Update 23 November 2021
Comments from Chief Executive, Rohan Fitzgerald:
Close to 1,000 people have heeded the call to ‘get tested’, in response to a COVID outbreak linked to a country music event at the Hamilton Golf Club.Yesterday, the cluster grew to 18, 14 of those attended the music event in person, three are household contacts and one is a workplace contact.
Three people remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Pleasingly, no new cases were detected today, and the community response to getting tested has been excellent. Reassuringly we haven’t seen any new positive cases, but with hundreds of tests yet to be returned, it is likely more cases will be identified.
We’ve had an incredible community response at our mass testing clinic today, with our team conducting 518 PCR (pathology) and 120 rapid antigen tests (all rapid antigen tests were negative). I appreciate that some people waited for lengthy periods of time and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
The testing team did an amazing job responding to the significant workload and despite the record breaking numbers, maintained good spirits and a can-do attitude. A big thank you to the drive-thru team for their work, commitment and dedication. I am also incredibly grateful to our wonderful community for their positivity and understanding at the Showgrounds today.
Teams from Warrnambool and Geelong arrived to support the local testing team this afternoon and will remain in Hamilton for the next few days. We are very appreciative of their support.
The Lab in Van testing unit will also be on site tomorrow to facilitate the fast-tracking of priority tests. The mass-testing clinic will operate from the Hamilton Showgrounds for the remainder of the week (open tomorrow 9am to 6pm). Please visit our website for updated testing times.
Each outbreak is different and this one has presented unique challenges, primarily related to the vulnerability of those infected.Today’s testing numbers show the community’s willingness to do what it can, to get the outbreak under control and to protect those who would be most impacted by the virus.
On a positive note, all tests for Birches aged care staff and residents have come back negative. Nine residents remain in precautions until they return a second negative test result in the next few days.
Please get tested if you have symptoms, and if you are yet to get vaccinated, or are due for a booster shot, please visit your GP or pharmacy.
If you are isolating and need assistance with groceries or other necessities, please call the Helping Hands hotline on 1800 943 131 between the hours of 9am and 4pm, or email helpinghands@wdhs.net
Some people in the community have asked what they should do if they went to the Cally on Thursday night. To clarify, anyone who attended the Cally during the exposure period (shown below) must test and isolate for 7 days from the date of exposure (if you are fully vaccinated) and get a test on day 6.
TIER 1 EXPOSURE SITE:
• If you are fully vaccinated – test and isolate for 7 days from the date of exposure and get a test on day 6. For the purposes of calculating the days you are required to isolate, Thursday November 18 is considered day zero. This means you must have your 2nd test on Wednesday November 24
.• If you are not fully vaccinated (12 years and older) get tested – isolate for 14 days from the date of exposure and get a test on day 13. For the purposes of calculating the days you are required to isolate, Thursday November 18 is considered day zero. This means you must have your 2nd test on Wednesday December
1.
18/11/2021
Caledonian Hotel, 153 Thompson Street, Hamilton – 5:00pm-7:30pm
OTHER HIGH RISK VENUES:
A confirmed cases of COVID-19 attended these sites on the days / times listed below.
If you were at one of the high risk venues at these times, we strongly recommend you get tested.
17/11/2021 Hamilton Uniting Church, 113 Lonsdale Street, Hamilton – 10:00am – 11:00am
18/11/2021 Botanical Motel, 75 French Street, Hamilton – 5:00pm – 6:05pm
18/11/2021 All Abilities Equestrian Centre, 19 Laidlaws Road, Warrong – 10:45am – 12:05pm
19/11/2021 Izzy’s Restaurant, 71 Gray Street, Hamilton – 7:30pm – 11:30pm
20/11/2021 Nutrien Ag, 58 North Boundary Road, Hamilton – 9:00am – 12pm
15/11/2021 Hamilton Medical Group, 20 Foster Street Hamilton – 10:45am – 11:10am
19/11/2021 Hamilton Medical Group, 20 Foster Street Hamilton – 11:00am – 12:00pm & 12.30pm to 2.30pm
18/11/2021 Grampians Accountancy Service, 62 Gray Street, Hamilton – 3:15pm – 3:30pm
Please note: – Exposure site management: due to our high vaccination rates we are changing the way we respond to exposure sites in the community with a focus now on Tier One sites and only high risk sites. – Schools are not listed here as public exposure sites. If your school has advised you of a COVID exposure within the school community, we recommend you contact your school for further instructions or for any questions.- If the Public Health Unit have all contacts of an exposure site, or if an exposure site affects staff only, the location/venue will not be listed here.
– Other high risk venues will not be listed on the Department of Health website.
– If you have even the mildest symptoms please come forward and get tested.