Covid numbers not an accurate reflection of local infection

The official number of local Covid cases is a poor reflection of the actual number of infectious people in the community, according to Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child.

While active Covid cases for Bass Coast are 115 (Cowes 33 and San Remo 19, as of January 4), Ms Child said because data reflected local residents and not tourists, total numbers of infectious people in the community would be higher.

“People can stop looking at those numbers in my view,” she said.

“I don’t even see the data on all cases, but I know for sure the numbers in our catchment are much higher than what is reported. We are certainly getting more close contacts, household contacts and suspected Covid cases come in for testing and through the urgent care and emergency department.

“Because of the way data is sorted we can’t be definitive about a total daily number, but all indicators are the numbers are rising very fast and we expect them to continue to rise quickly.”

She said she understood people wanted to know where the exposure sites were but there were “too many to list and update”.

“I can tell you that the virus is reaching all parts of our community. Positive cases are abundant with the Christmas and New Year’s gatherings taking their toll.

Ms Child said it was “positive” that ICU numbers had not risen in parallel, with locally sick Covid patients hospitalized at LaTrobe Regional Hospital.

People should still get a test if they have been asked to do so or if they have symptoms, she added. 

“As the number of cases continues to rise in our local community, the number of people with symptoms will grow and it is really important that these people are prioritised. 

“There are many exposure sites across Bass Coast and South Gippsland every day, and when we combine our local population with the significant number of visitors to our region, that means our case numbers will rise quickly and the number of people who need our services will increase.”