A COVID-19 cluster linked to a country music concert for vaccinated clients in the Victoria area continues to grow.
Key points:
- Eight new performance-related infections in Hamilton were recorded overnight, bringing the cluster total to 26
- Fourteen people who attended the concert subsequently contracted the virus
- All 14 concert attendees who caught COVID were fully vaccinated
Eight new cases have been linked to the performance, which took place at the Hamilton Golf Club in western Victoria on November 14.
It is not yet known whether they caught the virus during the concert or if they are subsequent contacts of positive cases.
A total of 26 cases of the virus are now linked to the epidemic.
Event organizers told the ABC that the show is only for clients who have been vaccinated and all attendees have had their immunization status checked.
The Western District Health Services (WHDS) confirmed that 14 people contracted the virus during the event.
They have all been doubly vaccinated.
WDHS chief executive Rohan Fitzgerald said the cluster was proving to be a salient reminder of how quickly the coronavirus can spread.
Fears were raised after an infectious person later volunteered at The Birch senior care facility in Hamilton.
However, the residents’ subsequent tests came back negative.
Three people who caught the virus during the event remain in hospital in stable condition.
The disabled sector impacted
Nearly 1,000 people have been tested as a result of the outbreak, of which more than 600 were carried out yesterday.
Concerns were expressed about the impact the outbreak would have on services for people with disabilities in western Victoria, after WDHS confirmed that its elective services and surgeries would be impacted.
Mr Fitzgerald said nine elderly care residents at The Birches will remain in isolation until a second negative test is received.
“Thank goodness they applied all the COVID safe practices they should,” he said.
Additional testing capacity is being put in place in Hamilton today, and anyone with symptoms is encouraged to come to the Hamilton Showgrounds for testing.
Mr Fitzgerald said the team is working to record movements of all positive cases.
“Over the next 24 hours, the contact tracing team will do everything they can to ensure they better understand the movements of these people and the potential risk this poses to our region,” a- he declared.
“This is an important reminder to the entire community that we need to continue to think about how we are managing the risk of COVID-19 in this new normal environment. “
