Katsuya Japanese restaurant in Campsie, Sydney, NSW, becomes major Covid-19 exposure site

A Japanese restaurant in Sydney’s south-west is a major Covid-19 exposure site after an employee worked there for 10 days while infected.

Health authorities announced on Sunday evening that anyone who has been to Katsuya Japanese Restaurant in Campsie between 6am and 10pm, from July 19 to 28, should get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

The same advice applies to customers who went to Chemist Warehouse in Burwood on Wednesday, and people who visited All Group Supermarket in Campsie between Sunday and Tuesday.

Myhealth Medical Centre in Rhodes has also been added to the list, with patrons who went to the clinic on Tuesday or Friday ordered to get tested and isolate immediately.

New South Wales recorded 239 new cases on Sunday with 50 people fighting for life on ventilators.

People who were at GRAM Engineering in Smithfield between 7.15am and 4.30pm on July 23, 26 or 27 has been listed as a casual contact and told to get a test and isolate until a negative test is received.

The same advice applies to anyone who went to Quantum Radiology in Bankstown on Monday, Woolworths in Brookvale last Sunday, or Astley Mobility Pharmacy in Pennent Hills on Thursday or Saturday.

The 239 figure on Sunday is the second day in a row of more than 200. 

Daily case numbers dipped after the record number was first reported on Thursday, but jumped back to 210 on Saturday including hundreds of mystery cases. 

NSW deputy chief health officer Jeremy McAnulty said an alarming number of cases were detected among childcare workers.

He strongly urged parents to consider keeping their children at home to curb the spread of infection through daycares.

‘It is a reminder, please reserve childcare centres if you really need to have your child in child care,’ he said. ‘Otherwise, keep them at home to minimise the spread through childcare.’ 

Nine residents also tested positive at a nursing home in Summer Hill, in Sydney’s inner-west.

‘On a regular basis we are seeing cases in hospital settings or aged care settings and we have even had some disability settings as well,’ Mr McAnulty said.

‘So there is an outbreak in a Summer Hill aged care facility with I understand nine residents affected. 

‘Fortunately, many of those have been vaccinated. As I understand it, the ones with vaccination are doing relatively well.’ 

There are 54 patients being treated in the intensive care unit with a large number under 60 including seven in their 20s, five in their 30s, two in their 40s and six in their 50s.

Dr McAnulty warned younger Sydneysiders aged between 18 and 30 were the biggest spreaders of the virus. 

‘We are seeing cases at high rates in those age group,’ he said.

‘This is the age group that tends to be a link between kids, younger people, and older, elderly relatives. 

‘They are working, they have big social networks, if you are in that age group it is important that you be aware that you are very vulnerable to the infection, as we have seen in ICU numbers you can get serious disease. It is important you come forward for vaccination.’ 

Only 80 of the new cases were in isolation, with 35 partially out in the community while infectious and at least 26 were out in the public and not isolating. 

State premier Gladys Berejiklian renewed calls for Sydneysiders to get vaccinated amid the worrying case numbers. 

‘Today is August 1 and I am calling upon the people of greater Sydney, and New South Wales, to come forward and get vaccinated,’ she said.

‘To get to the 70 per cent target we need 9.2 million jabs. To get the 80 per cent target we need 10 million jabs. We have been talking about this in NSW for some time.’

The 80 per cent target has been set by the federal government as the key to reopening the border and scrapping state lockdowns.

Ms Berejiklian was pressed by a reporter over concerns that young people were being turned down requests to get the AstraZeneca vaccine by their GPs. 

‘On the 20 to 30 age bracket, we are hearing stories of people wanted to get AstraZeneca, going to the GP and the GP says no, wait for Pfizer,’ the reporter said.

‘What are you doing about that because that messaging is very different and the message is consistently changing over months?’

Ms Berejiklian responded: ‘The NSW Government always follows the advice of the federal health authorities.

‘Of course, we ask ability to follow that health advice by the health advice in New South Wales is that if you are over 18, it is safe to get either vaccine.’

Ms Berejiklian has denied reports nurses were forced back into hospitals before returning negative Covid-19 test results.  

During the state’s Covid update on Sunday, a reporter highlighted a growing cluster of Covid-19 cases within the emergency department of a key hospital in Sydney. 

They claimed nurses who were close contacts of the emerging cases were forced to go back to work before receiving a negative test result due to increasing numbers of ICU patients. 

‘I haven’t seen evidence of that. If that was the case, I would dispute because we [have] many staff members on the beat of over 140,000 people working in the health system,’ Ms Berejiklian replied. 

‘So it is really important to note that when you are in the middle of the pandemic and having cases every day, it stretches things.’  

Ms Berejiklian said even though a vast majority of healthcare workers were vaccinated, they could still catch the virus and pass it to others. 

The state premier also responded to criticism after it was revealed that Pfizer doses would be redirected from the community to Year 12 students.

Central Coast residents have had their bookings cancelled at a vaccination hub in Belmore so their doses can go to students. 

‘It is only around 19,000 students,’ Ms Berejiklian said. ‘It is important for us to give those year 12 students a chance to finish their exams and get rewarded.’

‘It’s what they deserve and know that we are finding younger people are getting the virus and spreading it.’ 

Ms Berejiklian conceded it would be weeks before residents get their hands on the Pfizer jab after their bookings were cancelled. 

She said the state had to prioritise Year 12 students as they prepared to take their Higher School Certificate and growing reports that some were too anxious to return to the classroom.  

‘Year 12 attaining those credentials is so important,’ she said. ‘We want to reduce their stress.’

‘It is stressful and upsetting the HSC, let alone in a pandemic. It is stressful for parents and families and we want to make sure we provide those best opportunities in every way we can. 

‘We are doing a lot of work on not only how we can have some level of face to face for your 12 but also in a safe way.’

Students may have been pushed ahead of the line to receive Pfizer, but teachers will still have to get the AstraZeneca.

‘Obviously, if you are a teacher or critical worker or any citizen, it doesn’t matter what you are doing, you should be coming forward to get the vaccine,’ she said.

‘For all adults the AstraZeneca is now recommended.’

Worrying traces of coronavirus have been found in sewage catchments in regional New South Wales despite the country towns reporting no cases of Covid-19. 

Fragments of the virus were detected in Molong which is 290km west of Sydney, and Armidale, located more than 480km from the outbreak.

Traces were also discovered on the northern end of the Central Coast and Wollongong 

‘People in those areas please come forward for testing with the mildest of symptoms,’ Dr McAnulty said.  

NSW Health on Wednesday night issued an alert for the sewage treatment plant in Molong, which services around 1700 people in the state’s central west. 

The Western Local Health District said a sample was tested at Molong near Orange last Monday and came back positive on Wednesday.  

Health authorities have also raised concerns about the lack of people coming forward for testing.

On Saturday, photos emerged of a Bondi Covid test centre sitting empty while a Fairfield clinic was packed with residents. 

A local resident who went to get tested at 3.30pm told Daily Mail Australia the empty clinic was concerning.

‘If no-one is getting tested in the eastern suburbs, that could mean lots of cases are going undetected,’ he said.