"It's way too early to relax."
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That is the latest message from the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice spokesman Dr Vince Roche.
"Have we all forgotten how we got our curve flattened?" Dr Roche asked.
His comments have been prompted by a growing number of people out and about in the community.
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"Traffic density on Moss Vale/Bowral Road is growing steadily. The Moss Vale Carpark is nearly full. No parking spaces up and down Bong Bong Street in Bowral, and lots of people walking up and down the main street," he said.
"And the Bunnings carpark is full.
"If transmission gets going again in our community, we will not have the benefit of plane and cruise boat arrival lists to see where the infections come from.
"Control will be much harder next time around."
Dr Roche said he did not think it was necessary to be wearing face masks and face shields in most cases.
However, he said it was necessary to continue to stay home.
"It is much safer (and much easier in our low density living environment) to just stay a good distance from one another - preferably stay at home," he said.
"The one exception (to wearing face masks) of course is health care workers in their higher risk environments - and note that they currently don't use masks except in very high risk situations.
"Also if you have a cold - stay at home and consider getting tested."
Dr Roche said the good news was that NSW Health and the South West Sydney Public Health Unit have provided fresh figures showing infections in the Wingecarribee have remained static for the last 13 days.
"Once more no rise in the Wingecarribee and very modest increases in our state and national new cases," he said.
The latest details are:
- Number of positive cases: 23 - same for last 13 days - brilliant!
- Proportion under age 55: half
- Proportion or number of positives due to overseas travel/ cruise ships/known contacts: "almost all" (exact numbers are confidential)
- Number of local cases who have required admission to hospital: - two (but not admitted to Bowral Hospital) (recent: a previously diagnosed patient who was in quarantine at home but deteriorated enough to require admission to a SWSLHD hospital)
- Number of resolved cases: approximately 50 per cent (based on SWS data rather than Wingecarribee data)
- Number of community acquired cases in the Highlands: - nil
- Number of health care workers in Southern Highlands with CV19: - nil
- Number of at risk communities in Southern Highlands (eg nursing homes, boarding schools, indigenous communities) of concern as CV19 Hotspot: - nil
- Number of local cases by postcode: 2575 eight; 2576 nine; 2577 five; 2578 one; 2579 none.
- South West Sydney data (not just Wingecarribee) : number of infected patients 237, number of infected patients in hospital 13, number in home isolation: 91, no in ICU 5, no of deaths 3, no of recovered patients 126
Flu Assessment Clinic
The Bowral Flu Assessment Clinic has now tested 522 patients through the clinic.
Between 20 and 30 tests have been completed each day from April 16 to April 19.
The clinic has detected 13 positive results, but none in the last 13 days.
Community Advice
Flu Vaccination: General Practices now have received their second batch of flu vaccines .
Dr Roche said this was "highly recommended as we still have the usual influenza bugs circulating - and people weakened by the flu are a sitting target for a severe dose of COVID-19."
"This is a good year to have one," he said.
"Make sure the old folk get theirs first. But do not wait weeks or months.
"If you don't normally have a flu vaccine - this is the year to do it.
"And if your GP Clinic is out of vaccine - it is not their fault - please do not abuse the staff - the Public Health Unit gives it to the General Practices as soon as they get the vaccines from the manufacturers, and they will soon be restocked."
Flu Assessment Clinic Hours of Business are:
- Weekdays - 10am to 5.30pm.
- Weekends - 10:30am to 3pm
- Phone Number - 4861 0145
Dr Roche said the Flu Assessment Clinic continued to run smoothly.
"We recommend all people who feel that they need to be screened should talk to their GP by telephone first," he said.
"People do not require a referral from their GP to attend the BDH Flu Assessment Clinic, but they prefer GP Clinics do the first line of triage.
"Screening criteria have changed - often on a day-by-day basis- and these changes that are inevitable as the epidemic progresses.
"As the epidemic progresses into the next phase - community transmission - GPs are doing more testing for Covid19 to test any members of the public with a fever or respiratory symptoms, and especially any Health Care or Aged Care workers with a fever or respiratory symptoms."
The direct phone number for the flu clinic is 4861 0145 and enquiries will be answered during hours of operation only.
Bowral Hospital
Dr Roche said that all staff and visitors to the hospital are being screened for infection risk with a questionnaire and a temperature test as they enter the hospital.
NEW: Limit is one visitor per patients and the new restricted visiting hours are 10am-11am, and 4:30pm to 5:30pm.
The only entrance to the hospital for staff and visitors is via the Milton Park Front Door.
Elective surgery remains on hold at this time.
Dr Roche said all Registered Aged Care Facilities in the Highlands had confirmed that they remained closed to all visitors - including families - with the exception of emergencies and palliative care patients.
"All these nursing homes are putting measures in place to facilitate their residents talking with their families by phone, Skype, FaceTime etc to minimise the distress that isolation causes both residents and families," he said.
"The old folk are starting to really miss the interaction with their families and visitors.
"In some facilities, the patients are being isolated in their own rooms for 14 days after being seen by a visiting doctor - so GPs are doing mas much of their care by phone, fax, Skype, Facetime, Zoom, etc as possible.
"Aged Care facilities are working closely with GPs and the Hospital to provide the most appropriate and timely care to residents - and to keep them away from the hospital and the Emergency Department with grave risks to elderly people in a possible COVID exposed environment."
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