COVID-19 update – 20 October 2021

COVID-19 cases in the region

Over the past two weeks to 17 October 2021 there have been 1021 locally acquired cases in the CESPHN region, a 36% decrease over the previous period. The largest concentrations are in the following Local Government Areas (LGAs) Canterbury-Bankstown (337), Bayside (154), Georges River (137), Randwick (102) and Sydney (99).

Click here for all the latest information relating to the NSW outbreak including case locations and alerts.

See here for information on the latest testing locations.

Please remember to refer your patients to a GP respiratory clinic if they need a respiratory assessment. You can find contact details here.

Symptoms? Get tested!

If you have COVID-19 symptoms you should get tested and isolate until you receive a negative result, even if you have had a COVID-19 vaccination. The COVID-19 vaccination will substantially reduce the chance that you develop COVID-19, however no vaccine is completely effective. It takes a few weeks for your body to build up protection from the vaccine. Some people may still get COVID-19 despite having been vaccinated, and may transmit it to other people, including those that haven’t been vaccinated. People who have been vaccinated usually develop a less severe illness.

Vaccination update

Within the region 86% of the population aged 15 and over have received one vaccine dose and 79% are fully vaccinated (a 6% increase from last week). 14% of the population remain unvaccinated. The number of vaccinations administered last week decreased by 7% from the previous week. You can view vaccination uptake by postcode and local government area here.

General practices that need additional Pfizer or Astra Zeneca vaccine should contact our practice support team via coronavirus@cesphn.com.au and we can facilitate transfers.

Community vaccination locations

You can find vaccination options via the Vaccine Eligibility Checker. Locations of LHD community vaccination clinics, no booking and no Medicare needed are below:

• Rockdale Town Hall
  Bryant Street entrance, 448 Princes Highway
  10.00 am – 4.00 pm, Monday 25 October – Friday 29 October
• Club Rivers
  32 Littleton Street, Riverwood
  10.00 am – 4.00 pm, Monday 18 October – Friday 22 October
• St Matthews Anglican Church
  1331 Botany Rd (corner Lord St), Botany
  9.30 am – 3.00 pm, Monday 18 October to Friday 22 October
• Northcott Community Centre
  163 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills
  9.30 am – 3.00 pm, every Monday
• The Hub @ Lexo
  Lexington Place, Maroubra
  9.30 am – 3.00 pm, every Friday
• Chifley Vaccination clinic
  Namatjira Place, Chifley
  9.15am – 12.00 pm, every Thursday
• Koori Vaccination Clinic
  Redfern Post Office
  119 Redfern Street, Redfern
  10.00am – 4.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday
  Make a booking
• Oznam Learning Centre
  99 Forbes Street, Woolloomooloo
  9.30 am – 4.00 pm every Thursday
  Bookings are also available at the following vaccination clinics:
• Flourish Australia Centre
  43 Buckingham Street, Surry Hills
  Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 3.30pm
  Book here
• Alf Kay Vaccination Clinic
  2 Florence Avenue, Eastlakes
  Monday to Friday, 10.00 am to 2.00 pm
  Book here
• Centennial Park Vaccination Clinic
  22 – 32 King Street Randwick (UNSW Building R14),
  The clinic is open from 8:00am – 4:00pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Bookings required through vaccine clinic finder.
• Ultimo Community Centre
  40 William Henry Street, Ultimo
  10 .00 am to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday
  Book here

CESPHN Vax at Home program

We are aware that some people in our community may not be able to access a GP or vaccination hub to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.  As a result CESPHN has developed the Vax at Home program.

The CESPHN Vax at Home Program is ONLY for those people who are housebound and not able to leave their house to receive a COViD-19 vaccination (their carers will also be able to be vaccinated).  

Patient self-referrals will NOT be accepted. Patients should speak with their GP for referral to this program if appropriate. Referrals can be accepted from General Practitioners and Disability Provider Organisations only. Referrals for people who live in the Sydney Local Health District can be emailed to SLHD-AHCCR-InreachClinic@health.nsw.gov.au

Referrals should include:

• Name of patient
• Date of Birth
• Patients residential address and contact details
• Name of usual GP.
• Medicare details
• Contact details of any carers.

This service is now operational and accepting referrals (please note there might be some delays as we respond to demand). 

Free infection control advice

CESPHN is pleased to offer general practices and community pharmacies the opportunity to have a specialised one-on-one consultation session with an experienced primary care infection control educator. This consult will enable your practice/pharmacy to:

• Send questions prior to the consultation session about your practice
• Ask questions on infection control that relates to your practice.

Sessions will be via ‘Zoom’ and will be up to 50 minutes in duration and can be recorded for later use. The aim of these sessions is to support practices and community pharmacies to ensure they have the strongest infection procedures in place and provide tips for improvement where needed. If you would like more information or would like to book a consultation, please email your interest to coronavirus@cesphn.com.au and in the subject line write: “Yes I would like infection control advice”.

Vaccination post COVID-19 infection

The NSW Health factsheet on Release and recovery from COVID-19 has been updated and advises that there is no need to delay COVID-19 vaccination once a patient has recovered from their acute illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The document outlies the following key patient advice:

How soon should I get vaccinated?

People who have had COVID-19 can be vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine once they have recovered from their illness. There is no need to delay vaccination, however it may be deferred for up to 6 months. This is because a past infection reduces the chances of getting COVID-19 again for at least this amount of time.

How will I know when I can leave self-isolation?

You have received a text message (SMS) or email which confirms the end of your isolation period. This is called your medical clearance notice. This means that you are no longer infectious and cannot pass COVID-19 on to other people. Please keep the SMS or email of your medical clearance notice with you when you leave home in case you need it to show your employer or NSW Police.

COVID-19 testing after isolation

After you are released from isolation, routine COVID-19 testing (such as workplace testing) is not required for six months. This is because tests for COVID-19 may continue to give a positive result for a while after infection, even though you are no longer infectious.

COVID-19 live stream update for GPs

Join the latest COVID-19 vaccine live stream update for GPs. The panel will provide latest key updates and answer participants’ questions live about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Get involved by submitting questions and comments!

Details: Thursday 21 October, 11:30am (AEDT) | Click link to join

Catch up on previous webinars 

Additional PPE available

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) packages including surgical and N95/P2 masks, face shields, gloves, gowns and goggles and face shields will be made available for community pharmacies and those GPs who continue to see their patients within their practices. PPE guidelines can be found here. CESPHN will continue to distribute these supplies. To order PPE for your practice or pharmacy click here.

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