that our community is well informed. It’s important that we feel connected to each other.”Shepparton’s outbreak forced regional Victoria back into lockdown at 1pm on Saturday but Cr O’Keeffe said it needed to be done.“When numbers are rising that’s exactly what we need to do,” she said.“The quicker we lockdown, the quicker we get out.“If we didn’t do that we would be in a much worse situation moving forward. Of course it’s devastating for our businesses but health needs to be our priority.”Shepparton’s cases are spread across three different households.A Kialla man in his 30s was the first confirmed case.An Orrvale Primary School Year 5 student is another case, the school confirmed in an email sent to families.That school has been closed and students, staff and household members must isolate at home.“The Department of Health will get in touch with you directly,” the school said in a letter to families.Mr Sharp said there had been a delay in the release of exposure sites “due to the number of positive cases that occurred in quick succession yesterday (Friday) and the related contact tracing interviews required with these people”.In Saturday’s press conference Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews asked only those connected to the cases, through exposure sites and local schools, to get tested.“It is the people who are connected to these cases that we want to come and get tested today,” he said. Covid response commander Jeroen Weinmar warned “a rapidly escalating situation” was unfolding in Shepparton.“We’re encouraging particularly those people who are being identified by contact tracers and those related to the exposure sites (to get tested),” he said.“If you are not related to those exposure sites, associated with those schools, if you do not have symptoms please do not get tested today (Saturday).“We want to prioritise those who are symptomatic and those we are most concerned about.“Of course we will maintain this testing effort over the coming days.”Authorities fear the Shepparton outbreak has spread beyond the Goulburn Valley with at least one infected person travelling to Bendigo.Cr O’Keeffe urged the community to remain calm.“We’re trying all we can to support the community, stay calm and step up to the mark and do what we need to,” she said.On Friday, Greater Shepparton’s Secondary College’s three campuses — McGuire, Mooroopna and Wanganui — were closed with parents asked to pick up students earlier that day.A spokesperson from Catholic Education Sandhurst confirmed St Mel’s Primary School also closed.Mr Sharp said teachers and students from across different campuses are now being asked to get tested.They include year 7, 9 and 11 teachers and students from McGuire, who should attend the Graham Street testing clinic.Prep, year 3 and 4 students and teachers are being asked to visit the Shepparton Sports Precinct.Year 5 and 6 students and staff are being asked to present at the Shepparton Greyhound and Trotting Track.“All other students, teachers and household contacts from the schools above should quarantine at home and keep safe until you are notified by the contact tracing team,” Mr Sharp said.Why was Shepparton not locked down earlier?Premier Daniel Andrews denied claims Shepparton should have locked down earlier following repeat wastewater detections.“I don‘t think locking down individual communities works,” he said.“This kind of localised approach doesn’t work. We don’t lock places down off sewage.”Mr Andrews said the 17 cases in Shepparton were connected to the community “in different ways”.“They are large families, they will be connected in different ways. Sporting clubs connect them,” he said.“I’m sure that nobody in Mildura thought that the outbreak in Melbourne would finish up in their local area.”Concern for more regional areasA Bendigo business has also been announced as an exposure site in the wake of the regional Victorian cases 119km away.Bendigo earthmoving equipment seller, Delecca‘s posted on Facebook that it was forced to close, with the all staff awaiting their test results after an exposure on the afternoon of Friday August 13.“It is with a heavy heart that we need to make this announcement,” it said.Meanwhile, Moama Anglican Grammar informed parents on Friday afternoon a parent of a student worked at one of the schools closed in Shepparton.In a letter to parents, principal Carmel Spry said “rooms will be cleaned as a precaution”.Three testing sites were available to residents on Saturday.They include GV Health’s Acute Respiratory Clinic at Graham Street, Shepparton.Drive through clinics were open at the Shepparton Sports Precinct and Shepparton Greyhound and Trotting Track.Testing clinics will reopen on Sunday.Shepparton’s COVID exposure sites
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