COVID still being found in sewage

RESIDENTS in Airlie Beach and the wider Whitsunday and Mackay regions are being urged to get tested for COVID-19 as positives traces of the disease are detected in sewage.

The plea comes from Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young as she announced on Friday there had been “persistent virus” detected in sewage from Cannonvale and Airlie Beach.

“We’re not quite sure yet what it means but we know it’s a trigger that we need to do more testing,” Dr Young said.

Dr Young said Airlie Beach wasn’t the only place returning positive test results from sewage.

“The rest of the state, although we’ve had positives, I’m quite comfortable that I can relate those to that positive test in the sewage to cases that I’m aware of in the community or hotel quarantine,” she said.

A positive test for COVID-19 in Airlie Beach sewage was first returned in early September, but the sample later returned a negative result. A second positive test was returned from a different sample in early October.

It is unknown whether the positive detection comes from someone who was infectious and symptomatic and did not get tested, or someone infectious but was yet to develop symptoms.

Speaking in September, a Queensland Health spokesman said the previous positive result could have come from a person who tested positive for COVID-19 previously but was shedding the virus.

Residents can be tested at the following locations:

– Whitsunday Respiratory Clinic, Monday to Friday, 1-5pm. Appointments required by phoning 4804 5664.

– Bhp/vanguard

Bowen Testing 10am-5.15pm, seven

Phone 1800 980 574.

– Proserpine, Bowen Collinsville Hospitals.

Health Clinic, days.

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