Tamworth COVID-19: Low test numbers, results take days to return and no clear picture of fragment levels in sewage: Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson, police and mayor Col Murray comment

Eight days after the community was exposed to the highly virulent Delta strain of COVID-19 there's still no indication of the level of viral load detected in sewage.

Some people who got tested for COVID-19 on Monday remain in the dark about whether or not they have contracted the potentially deadly virus five days later, as pathology is inundated with samples from across the state.

Testing numbers have plummeted to such a low that Laverty Pathology planned to close its second clinic at the Australian Livestock and Events Centre (AELEC) at the weekend with just 132 tests recorded on Wednesday.

While the testing data for Wednesday through Friday is still incomplete, numbers are still dangerously low.

Despite an agonisingly slow return on COVID-19 tests, ambiguous sewage data and no clear picture of how realistic an outbreak is in Tamworth, local MP Kevin Anderson said he has great faith in the way the crisis cabinet and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian are handling the outbreak.

"It's an evolving situation in the Tamworth LGA, we will continue to monitor the situation and have discussions about what we do next and what the next couple of days look like," he said.

"We don't have that information at hand at the moment, if we have that information, or get that, we will certainly pass that on.

"The information in relation to the fragments that have only just gone up, we would hope to have that information, but we don't have that yet."

Mr Anderson said the sewage results are a red flag that indicates there's a real danger in the community.

"The message is very clear, please get tested, the clinics are open and waiting for you to get tested," he said.

"The community is being urged to be ever vigilant, if there was a time now to double down, it's now.

"Over the weekend go and get tested, the AELEC sites are open, Carter Street is open, the respiratory clinic is taking appointments as well."

Outlying towns have expressed frustration with a lack of access to tests and vaccinations, including Gunnedah Shire Council mayor Jamie Chaffey.

Mr Chaffey is pushing for a mass vaccination clinic in his community, which has long suffered from a GP shortage.

But, Mr Anderson assured his "friends in Gunnedah" that conversations are underway with Hunter New England Health, the Primary Health Network, local GP's and Mr Coulton about what to do to support the community.

People who had their vaccinations cancelled when Pfizer doses were sent to Sydney are expected to be rescheduled within 10 days.

Mr Anderson acknowledged the wait on test results had been "extremely frustrating" for the region.

"I have expressed my frustration and I'm encouraging those testing in Sydney to turn those around," he said.

"We need those results to come back and we need an improved result return time.

"The Delta virus is extremely dangerous, extremely virulent and passes very, very quickly."

NSW Health requested Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) test the sewage again on Friday after Wednesday's sample revealed fragments of the virus.

POLICE have beefed up resources ahead of the weekend anticipating a temptation from the community to breach the public health order.

Overnight, two men from Manilla were detected in Narrabri without a reasonable excuse to do so and were handed infringement notices, Oxley Police District commander Superintendent Kylie Endemi said.

"We also had an incident where a man left Marrickville in Sydney, we received information via the community that allowed us to locate him in Narrabri," she said.

"He was there without a reasonable excuse in terms of the public health order conditions and he also was issued with an infringement notice and returned to Sydney."

The community remains on stay at home orders until midnight on Monday, unless other directions are given by public health officials.

It means people cannot have visitors to their homes, including friends or family members.

Superintendent Endemi said police are working with the emergency management committee locally to keep things under control.

"Our operation is as strong in the smaller communities as it is in the Tamworth local government area," she said.

"We are trying to be really proactive in a preventative approach to stop and mitigate any risk to those outlying communities.

"Unfortunately, the minority continue to challenge the public health orders and I think we have made it pretty clear that if they do that we will catch them and take action against them."

MAYOR Col Murray has said the wait time on test results of both sewage and individuals frankly is "not good enough".

While he understands the pressures pathology are under, Cr Murray said the community needed the most up-to-date information.

"I don't think the average citizen in the street would suggest it is good enough and it should be concerning to all of us particularly in response to the latest information from health this morning that they have found traces of the virus in our sewage," he said.

"That should signal a warning to our community to ramp up the testing.

"If we have further cases of COVID I would suggest that we are likely to get locked down again."

Cr Murray said every member of the community needed to front up to be tested.

"If we haven't got live cases in a strong testing regime I believe we will come out of this lockdown on Tuesday morning," he said.

"The throughput was so low [at AELEC] that it could be easily handled at the Carter Street facility, that's a pretty bad message from our community and if we are not concerned about COVID I'm not sure that our people are really in touch."

Despite statewide criticism of the premier's handling of the outbreak given the fact it has now reached multiple regional and rural areas, Cr Murray said Ms Berejiklian had his support "110 per cent".

"I could just imagine the information she gets across her desk, trying to assimilate that to by-the-minute information is an almost impossible task," he said.

"I think that's a poor reflection on our premier to hold her into question, I think she's doing an outstanding job and I'm personally glad we've got her as the premier and not some of the others around the country."

One new case of COVID-19 was detected in Armidale in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday; a family member of the original case in self-isolation.

Laverty Pathology drive-through COVID-19 screening

Tamworth Respiratory Clinic

Australian Livestock and Events Centre (AELEC)

Or, talk to your GP about getting a referral to pathology for a COVID-19 test, Douglas Hanly Moir is an option but bookings are required.

Laverty Pathology drive-through COVID-19 screening

Gunnedah Respiratory Clinic - Ochre Health

Quirindi testing clinic

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