COVID-19 update – 8 September

8 September 2021

COVID-19 cases in the region

Over the past two weeks to 5 September 2021 there have been 2673locally acquired cases in the CESPHN region. The largest concentrations are in the following Local Government Areas (LGAs) Canterbury-Bankstown (921), Sydney (374) Bayside (277) Georges River (262), Inner West (216), Randwick (177), Strathfield (137) and Sutherland (121).

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

COVID-19 testing locations

See here for information on the latest testing locations. 

Vaccination update and locations

 You can view vaccination uptake by postcode and local government area here.

You can find vaccination options via the Vaccine Eligibility Checker.

 For this week only there are walk in AstraZeneca vaccination clinics at: 

• South Coogee: St Mary and St Joseph Church Hall – 246 Malabar Road (enter on Gregory Street), South Coogee  
  Monday 6 September to Friday 10 September – 9.30 am to 3.00 pm 
  Free. No booking needed. No Medicare needed.
• Sutherland: Stapleton Avenue Community Centre, Sutherland 
  Monday 6 September to Friday 10 September – 10.00 am to 4.00 pm 
  Free. No booking needed. No Medicare needed.

There are Pfizer vaccinations available for people between 16-59 years at: 

• Ashfield: Wests Leagues Ashfield, 115 Liverpool Rd Ashfield 
  Friday 10 September to Sunday 12 September – 10.00am to 4.00 pm 
  To book go to:   https://vaccination.slhd.nsw.gov.au/vc/Ashfield/8
• Glebe: Peter Forsythe Auditorium, Francis St Corner Franklyn St 
  Wednesday 8 September to Friday 10 September – 10.00am to 4.00 pm 
  To book go to:https://vaccination.slhd.nsw.gov.au/vc/Glebe/8
• Green Square: Green Square Library, 355 Botany Road, Zetland 
  Thursday 9 September to Saturday 11 September – 10.00am to 4.00 pm 
  To book go to: https://vaccination.slhd.nsw.gov.au/vc/Zetland/8
• Marrickville: PCYC Marrickville, Steele Park, 531-565 Illawarra Rd 
  Wednesday 8 September to Thursday9 September – 10.00am to 4.00 pm 
  To book go to: https://vaccination.slhd.nsw.gov.au/vc/Marrickville/8

 Vaccinations for disability support workers 

From 6 September 2021, disability care staff who live or work in an area of concernwill be required to have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend work.Upon request, they must be able to provide their employer with evidence of their vaccination status.

NSW Health has established priority Pfizer vaccination appointments at the Sydney Olympic Park Vaccination Centre to support eligible workers to meet the new requirements. Visit the NSW Government websiteto make an appointment.

Additional PPE available

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) packages including surgical and N95/P2 masks, face shields, gloves, gowns and goggles will be made available forcommunity 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 pharmacyclick here.

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”.

Overseas COVID-19 vaccinations- AIR

If a patient received an AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer vaccine on or after 1 October 2020 while overseas, it can be recorded on the AIR when the patient returns to Australia and appear on their immunisation history statement. If a patient received a COVID-19 vaccine overseas that isn’t AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer, it cannot currently be added to the AIR. A GP letter can be provided as a form of documentation to the patient. Use the document Clinical advice on the use of a different COVID-19 vaccine as the second dose (page 4) to assist in completing a COVID-19 vaccine course started with a brand that is not available in Australia.

Moderna vaccine – provisional approval in individuals aged 12 years and older

On 3 September 2021 the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) granted provisional approval for the use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in individuals aged 12 years and older. This decision follows the provisional approval granted on 9 August 2021 for use in individuals aged 18 years and older.

Call for GPs, pharmacists,nurses and other health professionals to assist in vaccination

We are maintaining a register of GPs, pharmacists, nurses and other allied health professionals who are available to work shifts in COVID vaccination clinics. Please complete this form if you are interested. Thank you to all those of you have already registered.

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 9 September, 11:30am (AEDT) | Click link to join. 

Catch up on previous webinars.

Meeting for people working with CALD communities in SESLHD

The SESLHD Priority Populations and Multicultural Health Service would like to invite you to our next online meeting to hear the latest updates around the current COVID-19 situation from our team in the Populations and Community Health Directorate, which includes our Public Health Unit. 

Date: Tuesday 14 September

Time: 11.00 am – 12.00 pm 

Where: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88682477231

Please note that this session is for workers in local government or community organisations working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and located in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. 

Latest resources

• Video from NSW Dept of Customer Service explaining close/secondary/casual contacts– English only
• Quick guide to isolation and testing – English only 
• People with COVID-19 symptoms -– English only
• Confirmed cases – Fact sheet in English and translated copies available at the bottom of the page
• Close contacts – Fact sheet in English and translated copies available at the bottom of the page
• Secondary close contacts – Fact sheet in English and translated copies available at the bottom of the page 
• Casual contacts – Fact sheet in English and translated copies available at the bottom of the page