FRAGMENTS of the COVID-19 virus have been discovered in sewage at the Dareton treatment plant.
New South Wales health authorities have confirmed the fragments were discovered following testing on September 16 at the plant which serves about 500 people, however no cases have been confirmed in the town.
There have been concerns about the spread of the virus from western areas of the state to the Wentworth Shire local government area following outbreaks in Broken Hill, Wilcannia and Balranald.
Residents in Dareton have been urged to monitor for symptoms and to get tested and self-isolate immediately even with the mildest of symptoms.
The Far West Local Health District (FWLHD) reported six new cases of COVID-19 to 8pm Monday, bringing the total number of cases reported in the district to 205. Five of the new cases are in Wilcannia and one is in Broken Hill.
The district’s total number of recovered cases is 113, while the total number of active cases in the region has reduced to 92.
Far West Local Health District has urged eligible people to come forward for vaccination providing they are not cases, contacts of cases, are not isolating, and do not have symptoms.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services has removed two public exposure sites following Mildura’s most recent outbreak.
There are still four active cases in the Mildura Local Government Area who remain in isolation.
Mildura’s wastewater treatment site had an unexpected positive detection on September 8, however subsequent testing over four successive days from September 13 returned no detection.
The wastewater treatment plant at Koorlong has had expected detections on September 9, 13, 14 and 16, but there have been no new cases linked to the current outbreak.
There have been no detections at the Robinvale wastewater treatment plant.
