Sewage Surveillance Update

Aug 28, 2021

Mid North Coast Local Health District is urging locals to get tested for COVID-19 at the first sign of symptoms, following the low-level detection of fragments of the virus in sewage samples taken from the Bonny Hills sewage treatment plant on 25 August 2021.

There are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 anywhere in the Mid North Coast Local Health District. Two previous positive cases at Kempsey, reported on 18 and 20 August, continue to receive care and support as they isolate at home.

The Bonny Hills sewage treatment plant serves around 7,000 residents of Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Local Government Area. There have been no sewage detections in samples taken at the district’s 10 other testing sites.

Testing sewage can help provide early warning of undetected infections in an area. In this instance, where there are no known cases of COVID-19 this is of particular concern.

Detection of virus fragments in sewage can also be due to shedding of the virus by someone who may have previously had the illness and may no longer be infectious. It can also be the result of a person with COVID-19 who may have visited the community and has since left the area.

As well as being present in stools, viral fragments can enter the sewer when washed off hands and bodies through sinks and showers.

Usual sewage treatment processes inactivate, or kill, the COVID-19 virus.

A list of the latest sewage detections in NSW is available at the NSW Government website and more information about the NSW Sewage Surveillance Program at NSW Health.

We strongly encourage people in the area to remain vigilant and get tested at the first sign of illness.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include a runny nose, scratchy or sore throat, cough, fever, shortness of breath, headache, tiredness, loss of taste or smell, nausea, diarrhoea or muscle aches.

Anyone feeling unwell should immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result, so that any potential cases in the community are identified as quickly as possible.

There are COVID-19 testing clinics located across the Mid North Coast LHD at Bellingen, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Port Macquarie, South West Rocks, Wauchope and Woolgoolga.

A full list of clinic locations and opening hours are listed on the NSW government website at COVID-19 testing clinics.

There are more than 460 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week.

MNCLHD is also encouraging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves against COVID-19. There are more than 100 NSW vaccination clinics and outreach locations across the state.