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Coronavirus: Disturbing warning as NSW cluster grows

NSW health authorities are scrambling to get on top of a surge in coronavirus cases with a further six locally acquired cases announced on Thursday.

It comes after 11 new cases on Wednesday prompted Premier Gladys Berejiklian to warn the state was “on the verge” of a substantial outbreak.

The state also announced a further five cases in hotel quarantine.

Three of the locally acquired cases are connected to the Lakemba GP cluster, which investigators are still trying to determine its source.

All three cases are household contacts of known cases in the cluster.

Health authorities are rushing to get on top a handful of growing clusters in Sydney. Source: Getty
Health authorities are rushing to get on top a handful of growing clusters in Sydney and surrounding areas. Source: Getty

Two of the cases have been detected 90km outside of Sydney. One is a household contact of an elderly man, whose positive test in Bargo, southwest of the state capital, was reported on Wednesday but included in Thursday’s numbers. The source of his case is not known.

The other case is still under investigation and is from southeast Sydney.

Positive cases misleading contact tracers, minister says

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the state holds concerns over testing rates, which dropped to 15,802 in the previous 24 hours. On Wednesday he said testing needs to be over 20,000 a day to control the outbreak.

Mr Hazzard said he was disappointed the community hadn’t responded to it its calls for testing on Wednesday, and asked anyone with the slightest of symptoms to come forward.

He also said it was vital those who tested positive revealed every place they had been to, revealing the state’s contact tracers were experiencing the same issues as Victoria where a truck driver failed to declare he had stopped off in Shepparton, leading to at least three cases.

“People are not necessarily telling us the whole truth,” he said.

“You need to make sure that you tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and be very, very careful in what you're telling public health officials.

“Public health officials need to be able to track the chains of transmission. That's impossible if people don't actually give us the full information.”

NSW Health advised a previously reported case attended the Billy Bear Preschool and Early Learning Centre in Ingleburn in southwest Sydney last Friday and contact tracing was underway.

NSW Health also warned a number of infectious people recently travelled on a range of trains in Sydney's west and urged people to wear masks on public transport.

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