‘Not yet clear’ where NSW man picked up COVID infection: Chant05/05/2021|4min
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant says it is currently “not clear” where the Sydney man who tested positive for COVID picked up the infection since he did not have contact with the usual transmission routes .
“He hasn t returned from overseas, he hasn t worked in border or quarantine roles, he has not had any contact with the hospital system,” she said.
“So all of the usual routes where we would expect someone to have acquired the infection are not clear.
“That s why this really requires us to do that genome sequencing to give us that understanding of where that source of infection was and then we can work back from that.
A man who tested positive for Covid-19 in Sydney visited an optometrist located below a quarantine hotel, perhaps shedding light on how the mystery infection occurred.
The positive test result on Wednesday sent shockwaves through the city because the man, who is in his 50s and lives in the eastern suburbs, had not returned from overseas, does not work in border control, health care or at a quarantine facility.
Several venues are now on alert, including a HineSight optometrist at 1pm on April 30, which is located below Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney s CBD - currently being used as a quarantine hotel.
The Ministry of Health is not recommending any changes to the trans-Tasman travel bubble at this stage, as the risk to public health is regarded as low.
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UNSW Sydney Professor Palli Thordarson has joined NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant and leading experts in mRNA technology to discuss how NSW can create a new medical manufacturing and research industry.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA technology. However, Australia currently has no long-form RNA manufacturing capacity.
Prof. Thordarson said creating a new medical manufacturing and research facility would be an important step in securing Australia’s sovereign capability to develop and manufacture life-saving drugs and novel therapeutics, including mRNA vaccines such as the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
New South Wales has recorded one new local infection of Covid after a man in Sydney s eastern suburbs with no known links to an active case tested positive.
The very active man, who is aged in his 50s, has not returned from overseas recently and does not work in border control, hotel quarantine or health care.
He underwent a Covid swab on Tuesday and received his positive result on Wednesday.
NSW Health said genome sequencing had begun and authorities were urgently notifying the man s close contacts and advising them to get tested and isolate.
The Covid-positive man visited the cinemas and several barbecue retailers while infectious.