Hundreds urged to get tested in Melbourne after 'strong and unexpected' COVID-19 wastewater fragments
Victoria's Health Department is urging hundreds of Victorians to get coronavirus tests after “strong and unexpected” COVID-19 fragments were found in the state’s wastewater.
Key points:
- Most of the 246 people asked to take tests have recently arrived from Perth
- The call follows the detection of strong COVID-19 fragments in wastewater
- The fragments were found in Melbourne's western and north-western suburbs
Authorities have contacted 246 people in Melbourne’s western and north-western suburbs to get COVID-19 tests "as a precaution".
"This additional action is being taken due to the strength of the wastewater detection and because a known positive COVID-19 case, from flight QF778, has been in Victoria in the past 14 days," the department said in a statement late Thursday afternoon.
Authorities said the 246 people who were contacted included four primary close contacts of that case and 242 recently returned red and orange zone travel permit holders.
It's understood the four close contacts were on the same flight from Perth as the positive case. The remaining 242 had all travelled from the Perth and Peel regions.
"All of these primary close contacts have recently been tested and have returned negative results. All of the 246 people are being asked to test again out of an abundance of caution," the department said.
Coronavirus fragments have now been detected in four additional catchments in Melbourne’s western, northern, north-western, and outer eastern suburbs.
There have been repeat detections in Benalla.
These are in addition to viral fragment detections reported over recent days in other catchments in the eastern, western, north-western and outer northern suburbs.
The state recorded no new local cases on Thursday and two new overseas-acquired cases in hotel quarantine, out of 15,656 test results.
Wastewater detections
Suburbs and dates | Locations |
---|---|
North-western suburbs, April 20–27, 2021 | Glenroy, Hadfield, Oak Park, Pascoe Vale |
Benalla April 10-15 and 20-26, 2021 (repeat detections) | Benalla |
Western suburbs April 20-27, 2021 | Altona, Altona North, Brooklyn, Newport, South Kingsville, Williamstown, Williamstown North |
Northern suburbs April 20-27, 2021 | Briar Hill, Bundoora, Diamond Creek, Greensborough, Lower Plenty, Macleod, Mill Park, Montmorency, Plenty, South Morang, St Helena, Viewbank, Watsonia, Watsonia North, Yallambie, Yarrambat |
Outer eastern suburbs April 20-26, 2021 | Chirnside Park, Coldstream, Kalorama, Lilydale, Montrose, Mooroolbark, Mount Dandenong, Mount Evelyn, Olinda, Yarra Glen, Yering |
Active detections reported recently: | |
Western suburbs catchment April 18-26, 2021 | Persons visiting or residing in Albanvale, Burnside, Burnside Heights, Cairnlea, Caroline Springs, Deer Park, Delahey, Hillside (Melton), Keilor Downs, Kings Park, Plumpton, Ravenhall, Sydenham, Taylors Hill or Taylors Lakes. |
North-western suburbs catchment April 18-26, 2021 | Persons visiting or residing in Avondale Heights, Calder Park, Hillside (Melton), Kealba, Keilor, Keilor Downs, Keilor East, Keilor Lodge, Keilor North, Keilor Park, Sydenham or Taylors Lakes. |
Eastern suburbs catchment April 20-24, 2021 | Persons visiting or residing in Balwyn, Balwyn North, Blackburn, Blackburn North, Box Hill, Box Hill North, Bulleen, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Donvale, Mitcham, Mont Albert, Mont Albert North, Nunawading or Templestowe Lower. |
Outer northern suburbs catchment April 17-22, 2021 | Persons visiting or residing in Epping, South Morang or Wollert. |
The Health Department said it was most likely that new detections were due to a person or people shedding the virus after the infection period, or due to a person living in or travelling through the area in the early active infectious phase.