UPDATE, Wednesday 4.30pm:
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Hunter New England Health confirmed on Wednesday that there is a new exposure time for a Williamtown venue.
The Metro Petrol Station in Lavis Lane, Williamtown is one of three current venues of concern in Port Stephens, all of which were visited by a COVID-positive case between August 4 and 6.
Late on Tuesday HNEH posted to Facebook a new exposure time for the Williamtown petrol station, contradicting NSW Health's official COVID exposure venue list and causing confusion within the community.
It was previously believed the positive case visited the petrol station between 11am and 11.20am on August 6, which on Wednesday afternoon was still listed on the NSW Health website.
A Hunter New England Health spokesperson confirmed with the Examiner on Wednesday that the Williamtown exposure time for August 6 was between 10.50am and 11.10am.
Official advice for anyone who visited the petrol station during these times on August 6 is: "Anyone who attended this venue is a casual contact and must get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. If your date of exposure at this venue occurred in last 4 days, you must get another test on day 5 from the date of exposure."
The other venues of concern in Port Stephens, which have the same advice as the Williamtown site, are:
- Aldi Raymond Terrace Thursday, August 5 between 4:05pm and 4:30pm
- Coles Medowie Wednesday, August 4 between 6:15pm and 6:45pm
UPDATE, Wednesday 3pm:
COVID-19 fragments have been detected for the first time in Raymond Terrace's sewage, Hunter New England Health has confirmed.
The discovery has sparked a renewed testing push from HNEH.
"Sewage surveillance is a critical part of us knowing what is happening with COVID-19 virus in our community," HNEH public health controller Dr David Durrheim said.
"Sewage surveillance preceded our detection of cases in Kurri Kurri, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. Where ever sewage detects occur we have to take them very seriously.
"So the new detects in Toronto and Raymond Terrace should really prompt the communities in those areas not to ignore even the mildest of symptoms. Please go out, get tested [and] isolate until you get a negative result."
The health authority said COVID fragments had also been discovered in Toronto's sewage (Lake Macquarie) and the Shortland and Burwood (Newcastle) catchment areas.
The detections come as the Hunter posted 14 new cases to 8pm on Tuesday, taking the region's total positive results to 53.
Dr Durrheim said seeing two days of double figures in the region was "a source of concern".
"We have to muscle up, we have to work hard as a community, make sure that we don't get out, don't congregate, don't spread the virus. Anyone with symptoms, please get tested immediately, isolate strictly and do not take the virus out and spread it. Wait for a negative result," he said.
"There has been a magnificent response from the community in the Greater Newcastle area to get tested and we really do say thank you to you all. This is the best way of finding the virus and stopping it in its tracks. We know the virus has been spreading in the community. Any new symptoms should prompt a retest and strict isolation until you get a non-detect result."
- ALSO READ: Two more deaths, 344 new NSW cases
EARLIER, Wednesday 11am:
The Hunter "does not look like" it will come out of lockdown this week as 344 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, 14 of which were in the region.
While a formal decision on whether the one-week lockdown would be extended has yet to be made, the state's leaders say a second day of more than a dozen new cases were not a good omen for freedom returning to the Hunter.
"The Hunter does not look like it will come out of lockdown this week, however we'll await the health advice," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in her Wednesday morning briefing.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said a majority of the 14 new Hunter New England cases, none of which were recorded in Port Stephens, a majority were linked.
Of the new cases, seven are from the Newcastle LGA, six from Lake Macquarie and one from Maitland.
Eleven cases are linked to previously reported cases. Five are household contacts, five are close or secondary contacts, and one is linked to other cases or clusters.
The source of three cases is still under investigation.
Six cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period. One was in isolation for part of their infectious period. Six were was infectious while in the community and one are still under investigation.
The Hunter New England district's total cases since the lockdown was announced on August 5, up to Tuesday night, is 53. Two of those cases are in Port Stephens.
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