COVID update – big leap to 304 new Hawkesbury cases today – 1904 active cases in our region

Welcome to Tuesday evening and the daily update of COVID numbers across our region.

Unfortunately, another pandemic high for the Hawkesbury today with a big increase of 304 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours.

We’ve got 1904 active COVID cases in the Hawkesbury.

Thanks to our good friend Kevin Pollard who has once again crunched the day’s COVID numbers so we have an excellent overview here of the Hawkesbury situation, and further afield too, giving our readers a detailed picture.

Today’s Hawkesbury headlines and numbers:

* 304 new COVID cases in the Hawkesbury – 211 are linked, so 93 from no known source.

* There are 1904 active COVID cases in the Hawkesbury.

* The Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Lithgow represented 39% of all cases in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District today after 39% yesterday and 34% the day before. It’s normally 10-20% each day so we’re part way through a significant wave (reported and unreported cases) in this part of Sydney. Until two weeks ago, these Local Government Areas weren’t that badly affected by COVID compared to the rest of Greater Sydney.

* Of the 25,870 local COVID cases (20,293, 30,062, 45,098, 38,625 cases on previous days) in NSW reported to 8pm, Monday, January 10 – 1456) are from Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, which includes the Hawkesbury.

* There were 71,325 COVID-19 processed tests to 8pm last night, compared with the previous days of 84,333, 98,986, 116,915, 112,725 tests.

* 71,325 tests processed yesterday was the lowest in NSW since 7 December 2021 when 58,706 tests were processed.

* 36.27% of the 71,325 COVID tests were positive (25,870).

* The positivity rates were 24.06%, 30.37%, 38.57%, 34.26% on previous days.

* Kevin says, “If there were the same amount of tests processed today as there were when it was easier to get a test between December 21-24 plus on December 28 and December 30 when people were desperate (average was 155,247 per day over these 6 days) and with the 36.27% positivity rate there would be 56,309 new cases in NSW today after at least 37,353, 47,149, 59,879, 53,188, 48,842 on previous days.”

New Hawkesbury COVID cases in the last 24 hours and postcodes they are in:

* 147 in the 2756 postcode (Windsor, Sackville, Wilberforce, Bligh Park, Clarendon, Ebenezer, Mulgrave, Pitt Town, South Windsor, Freemans Reach, McGraths Hill, Upper Colo, Central Colo, Colo Heights, Lower Portland, Glossodia)

* 93 in the 2753 postcode (Richmond, Richmond Lowlands, Londonderry, Grose Vale, Grose Wold, Bowen Mountain, Hobartville, Yarramundi, Agnes Banks)

* 29 in the 2758 postcode (Bilpin, East Kurrajong, Kurrajong, Kurrajong Heights, Kurrajong Hills, Mountain Lagoon, Wheeny Creek, Mount Tomah, Berambing, Blaxlands Ridge, Devils Wilderness)

* 28 in the 2754 postcode (North Richmond, Tennyson, The Slopes)

* 5 in the 2757 postcode (Kurmond)

* 2 in the 2775 postcode (Lower Macdonald, St Albans)

Total active COVID cases in the Hawkesbury as of 8pm January 10 – and postcodes they are in:

* 1019 in the 2756 postcode (Windsor, Sackville, Wilberforce, etc) – was 907 yesterday

* 516 in the 2753 postcode (Richmond, Londonderry, Grose Vale, etc) – was 447 yesterday

* 185 in the 2758 postcode (Bilpin, East Kurrajong, etc) – was 167 yesterday

* 166 in the 2754 postcode (North Richmond, Tennyson, The Slopes) – was 150 yesterday

* 19 in the 2775 postcode (Lower Macdonald, St Albans) – was 18 yesterday

* 16 in the 2757 postcode (Kurmond) – was 11 yesterday

Home and global headlines:

* Reported cases in NSW over the last 5 weeks have been approximately 85% Omicron and 15% of the far more dangerous Delta.

* 80% of the 342 people in ICU in Australia have Delta and 20% Omicron and for the 3865 in hospital in Australia it’s approximately 65% Delta and 35% Omicron.

* 35,200 5-11 year old children were injected in Australia yesterday, January 10, on the day it was first available – and 38,300 today. There are 2.25 million children aged 5 to 11 in Australia.

* 73,500 childrens’ first doses have been given in Australia, and there are 8 weeks between doses.

* There are 5-11 year olds in Australia: none are fully vaccinated and 3.27% have had their first dose.

* Some patients in NSW’s public hospitals – not those with COVID – are being moved to private facilities in order to free up beds for COVID patients as the medical workforce struggles in public hospitals.

* 100 ICU staff have been furloughed across Australia due to COVID, contributing to the strain on hospital services.

* Pfizer’s CEO says a vaccine for the Omicron specific variant will be ready in March. Manufacturing has started.

* Spain reports more COVID re-infections in the last fortnight than during the rest of the pandemic. Researchers attribute 20,890 cases – compared with 17,140 documented up to 22 December 2021 – to the spread of the Omicron variant.

8 The US reports 1,459,005 COVID cases, as weekend backlogs are released. There are also 2235 deaths. The US posts another pandemic high of 140,268 in hospital.

* Australia records 90,832 cases after 71,273, 99,652, 116,032, 78,160, 72,398 on previous days. On December 9, 2021 Australia recorded 1651 new cases.

Current COVID cases in NSW hospitals, ICU, and on a ventilator, and vaxx status:

In hospital: 2186 patients (was 2030, 1927, 1795, 1738, 1609 on previous days) – 69.8% fully or triple vaccinated, 2.5% one dose, 27.7% not vaccinated.

In ICU: 170 (159, 151, 145, 134, 131 on previous days) – 52.0% fully or triple vaccinated, 1.2% one dose, 46.8% not vaccinated.

On ventilators: – 51 (47, 38, 40, 33, 38 on previous days) – 52.0% fully or triple vaccinated, 1.2% one dose, 46.8% not vaccinated.

There were 166 people in hospital 27 days ago – 2186 today.

There were 21 people in ICU 27 days ago – 170 today.

There were 7 on ventilators 27 days ago – 51 today.

COVID deaths 11 today – none in the Hawkesbury:

NSW Health is reporting the deaths of 11 people with COVID – six women and five men.

7 aged in their 80s, 3 in their 90s, and 1 in their 70s.

Of the 11 people who died – 9 were fully vaccinated and 2 were not vaccinated.

4 people were from south western Sydney, 1 person from western Sydney, 2 from the Hunter Region (a woman in her 80s from Cessnock and a woman in her 80s from Muswellbrook), 1 person from eastern Sydney, 1 person from northern Sydney, 1 person from Southern Sydney, and 1 from the Central Coast.

It’s the first time in 7 days, NSW Health has listed the vaccination status of those who have died. It’s been 7 days since NSW Health have mentioned if those that have died had underlying health issues or not.

There have been 79 COVID deaths in NSW in the last week (11, 18, 16, 9, 11, 6 and 8 deaths).

There have been 702 COVID-related deaths in NSW since this Delta/Omicron outbreak started on June 16, 2021.

186 of the 702 COVID-related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021 were people fully vaccinated.

So, 516 of those who died were unvaccinated, or had one dose of a vaccine.

The 186 deaths among people fully vaccinated – 1 in their 20s, 6 people in their 50s, 4 people in their 60s, 56 people in their 70s, 64 people in their 80s, 47 people in their 90s and 1 person in their 100s. *4 people in their 80s and 3 people in their 90s had received their booster shots.

The large majority of the people that were fully vaccinated and died of Covid had underlying health issues, over half had significant health issues, almost a quarter were in palliative care, many were elderly and in aged care facilities, some had disabilities.

NSW COVID vaccination status (of cases during Delta outbreak from June 16 until January 11, 2022).

Vaccination status numbers between June 16, 2021 and January 10, 2022 based on NSW Health Surveillance Reports to December 25 and cases since.

702 COVID deaths: 0.14% not eligible for vaccination as aged 0-11 years (1), 56.4% not vaccinated (396 people), 16.2% had received 1 dose (114 people), 26.5% were fully vaccinated (186 people), 1% were fully vaccinated with 3 doses ie triple vaccinated (7)

1851 in ICU: 1.1% not eligible for vaccination as aged 0-11 years, 64.4% not vaccinated, 4.2% had received 1 dose, 30.3% were fully vaccinated.

10,544 hospitalised: 4.8% not eligible for vaccination as aged 0-11 years, 41.6% not vaccinated, 3.8% had received 1 dose, 49.8% were fully vaccinated.

495,841 cases: 18.9% not eligible for vaccination as aged 0-11 years, 12.0% not vaccinated, 4.2% had received 1 dose, 64.9% were fully vaccinated.

How we compare today:

NSW – 25,870 new cases, 315,785 active, 2186 in hospital (+157) and 170 in ICU (+11) plus 11 deaths – 36.27% positive rate

VIC – 37,994 new cases (19,491 PCR and 18,503 RAT), 171,369 active, 861 in hospital (+43) and 117 in ICU (-1) plus 13 deaths – 32.66% positive rate (PCR)

QLD – 20,566 new cases (16,380 PCR and 4,186 RAT) – 81,581 active, 440 in hospital (+38) and 21 in ICU (-1) – 1 death – 32.74% positive rate (PCR)

SA – 2921 new cases – (2221 PCR and 700 RAT) 30,388 active, 211 in hospital (+23) and 22 in ICU (+1) – plus 1 deaths – 12.04% positive rate (PCR)

ACT – 1508 new cases – 6302 active, 28 in hospital (+3) and 4 in ICU (0) – 25.37% positive rate

TAS – 1379 new cases (364 PCR and 1,015 RAT) – 8356 active, 18 in hospital (+1) and 0 in ICU (0) – 15.27% positive rate (PCR)

NT – 594 new cases (291 PCR and 303 RAT) – 2513 active, 32 in hospital (+4) and 1 in ICU (-1) – 12.53% positive rate (PCR)

WA – 4 new cases – 89 active, 0 in hospital (0) and 0 in ICU (0)

Australia – 90,832 new cases, 27 new deaths, 644,326 active, 3865 in hospital (+345), 342 (+18) in ICU, 92 (+4) on a ventilator.

Big thanks to Kevin Pollard for the research and crunching the numbers.

Our source information – link to NSW Health figures:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/find-the-facts-about-covid-19

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