The ACT has recorded 15 new cases of Covid in the 24 hours to 8pm Saturday, as Canberra's outbreak worsens.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Thirteen cases are linked to known cases, while the source of two are under investigation.
Of the new cases, six were in quarantine for all their infectious period and seven were infectious in the community. Two are under early investigation.
There are nine COVID-19 patients in hospital and only one is in intensive care. On Saturday, there were 10 in hospital and two in intensive care.
It brings the total number of cases associated with the Canberra outbreak to 374. There are 237 active cases as 137 people have recovered from the virus.
ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said more cases were likely to occur after the ACT recorded its most cases in a 24-hour period on Friday. Thirty two cases were reported on Saturday, adding nearly 100 new exposure sites.
She noted the impact would likely continue over coming seven days.
"That's exactly how we will see the trend moving as there's more exposure sites, there is likely to be more cases that come out of that," Dr Coleman said.
"We will see that dribble on for a 14 day period because that's about the timeframe for the incubation period, but the vast majority of those will play out in the first seven days."
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said compliance continued to be strong, but noted businesses continuing operations without adequate PPE was still an ongoing issues.
"The issue that we've talked about for several days now though still remains the most common reason why businesses are not compliant and that is staff not wearing face masks properly," Mr Barr said on Sunday.
There were 2508 tests conducted in the 24 hour period.
Mr Barr also flagged 70 per cent Canberran residents over the age of 16 have now received a first shot dose of one of the vaccines. Nearly 50 per cent of the ACT population over 16 are fully vaccinated, and he expected the territory to cross that threshold in about a week.
From Monday, the ACT government will prioritise year 12 students for Pfizer jabs, to ensure students are able to sit exams in person.
Dr Coleman said 47 of the total number cases were unlinked.
She also noted one-in-three cases were coming forward for testing two days after displaying symptoms.
"It is so important to go and get tested immediately, as soon as you get any of these symptoms at all," Dr Coleman said.
"We don't have any lines or any problems with getting tested at the moment.
On Saturday, the ACT recorded its highest number of cases within a 24-hour period at 32, with 19 of those new cases infectious in the community.
Mr Barr said those numbers were "not what we wanted" to see this far into the lockdown.
The surge in cases comes after the ACT government relaxed some restrictions, which included outdoor groups up to five people and the outdoor exercise timeframe being extended to two-hours.
ACT's latest round of transmission comes as NSW recorded 1485 new cases and Victoria's outbreak worsened, booking another 190 confirmed cases in the last 24 hours to midnight.
READ MORE:
Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
