Hunter New England Health confirm one new COVID-19 case in Tamworth linked to Gunnedah cluster, no further cases in region

A Hunter New England Health (HNEH) spokeswoman told the Leader public health teams had traced the new Tamworth patient, announced on Wednesday, to the cases in Gunnedah.

That means all active cases in the region - in Gunnedah, Werris Creek and Tamworth - belong to the one cluster.

HNEH could not confirm whether the new case was infectious while in the community, or where the new case may have picked up the virus.

Of the health district's 93 new cases announced on Wednesday, 54 were infections in the community.

No further exposure sites have been listed in Tamworth or other parts of the region throughout the day on Wednesday.

Testing surges are being seen across the region, with HNEH guaranteeing all Gunnedah residents who line up at the town's only drive-through clinic before the 2:30pm closing time will be tested and not turned away.

It said it was working with Laverty Pathology to ensure everyone could access testing.

Several testing options are available in Tamworth.

ONE NEW case of COVID-19 has been recorded in Tamworth in the latest update, though no further cases have been announced across the local area.

Hunter New England Health (HNEH) confirmed a record 93 cases had been clocked in the health district to 8pm last night, which included the single new Tamworth case.

No information about the patient's isolation status has been provided at this stage, though HNEH said 54 of the health district's total new cases were infectious while in the community.

No new cases have been recorded in Gunnedah in the latest update, after six were reported yesterday.

No new cases have been confirmed in the Liverpool Plains Shire area, after a single case was identified yesterday in Werris Creek.

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One case was previously reported in West Tamworth on Monday and the case was linked to the Gunnedah cluster, though no information about the source of the new case on Wednesday has been provided at this stage.

The Werris Creek case is also linked to that cluster, according to HNEH, though the source of the seeding in Gunnedah remains under investigation.

Several exposure sites across the region remain current, find the full list here.

No lockdown has been mentioned for Tamworth, though Gunnedah remains under stay-at-home orders until October 11.

Residents across the region have been urged to continue turning out for testing as health authorities work to track the virus.

In Tamworth and Gunnedah, testing is available at Laverty Pathology drive-through clinics with no appointment necessary.

The Tamworth hospital, respiratory clinic and Douglass Hanly Moir also offer COVID-19 screening with appointments.

Anyone who gets tested needs to isolate until a negative result is received.

NSW had a drop in cases on Wednesday, with 594 new cases. NSW Health also sadly reported the deaths of a further 10 people.

Vaccination rates continue to rise across the state as residents get ready for progressive reopening in the coming days.

More than 57 per cent of eligible Tamworth residents have been double-jabbed; that number is about 46.4 per cent in Gunnedah, as at October 3.

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