20 January 2022

COVID-19 update 20 January 2022

Exposure sites continue to be updated on the HealthyWA website. People are urged to check this site regularly and follow the relevant health advice.

WA Health has reported five new local COVID-19 cases and five travel-related cases to 8pm last night.

Four of the local cases are contacts of previously reported cases. Two of those cases have been in quarantine and two have been potentially infectious in the community.

The fifth case, identified overnight, has currently not been linked to any known cases. This person has been infectious in the community.

Contact tracers are now working with these cases to determine potential exposure sites and these will be uploaded to the HealthyWA website when confirmed.

Exposure sites

WA Health’s contact tracing team continues to identify a new range of exposure sites linked to new cases and it is likely exposure sites will be updated or added. Please continue to check exposure sites regularly, these are listed on the HealthyWA website.

WA Health has identified potential higher risk COVID-19 exposure in East Victoria Park, Northbridge, Osborne Park, Applecross and Mount Lawley, and urgently requires people who visited these sites at the times listed to get tested immediately and self-quarantine.

Testing advice

People are urged to continue to check the exposure sites page of the HealthyWA website for updates, and if they have been to an exposure site to follow the listed health advice.

Anyone in the Perth and Peel regions experiencing symptoms should get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result.

A full list of testing clinics is available on HealthyWA website. Metropolitan public testing clinics are open until 10.00pm tonight.

Testing clinics

4,919 Western Australians were swabbed at clinics yesterday.

WA Health is expanding testing capacity, including operating hours of clinics. People are encouraged to check the HealthyWA website to find clinic locations and opening hours.

Private clinics are also available. Testing is available free of charge at private testing clinics for people who have been advised by WA Health to get tested, or who have been present at exposure sites at the times listed on the HealthyWA website.

Vessels

WA Health is closely monitoring two vessels off the WA coast, both reporting probable COVID cases on board through returned positive Rapid Antigen Tests.

All positive crew members on board these vessels are isolating in their cabins and being monitored safely.

SafeWA

Yesterday, 1,917,009 scans were recorded on the SafeWA app. This represents a 0.7 per cent increase in usage from the previous day.

It is increasingly important for everyone to check in when they visit businesses in WA. Using SafeWA or the ServiceWA app will help authorities contact those who may be at risk quickly and effectively.

Other information

There are currently 79 confirmed active cases in WA. Of these, 23 are in hotel quarantine, 56 are in self-quarantine. No cases are currently in hospital.

Today’s 10 new cases bring the State’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 1338.

1247 people have recovered from the virus.

Border controls

Information about Western Australia’s controlled border arrangements, conditions of entry and quarantine is available online.

COVID-19 vaccinations

Yesterday, State-run clinics administered 11,654 COVID-19 vaccinations. Please note: information about the number of vaccinations administered at other clinics, including GPs and pharmacies is currently not available.

For the latest WA vaccination figures, visit the COVID-19 Coronavirus: Vaccination dashboard (external site)**. For the latest Commonwealth data visit the Vaccination Numbers and Statistics website.

Demand for vaccinations and third doses is increasing. To spread the demand across clinic operating hours and to avoid excessive wait times, people are encouraged to make a booking via Vaccinate WA.

Vaccinations are also available at GPs and pharmacies.

Anyone who received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine four or more months ago can now book their booster dose and ensure they have maximum protection against the disease.

Additional appointments for children aged 5 to 11 have been added at State-run clinics between January 22 and January 30, these can be booked online at VaccinateWA.

A dedicated paediatric vaccination clinic will also open at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC) and increased children's vaccinations will be available at Kwinana and Ellenbrook vaccination clinics. All other appointments booked at the PCEC clinic will continue as scheduled.

Mandatory vaccination information

mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for most occupations and workforces in WA is being introduced in a phased approach. For more information on getting your COVID-19 vaccine, visit: https://rollup.wa.gov.au/

Variants

To date, 326 cases of variant strains have been detected in Western Australia – including 119 Omicron strain, 53 Alpha strain, 15 Beta strain, one Gamma strain and 138 Delta strain.

Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA website for the latest information on COVID-19.

Follow us on Twitter: WAHealth

*The number of close and casual contacts is not static and may change as further information becomes available. Close contacts are added when identified and intensive investigations to locate them are undertaken.

**A vaccine dashboard data interpretation guide (external site) is also available to help you.