Register positive COVID test results with Service NSW 14 January 2022 (See Translation in Arabic Section) Sydney - M E Times Int'l: Anyone who tests positive using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) will now be required to register their result with Service NSW. Premier Dominic Perrottet said the new registration process was an important part of managing the pandemic. “NSW residents can register their result with just a few clicks on the Service NSW website or by using the Service NSW app,” Mr Perrottet said. 
“Registering your RAT result enables NSW Health to provide you with advice on self-isolation and managing COVID-19 symptoms at home, to connect high risk people to clinical care services and to help inform the ongoing public health response.” Most people do not need a PCR test to confirm they are positive for COVID-19. Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the reporting of a positive RAT will be required under a public health order. “Ensuring individuals are connected to the appropriate public health advice and keeping a watch on trends is the prime purpose,” Mr Hazzard said. If you are under 65 years of age, have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant, you may be able to safely manage COVID-19 at home. Customer Service and Digital Government Minister Victor Dominello said privacy would be at the forefront of this new feature. “This technology has been built with trust and security at its core. Service NSW will send the information directly to NSW Health, it isn’t shared with any third parties, and is then deleted from Service NSW records within days,” Mr Dominello said. “There are more than seven million Service NSW account holders but we’re also committed to making this process inclusive for those without that access. Those who need assistance can contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.” Most people with COVID-19 will have a mild illness and will recover in a few days or so, with some people having no symptoms at all. Please contact your GP or call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933 if you are pregnant, or if you have a chronic condition. For the most up-to-date COVID information visit nsw.gov.au  The prevalence of Omicron cases continues to rise in Australia and the world Canberra: National Cabinet met today to discuss our response to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, approaches to test, trace isolate and quarantine including the use of rapid antigen tests (RATs) and the vaccine rollout and booster programme. The Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly provided an update on the spread of the Omicron variant. Omicron case numbers continue to increase in Australia and globally. Omicron continues to show greater infectivity than the Delta variant, but with much less severity in terms of hospitalisations, ICU and ventilated patients. Since the beginning of the pandemic there have been 1,195,158 confirmed cases in Australia and, sadly, 2,522 people have died. Australia’s case and fatality rate continues to be the second lowest in the OECD. Globally there have been over 315.4 million cases and sadly over 5.5 million deaths, with 2,265,922 new cases and 6,606 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The Omicron variant continues to surge in many countries around the world. The latest advice is the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, but significantly less severe than the Delta variant. National Cabinet reaffirmed the National Plan to Transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response and continue work to suppress the virus under Phase C of the National Plan - seeking to minimise serious illness, hospitalisation and fatalities as a result of COVID-19 with baseline restrictions. Lieutenant General John Frewen, DSC, AM, Coordinator General of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce (Operation COVID Shield) provided a detailed briefing on the major expansion in Australia’s vaccination rollout. To date over 45 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Australia, including 346,349 in the previous 24 hours. This was the third highest daily vaccination total on record with record numbers of 254,112, boosters and 55,570 5 to 11 year old vaccinations. Almost 95 per cent of the Australian population aged 16 years and over have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including over 99 per cent of over 50 year olds and more than 99 per cent of over 70 year olds. More than 92.3 per cent of Australians aged 16 years and over are now fully vaccinated including more than 97.3 per cent of over 50 year olds and more than 99 per cent of Australians over 70 years of age. Over 4.3 million booster doses have been administered. Australia has sufficient supplies of boosters, with 24 million mRNA booster doses in stock in Australia. Yesterday over 242,000 boosters were administered across Australia. Over 48 per cent of those eligible for boosters have had a booster and almost 42 per cent of Australians aged 70 years of age and over have had a booster in the last 9 weeks since the booster program commenced. Vaccinations for 5 to 11 year olds commenced on Monday 10 January. In only three days over 140,000 vaccinations have been administered to 5-11 years olds accounting for 6.2% of all 5-11 year olds. National Cabinet will meet again on Thursday 20 January 2022. 
Parramatta’s summer concert series postponed Sydney: City of Parramatta Council is postponing its Summer Sessions concert series, scheduled for 25 and 26 January, due to the current COVID-19 situation and changes to public health orders. Council had planned to host the Summer Sundown concert on 25 January and the Australia Day concert on 26 January in the Crescent, Parramatta Park. New dates for the concerts will be announced in due course. “We were looking forward to holding these concerts and sharing an incredible line-up of Australian music acts with our community, but in the interest of public health and safety we have made the difficult decision to postpone our events,” City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Donna Davis said. “City of Parramatta is a proud hub of performing arts and culture in Western Sydney. We are committed to delivering live events for the community and continuing to support the music and entertainment industry after what has been an incredibly challenging two years.” People who already have tickets to the Summer Sundown or Australia Day concerts will automatically be advised by Moshtix on details of the rescheduled events or how they may obtain a full refund (including booking and transaction fees) should they be unable to attend. The Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards and Lord Mayor’s Citizenship Ceremony scheduled for 26 January at Rosehill Gardens will go ahead, in line with COVID safety guidelines. For more information, visit atparramatta.com/summer-sundown or atparramatta.com/australia-day. 
Isolation exemption for critical workers expanded Sydney: Critical workers from certain sectors isolating as close contacts will be permitted to leave self-isolation to attend work if they have no symptoms of COVID-19. Workers will only be eligible to leave self-isolation if their employer determines that their absence poses a high risk of disruption to the delivery of critical services or activities, and they are unable to work from home. These workers must wear a mask and comply with risk management strategies put in place by their employer, including daily Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). Any worker who tests positive or who develops symptoms of COVID-19 must self-isolate. The new rules apply to critical workers in the following sectors: utilities which include electricity services, gas services, liquid fuels, water supply, sewerage and sanitation services; information and telecommunications; social assistance and welfare services; funeral, crematorium and cemetery services; seaport operations; air and sea freight and logistics; the operation of correctional centres; a person employed by Resilience NSW, a member of Surf Life Saving NSW, Volunteer Marine Rescue NSW, or NSW Volunteer Rescue Association Inc.
 Managing COVID-19 safely at home Sydney: If you are under 65 years of age, have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant, you can safely manage COVID-19 at home. Most people with COVID-19 will have a mild illness and will recover in a few days or so, with some people having no symptoms at all. MOST SYMPTOMS CAN BE MANAGED WITH: • bed rest • regular paracetamol and ibuprofen to relieve pain and fevers • throat lozenges for a sore throat • keeping hydrated with regular sips of water. Continue to take any medications you have been prescribed as usual. If you are unsure about continuing to take your current medication or treatment, or have any concerns about your health, call your doctor. Please contact your GP or call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933 if you are pregnant, or if you have a chronic condition including: • obesity • severe, chronic or complex medical conditions (including cardiac, respiratory, renal or neurodevelopmental) • diabetes • immunocompromised, including if you have cancer • severe mental illness. There are effective treatments available for people at risk of severe disease from COVID-19. If you need other clinical support or have non-urgent health related questions during isolation, call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933. If you develop severe symptoms (particularly severe dizziness, drowsiness or confusion, suffering shortness of breath, chest pressure or pain lasting more than 10 minutes, or you are unable to stand) you should call Triple Zero (000) straight away and tell the ambulance staff that you have been diagnosed with COVID-19. If you are a person at high risk of health complications, such as a pregnant woman, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, unvaccinated person over 16 years of age or immunosuppressed, then you need to call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933. To find out more and to access this information in more languages visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/advice-for-confirmed.aspx. Register positive rapid antigen test results with Service NSW Anyone who tests positive using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) will now be required to register their result with Service NSW. You can register a positive RAT test here: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-positive-rapid-antigen-test-result. For free help in your language, you can call Translating and Interpreting Services on 13 14 50 and ask them to contact Service NSW on 13 77 88. The service provides immediate phone interpreting. LEAVING SELF-ISOLATION If you test positive with a PCR or rapid antigen test, you must isolate immediately for 7 days. Your household must also isolate for 7 days. If you have a sore throat, runny nose, cough or shortness of breath after 7 days, please remain in isolation until 24 hours after your symptoms have resolved. You must self-isolate for 7 days from the day you were tested. You can only leave self-isolation after 7 days if you do not have a sore throat, runny nose, cough or shortness of breath. More info: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/recovery.aspx VIEW THIS UPDATE IN: • Arabic: Changes to definition of COVID-19 contacts PEOPLE AT THE HIGHEST RISK OF CATCHING COVID-19 INCLUDE SOMEONE WHO: • is a household contact of someone who has COVID-19 • has spent a lot of time with someone who has COVID-19 (e.g. stayed at their house or went on a long car trip together). These people are at high-risk and must take a COVID-19 test as soon as they are told by the person who has COVID-19. They must isolate for 7 days from the day they saw the COVID-19 positive person and have a negative test result and no symptoms on day 6 before leaving isolation on day 7. MORE INFORMATION: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/people-exposed-to-covid.aspx VIEW THIS UPDATE IN: ِِِArabic: http://www.mideast-times.com/arabic/home_news.php?newsid=16102 For more information Updated information and translated resources and materials about COVID-19 are available at www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19 Call 13 77 88, available 24/7, for COVID-19 related questions. To speak to an interpreter in your language call 13 14 50
 Horror as Melbourne hit with deadly night of violence Melbourne: A six-year-old girl is among five people who have died during a horror night of violence across Melbourne. The girl was allegedly stabbed at Mill Park in Melbourne’s northeast with a woman also killed in the incident. A man was injured in the incident, which took place shortly before 8pm on Thursday, and remains under police guard in hospital. The girl was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but later died from her injuries. The woman died at the scene. Police believe the trio are known to each other. About an hour later, two people were shot dead in Mordialloc, in the city’s southeast. Police and emergency services responded to reports of gunshots at a McDonald Street address after 9pm. Both people died at the scene. A man has been taken into custody. Police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident. Meanwhile, a man died in a house fire in the southeastern Melbourne suburb of Endeavour Hills. The blaze was extinguished at 6.30pm on Thursday.  Prince Andrew stripped of his military titles as fallout from sexual abuse allegations deepens Prince Andrew has been stripped of his honorary military titles as he defends a civil sexual assault case in the United States. It comes after a US judge rejected the prince's bid to overturn a lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, who accuses him of sexually abusing her when she was underage. "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen." British media, quoting royal sources, said Andrew would no longer be entitled to be called His Royal Highness, and that his roles would be handed to other members of the royal family. More than 150 British Army veterans signed an open letter to the Queen on Thursday asking her to strip Andrew of his military titles over his friendships with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. The prince, a veteran of the Falklands War, had retained nine honorary military titles including a ceremonial position as colonel of the Grenadier Guards, which he took over from his father, Prince Philip, in 2017. Last week Julian Perreira, a Guards veteran who served three tours of Afghanistan, told The Times that Prince Andrew put "a stain" on the regiment's history and should "step down immediately". The newspaper also reported current officers were uncomfortable when being asked to drink to the health of the duke, as is tradition at the end of regimental dinners. On Wednesday US District Judge Lewis ruled that Ms Giuffre was entitled to pursue her case against Prince Andrew. The decision means the case is on track to go to trial, possibly later this year. A source close to the duke said his legal team was "unsurprised" by the ruling and that he would continue to fight the claims. "Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling," the source said. "However, it was not a judgement on the merits of Ms Giuffre's allegations. "This is a marathon not a sprint and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims." Prince Andrew withdrew from public duties in November 2019 after a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview about his relationship with disgraced financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. "It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family's work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support," Prince Andrew said in a statement released at the time.  There were 63,018 positive test results (cases) in the 24 hours and 29 people dead 14 January 2022 Sydney - M E Times Int'l: Across NSW, 95.2 per cent of people aged 16 and over have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 93.8 per cent have received two doses to Wednesday 12 January. Of people aged 12 to 15, 81.9 per cent have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.2 per cent have received two doses. Of people aged 5 to 11, 6.5 per cent have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. NSW Health encourages everyone who is eligible to receive a vaccination or their booster dose to book into a NSW Health vaccination clinic or another provider without delay through the COVID-19 vaccine clinic finder. Sadly, NSW Health is today reporting the deaths of 29 people with COVID-19; 15 men and 14 women. Three people were aged in their 40s, five people were aged in their 60s, five people were aged in their 70s, 11 people are in their 80s and five people are in their 90s. Of the 29 people who died; 19 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 and 10 people were not vaccinated. NSW Health expresses its sincere condolences to their loved ones.This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 828. There are currently 2,525 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, including 184 people in intensive care, 59 of whom require ventilation. There were 63,018 positive test results (cases) notified to 8pm last night – including 37,938 positive rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 25,080 positive PCR tests. Of the 37,938 positive RAT results, 24,329 of these positive tests were from the previous seven days. Please note there may be some cases included in these numbers where people have reported positive RATs on multiple days and/or where people have also had a positive PCR test during the same reporting period. There are COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week. To find your nearest clinic visit COVID-19 clinics or contact your GP. |
