Premier calls for increased testing rates as winter approaches

NSW Health’s latest COVID-19 update has provided an insight into what could happen in the coming weeks should more restrictions be eased.

The state’s chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant announced today that as at 8pm on Tuesday, May 5, nine additional cases of COVID-19 had been diagnosed since 8pm on Monday, May 4, bringing the state’s total to 3,042.

Five of those cases are currently under investigation as to the source of the infection.

That spike in cases was the largest since NSW Health’s announcement a week earlier on Wednesday, April 29, and it was more than the three prior days combined (eight cases) despite more tests being done in the most recent 24-hour period than that of two of those three.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned today that the easing of restrictions will result in more activity which is likely to result in more cases.

“As we lift restrictions during the month of May, as there is more activity whether it’s at school, whether it’s dropping children off, whether it’s at retail, whether it’s people visiting each other in their homes, we know that level of activity means there is likely to be more cases, that’s why we need everybody who has even the mildest symptoms to come forward,” she said.

“As we get into the colder weeks and months we know people might think they’ve got a common cold, they might think they’ve got the flu, don’t take the risk. If you have the mildest symptoms please come forward and get tested.

“The more cases we identify the better we can stop the spread.”

Ms Berejiklian said ideally NSW’s average number of daily tests should be more than 8000. That has only been surpassed once in the months of April and May.

Dr Chant said that in the 24-hour period which was the focus of NSW Health’s latest update, 6899 people were tested, compared to 5296 people in the 24 hours before.

There has been one death during the reporting period which has already been mentioned by media – that of an 88-year-old female resident of Newmarch House.

There have been 16 deaths linked to that aged care facility and 46 deaths overall in NSW.

There are currently 129 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health, including 13 people being treated in intensive care units, with nine of those requiring ventilators. 81 per cent of cases are in non-acute or out-of-hospital care.

See today’s press conference below.