New South African COVID cases have NSW scrambling
NSW Health authorities are scrambling to trace the possible transmission of the South African COVID-19 strain within the Mercure hotel after three returned travellers staying at the Sydney hotel tested positive.
Authorities are searching for any other travellers who stayed at the hotel between April 7-12.
The three infected travellers entered the country on April 3 on the same flight before staying in adjacent rooms on the 10th floor. Two are related to each other.
The news comes as the WA Health Department recorded two new cases of hotel-quarantine acquired COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Two sets of guests in quarantine at the Mercure Hotel Perth in opposite rooms shared the same virus sequence, the Department confirmed. This is despite the travellers arriving from different countries at different times.
Genomic testing of the NSW cases found that all three had the same strain, the B1.351 variant of COVID-19, commonly known as the South African strain.
On day two of quarantine all three tested negative, but were later positive on day seven, ten, and 12 respectively.
Any guests who stayed on the 10th floor during that period that have since been released are being asked to get tested and self-isolate.
Staff who worked in the area are also isolating and getting tested.
The three positive NSW cases have been transferred to the Special Health Accommodation and will stay there until they are no longer infectious.