WA Health today confirmed that a security guard who works at a State Supervised Quarantine Facility (hotel) has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The guard, a man in his 20’s, worked at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday 26 January, Wednesday 27 January, when he could have acquired the infection, and was diagnosed with COVID-19 overnight.
This indicates that the guard likely acquired the infection while at the hotel. Exactly how the infection was acquired remains under investigation.
He developed symptoms on Thursday 28 January and phoned in sick and did not go to work at the quarantine facility.
COVID-19 was detected following the man’s mandatory day seven swab.
He had tested negative for COVID-19 on January Friday 15, January Sunday 17 and Saturday January 23.
There is a known case of UK B.1.1.7 variant strain in quarantine at the hotel.
The man’s immediate household contacts have been contacted, tested and placed in isolation at State managed quarantine facilities to complete a 14-day quarantine period in a quarantine facility. All three have tested negative this morning.
The man was believed to be infectious at the following locations:
https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus/Locations-visited-by-confirmed-cases
Anyone who was at the above locations during the specified times is urged to attend a COVID-19 clinic for testing and remain in quarantine while awaiting the test result.
Close contacts will be contacted by public health officials and asked to quarantine for 14 days.
All State managed Covid clinics will increase staffing and extend their opening hours to cope with increased demand in the next few days.
This case will be reported in tomorrow’s case numbers, as the result came through following the end of the 24-hour reporting period.
The Department of Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 in yesterday’s reporting cycle. Today’s State’s total officially stands 902.
WA Health is monitoring 12 active cases and 881 people have recovered from the virus in WA.
Yesterday 519 people presented to WA COVID clinics – 514 were assessed and 514 swabbed.
To date 17 cases of variant strains have been detected (13 B.1.1.7 strain and 4 B.1.351 strain). Five of these cases remain active in hotel quarantine.
Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA website for the latest information on COVID-19.
Media contact: 9222 4333
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Note: The cases of variant strains reported above are not new cases. Genome sequencing – to define the strain of the virus – is a separate laboratory process carried out after someone who tests positive to COVID-19. All cases, regardless of strain, are managed by WA’s public health experts. The strains previously reported as the UK variant strain and South African variant strain will now be referred to as B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 respectively.
An updated breakdown of cumulative COVID-19 tests performed in WA will be released on Monday.