Tears for Ianeta Isaako, youngest NSW woman to die of coronavirus
Ianeta Isaako was found unresponsive in her Sydney home. Her husband has been taken to hospital. Photo: Facebook
NSW is mourning the death of Ianeta Isaako, a 30-year-old woman who has been confirmed as the state’s youngest female coronavirus victim.
In Victoria, authorities are trying to stop the deadly Delta variant from creeping further into regional areas after cases were detected in another town.
In better news for that state, teenagers over 16 can now get vaccinated.
Canberra doctors, meanwhile, have concerns for the growing number of patients with COVID-19 there, including an unvaccinated woman in her 40s who is in intensive care.
Here’s a wrap of the latest coronavirus news in each locked-down state.
NSW
A mother of three children who became the youngest woman to die from coronavirus in NSW has been identified as Ianeta Isaako.
The 30-year-old was found unresponsive in her home in Emerton, in western Sydney, on Monday afternoon. Her condition had deteriorated quickly in the days after her positive test.
Mrs Isaako’s husband also has the virus and remains in hospital.
Her death takes the toll of the Delta outbreak to 75.
NSW had 753 more local virus cases on Tuesday, most in south-western Sydney.
Ianeta Isaako lived with her husband Sako and their three children in Emerton. Photo: Facebook
About 60 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 or older have had at least one shot, with 32 per cent fully vaccinated.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant has told residents that vaccination numbers are promising, but “we are here for the long haul”.
Dr Chant dismissed suggestions that NSW’s third wave of the virus might have peaked.
“That would give me joy … but one day is not a trend,” she said.
The ongoing emergency was exemplified by the declaration of a “yellow emergency” at Westmead Hospital on Tuesday as COVID-19 cases climb in western Sydney.
The declaration meant the hospital immediately cut ambulance arrivals for COVID-19 patients for 24 hours, sought transfer several critical patients to other Sydney hospitals and conducted urgent critical care reviews.
NSW Health data shows almost 4000 COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed in the past four weeks in the Western Sydney local health district.
There are more than 600 people with COVID-19 in hospital in NSW, with 107 in intensive care.
Exposure sites were named in Dubbo, Kempsey, Orange, Temora, Wellington, Beckom and Broken Hill on Tuesday night.
- Click here to see all the NSW exposure sites
Victoria
Young Victorians are expected to flood the state’s COVID-19 vaccination website, as Pfizer bookings become available for those aged 16-39.
From Wednesday, the eligibility at Victoria’s 55 vaccination hubs will widen as supply ramps up, courtesy of 175,000 Poland-imported doses.
Premier Daniel Andrews said more than 830,000 vaccination bookings in the next four weeks will become available from 7am Wednesday, including 450,000 first-dose Pfizer appointments.
Users reported the state’s vaccination booking system crashed after the announcement, but soon came back online. There were also reports early on Wednesday that it had crashed again.
Those aged 18 to 39 who already have a first-dose AstraZeneca appointment will be able to choose to instead receive the Pfizer jab, while all 16- to 17-year-olds will receive the latter.
It comes as Victoria posted 50 more coronavirus cases on Tuesday, of which 39 were infectious in the community and 10 are yet to be linked.
Seven were in Shepparton, about 180 kilometres north of Melbourne, bringing the total outbreak there to 44 cases. That cluster has been genomically linked to an earlier outbreak in the Melbourne suburb of Glenroy.
Five more cases were also confirmed among the family of a previously announced COVID-positive resident in Lara, north of Geelong.
The Little River BP on the highway, between Geelong and Melbourne, was among exposure sites listed on Tuesday night.
There are more than 700 exposure sites across Victoria, including 11 in the Geelong area.
Among the busy Melbourne sites is the Queen Victoria Market, which is a tier two location.
- Click here for all Victorian exposure sites
ACT
Canberra’s coronavirus outbreak has grown to 167 cases, with hospital and disability support workers among the latest infections.
An unvaccinated woman aged in her 40s is in intensive care requiring breathing support. There are also three other patients in hospital.
A University of Canberra Hospital worker involved in food preparation was among 30 cases reported on Tuesday.
The risk of infection to clinical staff and patients is considered to be low, but more than a dozen food preparation workers are in quarantine.
An outbreak in the ACT’s disability sector has grown to 17, with two additional support workers infected.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said it was too early to say if Canberra’s three-week lockdown would extend beyond September 2.
“This case number today will cause concern. It is a record day of cases for the ACT,” Mr Barr said.
Of Tuesday’s cases, 21 were household contacts of existing infections and 11 were in isolation while infectious.
Health authorities are still trying to work out exactly how the ACT’s first case in 13 months arrived from NSW.
- Click here for all ACT exposure sites
-with AAP
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