COVID by the numbers – Thursday – 5 new Hawkesbury cases – schools back week earlier – October 18

Welcome to Thursday evening and the latest in-depth Hawkesbury numbers and COVID local news – the numbers are up to 8pm on Wednesday night.

This is the most up-to-date round-up of Hawkesbury COVID numbers you can get, compiled by numbers guru Kevin Pollard using NSW Health datasets.

Our thanks, as always, to Kevin for putting the numbers together in this easily accessible format.

Coupled with our regular news updates when we hear about new COVID venues, this builds into a useful daily source of information for Hawkesbury residents.

Today’s headlines:

* 5 new case in the Hawkesbury – 1 of which is from an unknown source and not linked

* There are 89 active COVID cases in the Hawkesbury (was 87 yesterday)

* A COVID-positive customer visited Woolworths Richmond between 5:57pm to 6:20pm on Friday, September 24.

* Of the 941 local cases (was 863 yesterday) reported to 8pm, Wednesday, September 29 – 45 (was 34 yesterday) are from Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, which includes the Hawkesbury.

* There are 598 active cases (was 590 yesterday) in the Nepean Blue Mountains LHD.

* There were 120,993 COVID tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 120,281.

* NSW halved its active cases 4 weeks ago – on paper. Previously in NSW, active cases were judged to be 28 days after onset symptoms (24 days after testing positive) but now it’s 14 days after onset symptoms (10 days after testing positive).

* 10.4% of active cases in NSW are in hospital. Two per cent of active cases are in ICU.

* There have been 56,500 locally acquired cases reported since June 16, when the first case in this outbreak was reported.

* In NSW, by the end of today, September 30 of those aged 16 and over:

64.5% are fully vaccinated and 87.7% have had the first dose.

* 50.9% of 12-15 year olds have already had one dose after the first vaccine was administered in NSW for 12-15 year olds on September 13.

* Schools in NSW are going back a week early.

October 18: Kindy, Year 1, Year 12.

October 25: Year 2, Year 6, Year 11.

November 1: Remaining grades.

Only fully vaccinated teachers will be allowed back.

* 8am today: NSW Education Unions are opposing a plan for children to return to school in NSW a week early saying they’re not ready, as all schools’ safety plans haven’t been audited adequately and the Union says it called for the procedure to get underway months ago.

* 12pm today, reports the Sydney Morning Herald: NSW Education Department is looking to buy about 10,000 air purifiers and hopes to finish its ventilation audit of 2200 NSW public schools later this week, which will determine the requirements of each classroom. It’s reported many private and independent schools are also buying air purifiers ahead of students’ return to classrooms.

* However, unlike in Victoria – NSW has no plans to provide grants to schools to purchase shade sails and to build outdoor learning areas so classes can be held outside.

* The 2750 postcode (Penrith, Emu Plains) has recorded 87 new cases in the last 9 days (7, 5, 15, 8, 22, 7, 8, 11, 4).

* Pfizer and Moderna are now available to NSW residents aged 60 and older. Anyone aged 12 and above can access either Pfizer and Moderna. Those aged 18 and older can also receive AstraZeneca. Basically, the best vaccine is the one in your arm.

* Victoria’s COVID Commander, Jeroen Weimar, says at least 500 of today’s 1438 cases link back to people having illegal parties or visitors for the AFL Grand Final weekend and around 100 new cases over the previous two days.

Surely ringing alarm bells in NSW and QLD for the NRL Grand Final this weekend…

* NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro says the number of COVID cases in ICU could rise to 1000 when NSW opens up next month.

Hawkesbury postcodes with new cases in the last 24 hours

* 3 in the 2756 postcode (Windsor, Sackville, Wilberforce, Bligh Park, Clarendon, Ebenezer, Mulgrave, Pitt Town, South Windsor, Freemans Reach, McGraths Hill, Upper Colo, Central Colo, Colo Heights, Lower Portland, Glossodia)

* 1 in the 2753 postcode (Richmond, Richmond Lowlands, Londonderry, Grose Vale, Grose Wold, Bowen Mountain, Hobartville, Yarramundi, Agnes Banks)

* 1 in the 2758 postcode (Bilpin, East Kurrajong, Kurrajong, Kurrajong Heights, Kurajong Hills, Mountain Lagoon, Wheeny Creek Mount Tomah, Berambing, Blaxlands Ridge, Devils Wilderness)

Total active COVID cases in the Hawkesbury – and postcodes they are in

* 54 in the 2756 postcode (Windsor, Sackville, Wilberforce, etc) – was 53 yesterday

* 26 in the 2753 postcode (Richmond, Londonderry, Grose Vale, etc) – was 26 yesterday

* 7 in the 2754 postcode (North Richmond, Tennyson, The Slopes) – was 7 yesterday

* 2 in the 2758 postcode (Bilpin, East Kurrajong, etc) – was 1 yesterday

* 0 in the 2775 postcode (Wisemans Ferry, Macdonald Valley, Spencer) – was 0 yesterday

COVID deaths and hospital numbers – 15 deaths in the last 24 hours – none in the Hawkesbury

NSW Health is today reporting the deaths of 6 people with COVID-19 – 4 men and 2 women.

Three people were in their 70s, two were in their 80s, and one person in their 90s.

Two were from south western Sydney

One person was from Sydney’s inner west

One was from western Sydney

One was from south eastern Sydney

One was from north western Sydney

Of those who died, 4 were not vaccinated and 2 had received one dose of a COVID vaccine.

There have been 339 COVID-related deaths in NSW since this Delta outbreak started on June 16.

At least 39 of the 339 COVID-related deaths in NSW since June were people who were fully vaccinated.

At least 32 of the 339 have died at home. Seventeen of those 32 didn’t know they had COVID at the time of death.

There are 1090 COVID patients (was 1082 yesterday) in hospital, with 213 (212 yesterday) in ICU, 105 (108 yesterday) of whom require ventilation.

There are 10,130 active COVID cases in NSW.

Big thanks to Kevin Pollard for crunching the numbers.

Our source information – link to NSW Health figures:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/find-the-facts-about-covid-19

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