Department of Health
Australian Government Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has today extended the hotspot for the purpose of Commonwealth support for Newcastle, Cessnock, Lake Macquarie, Dungog, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Port Stephens and Singleton from 11:59 pm yesterday, 12 August 2021, for a further 7 days until 11:59 pm on 19 August 2021, with review on or before this date.
Sustained community transmission and the emergence of new cases in the Hunter New England area poses an ongoing risk to the community. Professor Kelly encourages everyone to book their vaccination, and requests they continue to follow the directions of New South Wales Health.
Declaring a hotspot for Commonwealth support triggers, if required:
- provision of PPE from the National Medical Stockpile
- actions for aged care facilities including PPE, single site workforce supplement and integration of an aged care response centre into the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre
- assistance with contact tracing
- asymptomatic testing via GP-led respiratory clinics
- reprioritisation of vaccine supplies, if required
- access to COVID-19 Disaster Payment, if eligibility criteria are met
- two Medicare Benefits Schedule items for telehealth consultations for patients in COVID-19 hotspots.
/Media Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
