Government officials who are collecting sewage samples from a tourist attraction to test for hidden cases of COVID-19 have mistaken the batch and delivered it unnecessarily.
Samples from Byron Bay sewage plants were sent to NSW Health for testing to determine if coronavirus cases were unknown in the county.
But when they arrived at the lab, scientists found that the samples could not be used after advice workers put them in a freezer rather than a refrigerator.
Byron Bay was left without COVID-19 sewage test results after government officials frozen samples to make them useless. The bungle comes when holidaymakers head to the tourist site (pictured) to make the most of the summer holidays
The debacle has left the county without sewage test results for about a month, North Coast Public Health director Paul Corben told the Gold Coast Magazine.
The famine comes as New South Wales remains vigilant amid an increase in new coronavirus cases coming from a group in Sydney’s northern beaches.
Earlier this month, other states and territories rushed to prevent Greater Sydney residents from crossing their borders in response to the uprising, which is now linked to 144 cases.
As authorities scramble to stop the spread, Byron Bay, like many popular coastal resorts across New South Wales, is busy with holidaymakers embracing the Christmas season.
The local Nicqui Yazdi, a representative of the Local Drugs Action Team and the Byron Underage Drug and Drug Initiative, appeared on Facebook on Thursday, describing the mistake as a ‘big message’.
‘I sent out several emails yesterday and called around trying to clarify the lack of routine reports for more than a month now on a sewage test at the two Byron plants on the official NSW Health Covid Surve site,’ she wrote.
‘I received an email response last night from Wayne Jones, chief executive of NSW North Local Health District.’
Wayne confirmed what I suspected, that, of course, there has been a lot of material, and samples from one of the Byron Shire sewage plants have not been covid tested, because they freeze the samples instead of cooling them, thus making the samples useless, ‘she said.
Council staff who inadvertently collected samples freeze the samples instead of putting them in the fridge (stock)
I literally think this could have happened! And at peak traffic times each year for Byron for tourism! ‘
The council did not respond to telephone or email inquiries.
Mr Corben said no results were available from the two Byron Shire test spots from the week ending 5 December.
He said there were many supply challenges in transporting samples from regional NSW to Sydney.
‘Operational error at the collection resulted in recent samples being frozen rather than chilled, so it was not possible to inspect them once they were obtained by NSW Health,’ he said.
The North Coast Public Health Unit has issued clarification guidance to the council on the proper handling of samples to avoid further problems with sample testing.
Byron County Council has advised that a sample was collected yesterday [Wednesday] and will be tested upon arrival at the laboratory in Sydney. ‘
The Australian Daily Mail has contacted Byron County Council and NSW Health for comment.
The error was discovered after the samples were sent to the NSW Health laboratory for testing
NSW reported 10 cases of community outbreak of coronavirus Thursday as western collection grows from a secret source.
Five of those were connected to Sydney’s northern beach browser, after nearly 28,000 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.
The so-called Avalon collection, which exploded earlier this month, is now at 144.
Three of the 10 cases of COVID-19 are linked to the Croydon browser in west Sydney, and the origins of this infection are still being investigated.
A total of nine people have been linked to this hot spot after six infected people from the same extended family were found on Wednesday.
Of the other two cases reported Thursday, one is a close connection of a previously reported patient transport driver and the other is from west Sydney and the source is under investigation.
Locals Northern Beaches will want to test at the Covid-19 pop-up test facility in Avalon on 18 December
Authorities are still investigating two cases of COVID-19 involving a pair of women from the same home in Wollongong, on the south coast of NSW.
Hundreds of people have been tested for the virus in the city and the government expects to have a clearer picture of any spread in the next 24 to 48 hours.
But Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was pleased the number of cases is falling to 10 from 18 the day before.
‘So pleased we have seen the numbers go down today but they are very volatile,’ said Ms Berejiklian.
‘They’re going to kick around.
‘What is really important for us all is to do what we can to reduce our mobility, reduce the number of people we mix with and make sure we stick to the regulations and health advice. ‘