No new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the NT in the last 24 hours, but authorities are still waiting for the results of over 300 tests due to delays in processing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Health Minister Natasha Fyles told media on Friday that a storm in the region on Thursday delayed the tests being transported to the lab in Darwin.
"We had a number of tests in Katherine yesterday that weren't able to get into our laboratories in Darwin until very, very late in the evening," she said.
"So we have no new cases in the last 24 hours to report, but we're waiting on over 300 tests from Katherine Township. They are in the laboratories and we're expecting those results later today.
"Once we get them we will of course update the community."
Read more:
Ms Fyles said the wastewater testing in Katherine's Bicentennial Road Catchment had once again returned a positive result, but that the signal was weakening.
"We are hoping that is explained by a case that has already tested positive and safely being cared for," she said.
"In the next 24 hours, wastewater will be critical..."
Ms Fyles also announced that the mask mandate in the Big Rivers region, apart from the Katherine Town Council LGA, would be lifted immediately.
"We thank you everybody that has done the right thing and complied with that mask mandate. It was an important measure, a health measure that was recommended and we put that in place but it is now safe to remove that."
Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Chales Pain said authorities would hold a meeting on Saturday to further discuss the prospect of moving Katherine from a lockdown to a lockout.
"As to the cases in the community, we're pretty confident that we've tracked those down. We can't be absolutely confident. So that's why we will be deferring our decision making and that will depend on pending wastewater testing and further results," he said.
He said there was a chance a decision would be made tomorrow depending on the results of the delayed tests and further wastewater testing.
Ms Fyles joined more than 4000 Territorians who have received her COVID-19 booster shot at the Marrara COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
Anyone who has been fully vaccinated for six month is now eligible to get their booster shot.
"If you had your vaccination earlier on, you're eligible to get that booster shot at the six month mark and that's important, as we've seen overseas with evidence around the virus."
The Katherine Times has removed the paywall from our stories relating to health warnings and safety of the community in regards to the coronavirus. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
