66 new Hunter Covid cases, flight on alert list

The local cases were at Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock, Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook.Additional cases were recorded at Tamworth, Gunnedah and Mid-Coast.Sixty-two of the cases were linked to known infections while 47 were infectious in the community.Twenty-four Hunter people are in hospital with Covid including three in intensive care.The cases take the health district’s total to 1768 since the beginning of the Delta outbreak on August 5. Of those, 1136 remain active.Statewide, 496 new cases were recorded and eight people have died.Meanwhile, flights to and from Newcastle have been listed as exposure sites after a Virgin crew member worked while infectious with Covid-19.Six flights between October 4-6 including two Newcastle routes have been identified.October 4: VA219 from Melbourne to Adelaide 10:11am to 11-09amOctober 4: VA218 from Adelaide to Melbourne 11:38am to 1:19pmOctober 5: VA827 from Melbourne to Sydney 09:09am to 10:32amOctober 5: VA808 from Sydney to Melbourne 11:16am to 12:53pmOctober 6: VA1593 from Melbourne to Newcastle 12:56pm to 2:19pmOctober 6: VA1594 Newcastle to Melbourne 3:02pm to 4:38pm“Anyone who was on the flights at the time and date listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result,” NSW Health said in a statement.“NSW Health sends a text message to people who have checked in at close-contact venues with further information. “We also contact close contacts to advise of isolation and testing requirements.”Concern over the exposure risk has heightened after a South Australian teen tested positive for the virus after travelling on one of the flights from Melbourne to Adelaide.