NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has copped heavy criticism for his shambolic delivery of devastating news at Saturday’s covid update – the worst case numbers since the outbreak of the Delta variant and five tragic deaths.
The state recorded a whopping 319 cases on Saturday, a number that has left contact tracers fearing the viral strain has completely escaped their grasp.
For almost 10 minutes, Mr Hazzard spoke about food stalls at a mass vaccination hub, Year 12 students getting jabs before their exams and locals telling him they haven’t yet been vaccinated.
Mr Hazzard also took time to criticise those flouting lockdown restrictions despite the continual day-on-day rise in case numbers.
“We have the toughest lockdown the country the present time. What is not happening is people are not complying,” he said. “If people don‘t comply, the community will continue to suffer.”
Instead of entertaining the notion of a circuit breaker, he implored residents to “stay at home”.
“It is simple. Stay home,” he said. “Don‘t go out unless you have to do. Don’t go and visit another household and get vaccinated.”
Eventually, he got to the “bad news” of a record day of new cases – and then almost forgot to acknowledge that five people have died in the past day.
Others pointed out the fact Premier Gladys Berejiklian was absent on the state’s worst day in the current outbreak.
Viewers were also surprised the Health Minister took so long to announce two new cases reported in Armidale, with the Northern Tablelands city of 30,000 going into a one-week lockdown from 5pm today.
The number of Covid-19 hospitalisations has now reached 345 cases. 56 of those patients are in ICU and 23 have been put on ventilators. Out of those ICU figures, 51 weren‘t vaccinated.
108,449 tests were reported in NSW in the previous 24-hour period.
Speaking to reporters, NSW Deputy chief health officer Jeremy McNulty said that it was clear this “disease is infecting people of all ages”.
“Of the 56 cases in intensive care, four are in their 20s, four of their 30s, three are in their 40s, 19 in their 50s, eight in their 60s, 14 in their 70s, and four in their 80s,“ he said.
A total of four staff, and 29 patients from the geriatric wards at Liverpool Hospital have now contracted the virus, after a staff member worked while infectious across several shifts.
Pathology results for Covid-19 tests have required four-day waits in some areas, with Mr Hazzard admitting that a large amount of pressure is being placed on NSW pathology.
“I‘ve asked Health to have a look at whether there is availability among other laboratories to see what they can do,” he said.
Of the 319 new local infections, at least 83 had been infectious in the community, and another 98 cases were under investigation.
The deaths included a woman in her 80s, a man in his 80s, and another man in his 90s, all of whom died at Liverpool Hospital.
All three were believed to have been infected at the hospital.
There was another man, in his 60s, who died at the same hospital but whose infection did not appear to have originated there.
An inner west resident in his 80s also died at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
“I still have hope that we’ll get back to zero,” Mr Hazzard said. “Delta is a pretty wild variant of the virus. It is wreaking havoc across the world. What we need is our community back each other in.”
“It is almost a level of self entitlement to think that you don’t have to have the vaccine but your neighbours do. No, you will do. We all do. Everyone of us.
“If you get the vaccine and don’t follow the rules, it makes it more difficult to get back to zero, but I’m still hopeful.”
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