Cases Rise In Tassie As Covid Hits Another Aged Care Home

Booster jabs needed


Article heading image for Cases Rise In Tassie As Covid Hits Another Aged Care Home

COTA

Covid cases continue to escalate as Tasmania reports 1583 new infections on Wednesday. 

Of today's cases, 736 PCR tests were reported, while the remaining 847 new infections were self-reported rapid antigen tests (RAT). 

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The National Briefing - keeping you in the loop with news as it hits.

According to the department, 10,464 rapid antigen tests were distributed in the past 24 hours.

The rise in cases has seen daily hospital admissions also on the uptake, with 22 people currently in hospital with Covid, while only eight are being treated for coronavirus.

Most cases are using the state's Covid@home management program, with 271 under observation through the remote service, while 36 confirmed cases are utilising the state's Community Case Management Facility.

All cases have occurred since Tasmania opened its border on December 15.

Meanwhile, another aged care home has reported a new infection, raising alarm bells over the state's booster roll-out.

Southern Cross Care in New Town has recorded another positive case, bringing the number of homes impacted to 24.

“We need to get booster shots into the arms of residents and workers immediately,” Franklin MP Julie Collins said.

“We are hearing of families taking loved ones out of care and down to the local pharmacy to get their booster. This just is not good enough.”

- MP Franklin

Local MP's also say a lack of forward planning by the commonwealth and state governments is the basis of the apple isle's unpreparedness to cope with the Omicron outbreak.

“There has now been 10,000 cases in Tasmania in a month and now the state is facing supply chain issues and food shortages,” Lyons MP Brian Mitchell said.

It comes as a public health messaging error delivered to about 3000 positive Covid cases on Tuesday morning said they could leave isolation ahead of the regulated quarantine period.

People in Launceston, Hobart and Devonport who had delivered a positive PCR test were at the receiving end of the erroneous message.

Confirmed by the state Health Department,  the messages had been sent in error to 2823 people due to a "system issue", and as a result "systems were being refined to ensure the error does not reoccur".

Less than 30 minutes later another text was issued, clarifying there was an error sent "due to technical issues".

For Australians looking for intelligent and unbiased news coverage, join renowned journalist Natarsha Belling on Your Morning Agenda for breaking national and international stories as well as the top business and finance stories - every weekday from 6:30am on Listnr

Hit News Team

12 January 2022

Article by:

Hit News Team




Listen Live!

Up Next