Expensive silly season for NSW government as testing numbers soar due to outbreak and traveling

For a long time, this was not seen as an issue as the testing numbers were almost exclusively due to people doing the right thing during the Delta outbreak, but now questions are being raised as to who should actually be paying for them.

With states such as Queensland and South Australia imposing rules that mean people must get a test and receive a negative result within 72 hours of entering the borders, New South Welshman are now getting swabbed - at the expense of the NSW government - so they can abide by another state's rules.

Many testing clinics do record people's reasons for getting checked, with traveling interstate among the answers. If that is the case, their test may be placed with others who have given that answer.

However, Hunter New England Health has confirmed it does not have access to that data.

NSW Health did not reply by deadline as to whether they had been keeping record of it either. As other states continue to run up NSW's testing bill while it keeps its open door policy going, then looking at a way to pass the cost on may be worth a go.

The high testing numbers come as Tamworth recorded a further seven cases, with a staff member at Tamworth hospital returning a positive result.

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There were some 623 additional cases of COVID-19 recorded in Wednesday's statistics across the Hunter New England region.

Most of them were in the Newcastle area.

There was one each in Narrabri, Glen Innes, Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains local government areas. There were two new cases in the Moree Plains local government area.

The statistics cover to 8pm on Monday night. On Wednesday morning, patients at the Tamworth hospital were told that a female staff member responsible for their care had tested positive to the virus.

She was in full PPE gear and patients who were exposed to her are considered at low risk.

Public health physician Dr David Durrheim urged anyone who has yet to get vaccinated to do so, and any person with even the mildest symptoms should get tested. Of 5728 total active cases in the health district, 11 have been hospitalised and one is in ICU.

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