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WA’s Health Minister has admitted the government does not expect to be able to contain a number of Omicron outbreaks across Perth, as the state recorded 24 local cases overnight.
Key points:
- Case numbers in WA shot up from seven on Saturday, to 24 on Sunday
- The Health Minister said Omicron was too transmissible to be eliminated
- It comes as a COVID breach occurred at one of Perth’s biggest public hospitals
It brings the total number of active cases in the state to 90, with 24 in hotel quarantine and the rest in self-quarantine.
Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said this was the start of Omicron in WA.
“I think it’s clear that we’re not going to eliminate Omicron, it’s now about how we suppress and manage Omicron,” she said.
“That’s our intention as a government and certainly that’s the advice of the Chief Health Officer.
“He was very clear that it can’t be eliminated because it’s so transmissible.”
Ms Sanderson used today’s case numbers to plead with the public to get tested if they had symptoms, regardless of whether they have been to an exposure site.
She said 4,743 tests were conducted yesterday.
“It’s a bit of a wake-up call for the broader community as well that we do have COVID in our community now and we really need to see those testing numbers higher,” Ms Sanderson said.
“These testing numbers are not high enough.
“The better the testing numbers, the more confidence we have that positive cases are accounted for and they are in quarantine.”
COVID breach at major Perth hospital
It comes after five families and a number of staff have been forced into self-quarantine after a woman and her child — who are both COVID positive — attended Fiona Stanley Hospital on Saturday.
Ms Sanderson explained the pair presented to a triage unit outside the hospital after the mother became concerned about her child’s health.
They were directed to the emergency department by health staff.
When they arrived, the mother told a staff member in the triage unit they were both positive but they were directed into the ED, against procedure.
“[The mother] questioned it, but was directed into the waiting room,” Ms Sanderson said.
As soon as they presented to triage staff inside the waiting room, the mistake was recognised and the pair were isolated.
Full review to be undertaken into breach
Ms Sanderson said all staff were in full PPE and everyone involved was wearing masks, but will now have to quarantine until they return a negative test result.
“This is being taken extremely seriously and a full review will be undertaken,” she said.
“Procedures are in place to protect staff and patients and they need to be followed.”
Ms Sanderson said she would not reveal too many details about the child involved, but said it was unclear whether their illness was related to COVID.
She also said work was underway to prevent a similar incident happening again, including for health staff to warn hospitals when they were aware of a positive case.
“Further training will be undertaken to ensure that all staff, whether it’s hospital staff or agency staff, are fully aware of their obligations prior to going into that triage booth,” Ms Sanderson said.
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