Just how many cases do we have?
According to state government figures, Covid case numbers in Bass Coast tripled in the first fortnight of October.
On Monday, Gippsland Region Public Health Unit (GRPHU) reported there were 395 active cases in Gippsland.
Baw Baw had the biggest case load (199), followed by Latrobe (158), with Bass Coast recording just 10 cases.
While the GRPHU case numbers for Baw Baw and Latrobe matched those reported on the state government coronavirus.vic.gov.au site, the numbers for Bass Coast are starkly different.
According to the state government website there were 21 active cases in our shire, up from 16 last Friday.
Previously Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child said a disparity in numbers could be due to a test being registered to a Bass Coast address, while the patient was currently residing or isolating elsewhere.
In addition, some of the 3984-postcode area (which covers the Waterline through to Lang Lang and Monomeith) falls across two local government areas, and not all of the area is under the GRPHU jurisdiction.
According to the state government breakdown by postcode, as of Monday, 3984 (Waterline area) is recording the highest number of cases (11) in the shire. Seven active cases are in 3995 (Wonthaggi and surrounds) and two in Inverloch. On Phillip Island, there are two cases in 3922 (Cowes and surrounds), and one in 3925 (San Remo, Newhaven, Cape Woolamai).
Whichever figures you follow, it’s clear there is Covid in the shire, and health authorities are urging anyone with symptoms to come forward for testing.
Viral fragments have been detected in the Wonthaggi wastewater in six tests conducted between October 5 and 13, and were detected in Cowes wastewater on October 12.
Based on figures on the state government Coronavirus website, cases tripled in Bass Coast in the first two weeks of October, but there are currently no exposure sites listed for the shire.
GRPHU advised there are now more than 900 primary close contacts throughout Gippsland, and five Covid patients in Latrobe Regional Hospital, including two in ICU.
GRPHU provide regular updates on case numbers and exposure sites on its Facebook page.
State government Covid figures at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/victorian-coronavirus-covid-19-data
