Hunter New England Public Health Physician David Durrheim says two straight days of no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region is “very encouraging”.
As at 8pm on Tuesday 14 April, NSW Health has reported the Hunter New England district’s cases remain steady at 276.
Currently, six COVID-19 patients are being cared for in Hunter New England hospitals, including two in ICU, and 14 are receiving Hospital in the Home support.
Despite a reduction in the number of confirmed cases, Dr Durrheim has warned against complacency.
“What’s more encouraging is what we’ve seen when we look at Australia’s performance at the moment,” he says.
“Australia was on a sharp trajectory, with the doubling time every three-and-a-half days.
“That has now slowed to about six days.
“We cannot, however, afford to relax. We know of other countries that had done well in the beginning, like Singapore, took their foot off the pedal, they relaxed their controls, and now we see Singapore’s trajectory heading skywards.”
Dr Durrheim adds it is important the community continues to adhere to social distancing measures that are being put in place.
“We need to look after our community and make sure we remain ahead of the virus,” he says.
Testing clinics for COVID-19 are available at John Hunter, Belmont, Maitland, Manning and Calvary Mater Newcastle hospitals.
For the Belmont Hospital Clinic, please call ahead for phone screening on 4923 2211.
COVID-19 statistics are available on the NSW Health website.
