Thread by @NSWHealth

Across NSW, 94.9 per cent of people aged 16 and over have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 93.4 per cent have received two doses.

Of the people aged 12 to 15, 81.5 per cent have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.1 per cent have received two doses

The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 13,366,514, with 4,292,847 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 9,073,667 administered by the GP network, pharmacies and other providers to 11.59pm on Monday 20 December 2021.

NSW Health encourages everyone who is eligible to book into a NSW Health vaccination clinic or another provider without delay through health.gov.au/resources/apps…

Everyone aged 18 years and older may now receive a booster five months after receiving their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

We urge people to get their booster dose as soon as they are eligible, to best protect yourself, your loved ones and the community from the ongoing transmission of COVID-19. If you are due for a booster over the Christmas/New Year period, you can have it a little earlier.

We also strongly recommend that people aged 12 years and over who are severely immunocompromised have a third primary dose of vaccine from two months after their second dose. Talk to your GP for more advice.

Sadly, NSW Health is reporting the deaths of two people.

A woman in her 80s from south eastern Sydney died at Prince of Wales Hospital. She had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.

A woman in her 70s from south western Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital. She was a resident of the Gillawarna Village Aged Care facility in Georges Hall, where she acquired her infection. She was not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.

This is the fifth death linked to an outbreak at this facility. NSW Health expresses its sincere condolences to their loved ones.

There are currently 302 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 40 people in intensive care, 12 of whom require ventilation.

There were 151,443 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 136,972.

NSW recorded 3,763 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Twenty-six COVID-19 cases have been excluded following further investigation, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 106,621.

NSW Health continues to remind everyone to practise COVID-safe behaviours, including recommending people wear a mask in settings where they cannot physically distance.

Around a quarter of people exposed to COVID-19 may still develop their infection after seven days. For the next seven days, close contacts should exercise caution and not enter a high-risk setting,

should avoid large indoor gatherings, use a rapid antigen test if coming into contact with vulnerable people. Get tested & stay home if you have the mildest of symptoms. Do not visit family, friends or go to social events if you are unwell. Wash and sanitise your hands regularly.

If you do not have symptoms, consider using a rapid antigen test before going out.

All cases are contacted by text message to inform them of their positive diagnosis. Cases are asked to alert their household contacts and people who they stayed with for four hours or more to get a PCR test and isolate for seven days, regardless of the result.

Cases are reminded not to get re-tested after a positive diagnosis unless advised specifically by a clinical team.

People diagnosed with COVID-19 in NSW who are assessed as low-risk will receive an automatic text message advising them that they can cease isolation on day 10 as long as they have had no symptoms for the past 72 hours.

Patients who still have symptoms are advised in the text message to contact their GP for advice about their ongoing management.

A relatively small number patients being cared for by NSW Health who have a protracted illness, such as some people who are immunocompromised, may be advised by their clinical team to extend their isolation period and will be released from isolation when it is deemed safe to do

so. Of the 3,763 cases reported to 8pm last night, 834 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 623 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 554 are from Sydney LHD, 456 are from Western Sydney LHD, 423 are from Northern Sydney LHD,

420 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 110 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 99 are from Central Coast LHD, 71 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 48 are from Northern NSW LHD, 40 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 39 are from Western NSW LHD, 17 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, six are

from Southern NSW LHD, one is from Far West LHD and 22 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. If you are directed to get tested for COVID 19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the self-isolation rules.

If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, get tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive a negative test result.

There are more than 450 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week. To find your nearest clinic

visit COVID-19 clinics or contact your GP. Video of today’s update is available here:
health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/cov…