A number of Aboriginal Australians have recently been diagnosed with Covid-19 in Sydney, with the NT Chief Health Officer saying this highlights the need for NT Indigenous communities to take the virus seriously.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Speaking at a press conference today, Dr Hugh Heggie spoke about his decision to make all of New South Wales a hotspot after attending the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee meeting.
"It has been said by experts today that probably, it is twice the number of people who require hospitalisation, than in the Victorian outbreak at the beginning of the pandemic," he said.
Dr Heggie also said a number of Aboriginal people had been diagnosed with the virus in Sydney, which has been a long held concern of health professionals.
More COVID news:
"The outbreak in Sydney has spread to a number of parts around Sydney and slightly beyond, but it now involves a lot of people who are from a range of different countries around the world. And also, importantly, several Aboriginal people have been infected," he said.
"And I know that there have been some Aboriginal Territorians that might have thought that this illness may not affect them. And clearly, it does."
He urged all eligible Territorians to get vaccinated to prevent serious ramifications of the Delta strain.
"I particularly want to reach out to all Territorians who are eligible for vaccination. It might not stop you catching the virus, or indeed spreading the virus, but it does actually stop you becoming seriously unwell or potentially losing your life - that is important for the rest of The territory.
"Because if you have an outbreak here, there's the potential for harm, and loss of lives."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark katherinetimes.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @KatherineTimes
- Follow us on Instagram @katherinetimes
- Follow us on Google News
- Contact us at editor.kathtimes@austcommunitymedia.com.au
- You can also receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.