Glen Innes COVID-19 case: Mayor Carol Sparks calls on locals to 'be very cautious' after 'wakeup call' coronavirus case

Hunter New England Health confirmed on Sunday that the Glen Innes Severn local government area was the site of the region's first coronavirus case in nearly a year.

Public health authorities were quick to reassure the community the infected person, a man in his 30s, was not considered a public health risk because he had been in isolation since his return home to the area.

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Glen Innes Mayor Carol Sparks said the new case was a "wakeup call".

She urged to town to stay at home as much as they possibly could in coming days and weeks.

"We just have to be very cautious and keep to the health standards, wash your hands and basically stay at home until we get the all clear," she said.

"I'd just encourage everyone to stay at home."

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Councillor Steve Toms said the average resident of Glen Innes is substantially older than the state average, putting the community at higher risk of the virus.

Cr Sparks said the local health service has relatively limited capacity to deal with serious coronavirus cases. The town's hospital has limited access to visiting medical officers to work in its emergency room.

"We know that we only have limited ventilators here. Two probably useable at the most," she said.

"We would be relying on other health services to look after us. So if anybody gets a serious infection they'll have to be shipped out of town."

Fortunately, the community's most vulnerable people are largely protected, with local doctors reporting widespread vaccination.

Glen Innes doctor, Peter Annetts, said his clinic had been able to offer a vaccine to all their patients down to the age of 60 to 65.

"The vaccination program has taken a lot of work, it's been an incredible effort from our staff because it's all on top of what we normally do and we're already overworked, so it's taken its toll on our staff, but they've all done a great job," he said.

"Basically, it's like contact tracing. We have to phone them up and book them in - it's been a big effort. We've basically got through the people that we had to get through, which is the over 70s. They're starting our second doses on the third of July.

"All the staff that are doing it are doing it to protect the community."

The rollout had been hampered by widespread vaccine hesitancy, he said, but he expected that to drastically fall away with the coronavirus scare.

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The Hunter New England Health district had been coronavirus-free for 326 days before the Sunday case, recording the last COVID-19 case on August 5, 2020.

The man contracted COVID-19 at the Granites gold mine in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory,

It's unclear how the man travelled back from the Northern Territory.

New England MP Barnaby Joyce said the government was aware of the case and was responding.

"We've had a COVID case come back into the electorate. We've got to manage it, we're aware of it, we're across it, I've been briefed on it," he said.

"This virus is not going to leave the planet, we're going to live with it, we're going to have to deal with it. We just have to manage how we work with it in the best possible way."

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Cr Sparks said the man deserved praise from the community for apparently doing the right thing and self-isolating.

Dr David Durrheim, Public Health Controller for Hunter New England Health's COVID-19 response, said the case serves as a timely reminder for rural and regional communities.

"We are at a real tipping point in the pandemic. While there is little risk of infection from this latest case, it's important that we all remain vigilant," he said.

"I urge everyone to adhere to the restrictions put in place by the NSW Government. We need to wear our masks, practice hygiene measures and maintain our distance to keep this virus at bay. It is critical that we all continue to check-in to venues using the QR codes provided."

He urged anyone who had returned from the Northern Territory mine to NSW since June 18 to immediately isolate and call their local public health unit on 1300 066 055.

Health officials also urge anyone who has experienced fever, or the recent onset of respiratory symptoms, including a cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, sore throat, or loss of taste and smell, to seek testing immediately and isolate until a negative result is returned.

Residents of Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong went into a two week lockdown at 6pm on Saturday, as a result of an 80-case coronavirus outbreak in the state's capital.

All residents of NSW, including regional areas, became subject to additional restrictions, including a mask mandate, social distancing obligations and more.

NSW reported 30 new coronavirus cases on Sunday.

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