ERH chief executive Nick Bush said the woman is now testing negative “but that is because she has actually now recovered”.He said he realised this would be confusing a lot of people, but revealed a double test has now confirmed the woman was a genuine positive who has now recovered to test negative.“That means all the testing we put in place must continue and anyone who may have been any kind of contact must still get tested because while she was working she was a positive case,” Mr Bush said.“But the key is, her double test now shows she was positive at the times reported; but she is now negative.“We will be getting the first test results back from Wharparilla residents and staff from about 11am and expect to have a much clearer picture of the condition of those people about 1.30pm,” he added.A pop-up vaccination and testing clinic had been rolled out to an aged care home where the positive Covid case was working. Mr Bush said there was already a high level of vaccination among staff and residents, but the temporary clinic was still able to distribute some doses. Mr Bush said Echuca residents had turned out in droves to get tested, with a four-fold increase in demand since the exposure site announcement. Mr Bush said the region’s testing rate had averaged at 150 people a day, but on Friday alone more than 650 people had been swabbed. With more than 650 awaiting results it is estimated that 5 per cent of the town’s 14,000 residents are in isolation. Mr Bush said the Aldi exposure was responsible for the majority of people now stuck in isolation. “The case was there at 5pm on a Friday, that’s peak (shopping) time,” he said.Mr Bush said the border residents were keen to get vaccinated, with Pfizer booked out and only Astrazeneca walk-ins still available. Mr Bush said the Echuca had recorded seven cases in 2020, but had never dealt with the Delta variant. Hospitalisation warning as Shepparton cluster growsAlmost half of Shepparton’s population have now been tested as the Goulburn Valley Health’s boss urges more people to come forward.Chief executive Matt Sharp said there were 76 active cases in the region, with 10 new cases recorded on Friday alone. “We are moving through it reasonably well, but we’re certainly not through it,” Mr Sharpe said. “The fact we’re still having positive cases detected means we’re not on top of it.”Mr Sharp said the region had not yet reached the “halftime break” in this regional outbreak, warning of possible hospitalisations. “I believe there are some people in the community who are unwell with Covid who have been able to stay at home up until now,” he said. “Reports are their health is deteriorating and they will need a high level of care.”“We’ve got chronic disease teams, they are being checked in every day, but as I said before that someone who has a chronic condition it doesn’t take much.”He said more than 520 health workers were in isolation. Mr Sharp said he was not sure why people with symptoms were not getting tested as soon as possible. “Accessing to testing is not the issue,” he said. “It’s not about the test itself, It’s quick and straight away. “To some degree it’s human nature and think those symptoms are going away.“But at the moment even the most mildest of symptoms are concerning. “Don’t put it off. It’s not worth the risk.”Mr Sharp also appealed for anyone who had not been vaccinated to make a booking.Mr Sharp defended the public health response, which was criticised as being too slow to contain on the regional cluster.“By now more than 21,000 have had a Covid test – more than 40 per cent of the population,” Mr Sharp said. “We’ve moved as quickly as we can.”Emergency Management Victoria Deputy Commissioner of Capability and Risk Deb Abbott said more than 400 food packages would be delivered on Friday, after demand for food deliveries skyrocketing leading to families going hungry. “(We’re) making sure that we’ve got food packages (for those) who are requiring food and immediate relief,” Ms Abbott said. “This is the only operation that is working to make sure needs are met.”Ms Abbbot said the food and grocery industry was rallied to the cause to boost online deliveries. Ms Abbott said if anyone was not able to get what they needed, they should call 1800 675 398. 10 new cases in Shepparton as cluster spills into Echuca aged care facilityAnother 10 positive Covid cases have been added to Shepparton’s alarming outbreak that has now spread to Echuca, authorities have confirmed.Shepparton’s Covid cluster has hit 77 cases with more than 17,000 people in isolation.Covid Commander Jeorome Weimar said the Northern Victorian outbreak was the “most active” in the state.Mr Weimar said an aged care worker, living in Shepparton and working at an Echuca aged care home, has tested positive to Covid.They are the partner of a Covid positive case.He said she was fully-vaccinated and only worked at the centre for a short period of time. “There’s a short presumed infectious period,” he said. Health minister Martin Foley said authorities were comfortably confident the Echuca aged care worker would be “one case, and one case only”. Mr Foley said the Covid-positive woman was fully vaccinated, wearing PPE and working in a care facility where a high number of residents were also fully vaccinated.Mr Wiemar confirmed 40 staff from the Echuca aged care facility had been furloughed as they waited for their test results. Mr Weimar said more than 6000 people had been identified as close contacts to the Shepparton infected cases. Mr Weimar commended the “phenomenal effort” by the Shepparton community.He said one Shepparton exposure site, Orrvale Primary School, had been downgraded from tier 1 to tier 2. Anyone who visited the exposure site will have to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result. Echuca aged care worker tests positive to Covid plunging staff into isolationA staff member at an aged care home in Echuca, on the Victorian-NSW border, has tested positive to Covid. In a letter to family members, Wharparilla Lodge said the staff member was well when they last worked on Friday, August 20. They had also been vaccinated with both doses on the AstraZeneca vaccine. Echuca Regional Health chief executive Nick Bush said the aged care home was in lockdown.“Staff are now isolating,” he said.“There is always concern of an outbreak when there’s a Covid case in an aged care home but staff are doing all they can to contain it.”The aged care home in Echuca is now in lockdown with reports 40 staff are in isolation.Four exposure sites have been listed in Echuca and nearby Kyabram including supermarkets, a butcher and a bakery.Wooolworths Kyabram, Bakers Delight Kyabram, Aldi Echuca and Fitzgeralds Farm Fresh Meats were all listed as tier 2 sites. A case attended Kyabram’s Fitzgeralds Farm Fresh Meats from 8.40am to 9.20am, Woolworths from 9.40am to 10.50 and the Bakers Delight from 10.15am to 10.56am on Saturday, August 21. A positive case also visited the Wooolworths Kyabram at 10.25am to 11.20am on Sunday, August 22. A positive case visited the Echuca Aldi on Friday August 20, from 5.10pm to 5.55pm. Anyone who was at those venues during the exposure period is urged to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.It comes after Shepparton’s cluster hit 67 on Thursday — and counting. More to come. Shepparton’s cluster hits 67 casesShepparton’s Covid cluster has grown to 67 cases, health officials have confirmed.It comes after 20 new cases were confirmed in the Shepparton and Royal Melbourne Hospital cluster overnight.Eighteen of those are in Shepparton.Victoria’s Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said health authorities were expecting to find more cases in coming days.But he said there was a “strong grip and cordon” around the Shepparton region.“There is a huge effort going on and my thanks to the entire public health team up in Shepparton, Goulburn Valley health, the local council, and the local partners who are working very hard to support the contact tracing effort, to make sure people are isolating safely,” he said.Premier Daniel Andrews revealed more support would arrive in Shepparton with deputy emergency management commissioner Deb Abbott set to help co-ordinate the emergency management response.“The emergency management will be for the main very, very simple things,” he said.Those include taking food to people isolation.Mr Andrews said ADF personnel would also be part of the support effort.Seven schools linked to Shepparton Covid clusterSeven schools are now linked to Shepparton’s escalating Covid cluster after a primary school student tested positive for the virus late on Sunday night.There are 44 confirmed cases in Shepparton.It comes after Mooroopna Primary School confirmed a member of its community had tested positive on Tuesday morning.In a statement, acting principal Carla May said the next steps for families would be released tomorrow.“Please be aware that we cannot provide information about the person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and I ask that that you respect their privacy,” she said.Other primary schools impacted by the cluster include Bourchier St, Orrvale, St Brendan’s, St Mel’s and Mooroopna.Greater Secondary College and Notre Dame College are the secondary colleges impacted by the cluster.A positive case was confirmed in a Notre Dame student on Sunday night by GV Health boss Matt Sharp.The school’s principal John Cortese announced on Monday 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.”Over 17,000 people are required to be tested How Shepparton became the centre of a Covid outbreakOn Thursday night Shepparton, a country town in the state’s northeast, 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”.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.”Shepparton’s Covid exposure si
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