Premier Steven Marshall has this morning addressed the public in a new press conference following the lockdown of Adelaide’s Modbury Hospital after a patient tested positive for COVID-19.
The news conference comes just as Elizabeth Vale school in the Northern suburbs has closed following fears of COVID exposure.
Premier Steven Marshall confirmed an 81 year old gentleman travelled with his daughter to Argentina. Although having been vaccinated in Argentina with one dose of the vaccine, upon return to Australia the gentleman was admitted to a hospital in NSW for ten days after suffering a fall.
During his quarantine in NSW, the gentleman needed to go into hospital due to his health conditions rather than a medi-hotel and so completed his 14 day quarantine in a mixture of the quarantine hotel and hospital, during which he did not test positive. Once returning to South Australia the gentleman developed symptoms and was taken to Modbury Hospital where he tested positive on Sunday.
Family members have immediately been put into quarantine, including the gentleman’s daughter and 16 close contacts, two of which have already been tested and returned negative results. These close contacts are in touch with SA Health to gain more information, with SA Pathology putting the tests through a rapid turnover process so the results can come through in the next few hours.
The positive case came through overnight at 2:30am after further testing confirmed that this was a current, infectious case of COVID-19 in SA, not what was initially considered a historic case.
Exposure sites have also been identified in South Australia in the following locations:
Golden Grove OPSM on Saturday 17 July from 3pm – 4:45pm
Golden Grove Village Shopping Centre Saturday 17 July 3:00pm – 4:45pm
Golden Grove The Grove Newsagency Saturday 17 July 3:30pm – 3:45pm
Gaganis Bros, Hindmarsh on Friday 16 July from 1pm – 2:30pm
Glenelg Wigley Reserve, Friday 16 July 12:30 – 1:15pm
Modbury Commonwealth Bank Tuesday 13 July from 10am – 11:15am and 14 July 10:30am – 12:15pm
St Agnes Shopping Centre Tuesday 13 July 10:20 – 11:30am
Aldi, St Agnes Shopping Centre, Tuesday 13 July 10:20am to 11:30am
SA Health are urging anyone who has been at any of these locations at the specified times to immediately quarantine for 14 days since being at the location, get tested immediately (as well as being tested again on day 5 and 13) and complete a form here to notify SA Health that you were at this location.
A full risk assessment is underway at Modbury Hospital, which hopes to reopen as soon as is safely possible, but Marshall insisted they did not want to take any chances. 27 patients and 25 staff were in the vicinity when the patient came into the emergency department, who was noted as having a respiratory condition and taken straight to the emergency extended care unit.
At this stage Marshall has announced there is no lockdown in place for South Australia but further restrictions will be expected later today. He urged there is no need for panic buying within South Australia.
Also mentioned at the conference was the Elizabeth Vale School which will reopen tomorrow, following the negative test return of the gentleman’s grandson who attends the school.
Marshall explained they are assuming this is the Delta variant, although this has not yet been confirmed, and the variant’s incredibly infectious nature explains the concern over the situation.
Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier confirmed this was a very new and serious situation, and the senior contact tracer has been interviewing the gentleman in question and his daughter to establish their movements and potential exposure sites in the community.
Spurrier explained this was an acute infection with a high viral load, and that it is not yet understood which vaccine the gentleman received one dose of in Argentina.
Referencing how quickly we have seen full lockdowns imposed in other states around the country, Professor Spurrier again urged the crucial nature of getting vaccinated as soon as you become eligible.
Further restrictions will be imposed on the South Australian communities this afternoon with Police Commissioner Grant Stevens noting that any relaxation of the current restrictions looked unlikely. The extent of those restrictions are yet to be determined and will be discussed ahead of another press conference this afternoon.
Symptoms include:
– Fever or chills (in the absence of an alternative illness that explains these symptoms)
– An acute respiratory infection e.g. cough, sore throat, runny nose, or shortness of breath
– Loss of smell or alteration in the sense of taste
– Diarrhoea and vomiting
For more information: SA COVID-19 Information Line 1800 253 787; sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVID2019.
