Exposure sites will continue to be updated on the HealthyWA website. People are encouraged to check this site regularly.
WA Health has reported one new local COVID-19 case and eight travel-related cases since 8pm last night.
The new local case is a child, who is a household contact of a previously announced positive case. There is no community concern as the child has been in quarantine throughout their infectious period. WA Health encourages parents of children under 12 to get them vaccinated as soon as possible.
The Chief Health Officer has advised that case 1260, the woman announced on Wednesday as acquiring the virus from an unknown source, has now been linked to another case. Genome sequencing has connected the previously announced case of the Tasmania returned traveller with case 1260.
This was a result of comprehensive tracing by WA Health officials and is the reason WA Health is issuing new public health advice for exposure sites in Perth’s south.
New testing advice
Anyone who has visited any of the exposure sites in Atwell, Bentley, Bull Creek, Cannington, Jandakot, and Success should recheck the HealthyWA website for updated advice. For many of the sites in this area WA Health are now asking people to get tested immediately.
The public health advice also extends to anyone in the City of Cockburn or broader Perth metropolitan area experiencing symptoms to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
A full list of testing clinics is available on Healthy WA website. Metropolitan public testing clinics are open until 10.00pm tonight.
Interstate and overseas travellers
Seven of the new reported cases acquired the virus interstate and one case is related to an overseas traveller. All are in quarantine.
Ride-share update
The ride-share driver from Wednesday (12 January) quarantine breach has been located, tested and returned a negative result.
The case involved in the quarantine breach received a positive result on 3 January 2022. Given that it is 10 days after symptom onset, and the person has reported no symptoms lately, they are unlikely to be infectious.
Other information
There are currently 118 confirmed active cases in WA. Of these, 42 are in hotel quarantine and 76 are in self-quarantine.
Today’s nine new cases bring the State’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 1285.
It’s encouraging to see more people are logging their movements through SafeWA.
Using the SafeWA app will help authorities contact those who may be at risk quickly and effectively.
So far in WA, 1,158 people have recovered from the virus.
Exposure sites
WA Health’s contact tracing team continues to identify a new range of exposure sites linked to new cases and it is likely exposure sites will be updated or added. Please continue to check exposure sites regularly.
Exposure sites are listed on the HealthyWA website.
Testing clinics
3,766 Western Australians were swabbed at clinics yesterday.
WA Health is expanding testing capacity, including operating hours of clinics. There are many clinics available – people are encouraged to check the HealthyWA website to find clinic locations and opening hours.
Private clinics are also available. Testing is available free of charge at private testing clinics for people who have been advised by WA Health to get tested, or who have been present at exposure sites at the times listed on the HealthyWA website.
Safe WA
On 13 January, 1,815,063 were recorded on the Safe WA App.
Border controls
Information about Western Australia’s controlled border arrangements, conditions of entry and quarantine is available online.
COVID-19 vaccinations
COVID-19 vaccination clinics administered 36,780 vaccines in WA yesterday.
Demand for vaccinations and third doses is increasing. Recently clinics have experienced some of their busiest days with surges in demand from walk-in patrons which has resulted in some people without bookings unfortunately being turned away so that people with bookings could be accommodated.
Our clinics have the capacity to provide the vaccinations, however, to spread the demand across clinic operating hours to avoid excessive wait times, we are asking people to make a booking via Vaccinate WA.
What is important to note is that vaccinations are also available at GPs and pharmacies and we encourage people to take up those options. There are hundreds of locations across the State and people are asked the visit www.rollupforwa.com.au for more information.
People are also reminded that it is important for everyone who has received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine four or more months ago to get their third dose vaccination without delay to ensure they have maximum protection again COVID-19. Do not wait until it is too late - act now and get vaccinated.
The Claremont COVID-19 vaccination clinic is now located in the Jim Webster Pavilion at Claremont Showgrounds. Entry is still via Gate 8 off Ashton Avenue. The nearest train station is Loch Street station; there is also onsite parking available.
Appointments already booked will be automatically transferred.
A new fixed clinic at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC) is expected to open in mid-January 2022. This replaces a pop-up vaccination clinic that opened at the PCEC on December 26, 2021.
For the latest WA vaccination figures, visit the COVID-19 Coronavirus: Vaccination dashboard (external site)**. For the latest Commonwealth data visit the Vaccination Numbers and Statistics website.
Mandatory vaccination information
A mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for a majority of occupations and workforces in WA is being introduced in a phased approach. For more information on getting your COVID-19 vaccine, visit: https://rollup.wa.gov.au/
Variants
To date, 292 cases of variant strains have been detected in Western Australia – including 86 Omicron strain, 53 Alpha strain, 15 Beta strain, one Gamma strain and 137 Delta strain.
Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA website for the latest information on COVID-19.
Follow us on Twitter: WAHealth
*The number of close and casual contacts is not static and may change as further information becomes available. Close contacts are added when identified and intensive investigations to locate them are undertaken.
**A vaccine dashboard data interpretation guide (external site) is also available to help you.