THERE were no new cases of coronavirus confirmed in the Hunter New England health region on Tuesday.
After the confirmation of six cases the previous day, Tuesday was the third time in less than two weeks that the Hunter has recorded no new cases. There were only seven cases recorded in NSW.
Not since April 1 has the Hunter had a double-digit in increase in new cases.
Hunter New England Health's Dr David Durrheim said the trend was encouraging.
He said it was important community members seek testing if they experience a fever or respiratory symptoms, particularly in the East Lake Macquarie and Manning regions.
"While it's promising to see the number of confirmed cases reducing, it is too early to say we have control of COVID-19 transmission within the Local Health District," Dr Durrheim said.
"The District can only confirm and report cases we're aware of. It is possible there are people in the community who are unwell and potentially have COVID-19; they just haven't been tested yet.
"It's vital anyone with cold or flu symptoms (fever and acute respiratory symptoms) is tested by calling ahead and attending your local emergency department, COVID-19 testing clinic or seeing your GP.
"We continue to be particularly focused on the Manning region and East Lake Macquarie, specifically Valentine, Belmont, Mt Hutton, Windale and Croudace Bay. In these communities we have a number of cases with an unknown source of infection. Identifying any additional local cases early and implementing appropriate isolation and quarantining is crucial in preventing onward transmission in the community," said Dr Durrheim.
