A Broken Hill resident who attended a funeral in Wilcannia a week ago has been diagnosed with COVID-19, with authorities worried they've been infectious in the community for several days.
The government has been warning the Wilcannia funeral may become a major seeding event for COVID-19 throughout regional New South Wales.
The Broken Hill case is the second outside the predominantly Aboriginal outback town that has been linked to the funeral.
Far West LHD chief executive Umit Agis said the new Broken Hill case was of particular concern, as the person may have been infectious in the community for some days.
More than 1,300 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Broken Hill in the past three days, after a Coles and a Woolworths supermarket in the town were listed as exposure sites.
Outbreak worsens in Wilcannia
Meanwhile, four new cases have been diagnosed in Wilcannia, bringing the town's total to 10, after more than 340 tests were conducted there over the past three days.
"The new cases are from different households, and some are from large families, so we are going to be locating them in alternative accommodation," Mr Agis said.
The LHD has been in contact with hotels and caravan parks in Wilcannia to relocate and more effectively isolate positive cases, but not every case will be relocated.
"Each confirmed case is assigned a case manager from public health and each individual is visited twice daily and that includes their welfare and health checks as well.
"If the person deteriorates, we have community teams that do an assessment and bring them into hospital for treatment. At this stage, we don't have anyone needing that level of care."
Only about a third of Wilcannia's population has had their first dose of a COVID vaccine, and just 16 per cent have had their second dose.
Creedon Street another major concern
Mr Agis indicated the outbreak in the Indigenous community was of major concern with a new pop-up testing clinic established on Creedon Street where a substantial number of Indigenous people live.
"Obviously, we can only provide testing to those who present themselves so we are making it available everywhere as much as we can."
Health staff working 'around the clock'
The LHD has asked the ministry to send more health staff to the region after four health workers in Wilcannia were forced into isolation after being exposed to the virus.
"I think our nurses have worked extremely hard and our pathologist department worked around the clock yesterday till this morning without a break because demand is so high," Mr Agis said.
"We are hoping to get another gene expert machine in Wilcannia so we can reduce the turnaround time even further.
Mr Agis also mentioned plans to establish an official vaccination hub to increase vaccination numbers, as currently only around 100 people were being vaccinated a day.
"We're looking at a larger venue so we can accommodate more people," he said.
"I know that a number of councillors have made their town halls available — we are in negotiations and are hoping to finalise that by Monday.
