Canberra lockdown: Ward set up for Covid patients at Calvary

There was a stark warning from ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman on Monday, telling people to get tested as there is active community transmission in the territory.

There are four people in hospital with the virus, however, two of those are in hospital for non-Covid reasons. The other two are being treated but do not require ventilation.

But the ACT government is making preparations in case a specialist Covid ward is needed and a ward has been converted at Calvary Public Hospital in Bruce.

The Canberra Times understands patients from the mental health care ward at Calvary Public Hospital in Bruce have been moved to a new facility in Calvary's private hospital.

The government has also considered flipping the Garran Surge Centre back into a Covid emergency department and there are plans in place in case this needs to occur.

The $23 million venue has been used as a vaccination clinic more recently.

The ACT reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. Three were infectious in the community and 13 were linked to existing cases.

The total number of cases in ACT residents associated to the outbreak is 137. There are three cases in NSW that are linked to the outbreak.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the goal was to get to zero cases, but conceded waves may come back into the community. The 16 new cases announced was an improvement on the 19 on Sunday, while NSW recorded 818 and Victoria recorded 71.

"We'll be at risk continuously. The short-term task is to manage this outbreak, the medium-term task to protect the community while we get vaccinated," Mr Barr said.

"We're going to have a gentle emergence from lockdown. We won't just snap back. We need to have the settings in place that if the virus comes back in, we're not going to have an explosion of cases. The settings need to reflect that reality."

Exposure sites in the ACT have grown to almost 400.

This included the addition of the public housing complex Condamine Court in Turner, which was officially listed on the exposure list on Monday.

All residents in the complex have been forced into a 14-day quarantine, after a positive case was on the premises for five days last week.

Anybody who was at Condamine Court from Sunday, August 15, to Thursday, August 19 will be required to isolate.

There are about 70 people living in the complex, including a cohort of elderly and vulnerable tenants.

Dr Coleman had flagged the site as a potential exposure site on Sunday.

Testing was carried out on site at Condamine Court for residents on Sunday, with additional follow-up tests on Monday.

Dr Coleman confirmed there was an additional case linked to Canberra's disability care, bringing the number of cases linked to the cluster to 15.

"We do continue to work with those directly affected in the wider sector with a focus on reducing the risk of transmission and providing support," she said.

"But I would like to acknowledge that the impacts on the sector are wider than those who are directly affected."

The main public transmission sites in the ACT are still Lyneham High School, Fiction nightclub, Lennock Jaguar dealership, Belconnen Basketball Stadium, Gold Creek School, Downer Community Centre and Assembly bar.

Demand for COVID-19 testing in the ACT is expected to ramp up again this week as many prepare to leave their two-week quarantine.

Testing numbers dropped over the weekend, with 3740 tests carried out on Sunday, which is half the number of daily tests seen last week.

"While this is a solid result and comparable in the population base with other jurisdictions, we do need testing numbers to remain high at this point in time," Dr Coleman said.

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Dr Coleman has urged Canberrans to come forward for tests in order to find undiagnosed chains of transmission.

"We are aware there is active community transmission in the ACT," she said.

"It's really important for our surveillance that anyone who has been to the exposure locations and anyone who is unwell with any of the symptoms of COVID-19 to get out there and get testing to ensure that we are picking up any cases that are currently going undetected."

However, testing capacity is expected to be reduced on Tuesday due to expected wet weather. The Brindabella Park drive-through testing centre and the Kambah testing centre were closed on Monday due to rain.

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