Second Sydney nurse positive to Covid amid new cluster fears
Another Sydney nurse has tested positive to Covid-19, with four wards at the Royal North Shore (RNS) Hospital now reportedly affected.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant on Thursday confirmed a second nurse was among the 24 new local Covid cases announced on Thursday and had been working in several wards at RNS, raising concerns transmission may have occurred in the hospital.
The confirmation came after Sydney radio 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham reported on the new case.
"This has led to three extra wards being essentially shut down or quarantined in some way... on top of the cardio ward that was impacted yesterday," he said on Thursday.
On Wednesday NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant revealed an unvaccinated 24-year-old student nurse who worked at RNS and Fairfield hospitals had the virus, sending more than 100 patients and staff into isolation.
She worked for five days while potentially infectious and her infection wasn't yet linked to a known case, but one of her household contacts had also tested positive.
The second nurse who tested positive is a close friend of the student nurse.
Minister back in isolation after wrong Covid advice
Meanwhile, NSW Health has apologised to Customer Services Minister Victor Dominello for giving him incorrect advice about his exposure to a Covid-19 positive cabinet colleague.
Mr Dominello is back in isolation after the department mistakenly told him he no longer needed to quarantine after being in contact with Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall who was diagnosed with Covid-19 last Thursday after dining at a Paddington pizzeria on the previous Monday.
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NSW Health initially determined his proximity to Mr Dominello in parliament, during Question Time, on Tuesday last week, was for an extended period of time, making Mr Dominello a close contact.
Mr Dominello left isolation on Saturday after receiving a negative test result and advice from NSW Health that he had since been classified as a casual contact.
"NSW Health has apologised to Minister Dominello for this error and acknowledges that he was following the health advice we provided to him," NSW Health said in a statement.
He returned to isolation when contacted late on Wednesday by NSW Health to advise he remained a close contact. An urgent Covid-19 test was performed and he returned a negative result.
NSW recorded 22 new local coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, taking the tally for the outbreak that began on June 16 to 171.
All are linked to previous cases, but only 11 were in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.
Meanwhile, NSW Health has issued health alerts for numerous bus and train routes as well as more than 20 venues in Sydney's east, south and west.
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