COVID-19 update
The NSW Government has announced some important updates regarding COVID-19:
If you are under 65 years of age, have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant, you can safely manage COVID-19 at home.
Most people with COVID-19 will have a mild illness and will recover in a few days or so, with some people having no symptoms at all.
Most symptoms can be managed with:
- bed rest
- regular paracetamol and ibuprofen to relieve pain and fevers
- throat lozenges for a sore throat
- keeping hydrated with regular sips of water.
Continue to take any medications you have been prescribed as usual. If you are unsure about continuing to take your current medication or treatment, or have any concerns about your health, call your doctor.
Please contact your GP or call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933 if you are pregnant, or if you have a chronic condition including:
- obesity
- severe, chronic or complex medical conditions (including cardiac, respiratory, renal or neurodevelopmental)
- diabetes
- immunocompromised, including if you have cancer
- severe mental illness.
There are effective treatments available for people at risk of severe disease from COVID-19. If you need other clinical support or have non-urgent health related questions during isolation, call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933.
If you develop severe symptoms (particularly severe dizziness, drowsiness or confusion, suffering shortness of breath, chest pressure or pain lasting more than 10 minutes, or you are unable to stand) you should call Triple Zero (000) straight away and tell the ambulance staff that you have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
If you are a person at high risk of health complications, such as a pregnant woman, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, unvaccinated person over 16 years of age or immunosuppressed, then you need to call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933.
To find out more and to access this information in more languages visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/advice-for-confirmed.aspx.
Register positive COVID test results with Service NSW
Anyone who tests positive using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) will now be required to register their result with Service NSW.
NSW residents can register their result with just a few clicks on the Service NSW website or by using the Service NSW app.
Registering your RAT result enables NSW Health to provide you with advice on self-isolation and managing COVID-19 symptoms at home, to connect high risk people to clinical care services and to help inform the ongoing public health response.
Please contact your GP or call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933 if you are pregnant, or if you have a chronic condition.
Tested positive for COVID-19 and wondering when you can leave self-isolation?
You must self-isolate for 7 days from the day you were tested. You can only leave self-isolation after 7 days if you do not have a sore throat, runny nose, cough or shortness of breath.
You will receive an SMS from NSW Health after 7 days but you do not have to wait for this SMS to leave self-isolation if it has been 7 days since you were tested.
If you have a sore throat, runny nose, cough or shortness of breath in the 24 hours before your 7 days is finished, please call the NSW Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933. If you need an interpreter, please call 131 450
If you are under the care of a NSW Health clinical team, your team will tell you when you will be released from isolation.
More info: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/
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Changes to definition of COVID-19 contacts
People at the highest risk of catching COVID-19 include someone who:
- is a household contact of someone who has COVID-19
- has spent a lot of time with someone who has COVID-19 (e.g. stayed at their house or went on a long car trip together).
These people are at high-risk and must take a COVID-19 test as soon as they are told by the person who has COVID-19. They must isolate for 7 days from the day they saw the COVID-19 positive person and have a negative test result and no symptoms on day 6 before leaving isolation on day 7.
You should assess your personal risk and circumstances to determine whether you are at high risk and need to isolate for 7 days.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- How much time did I spend with the COVID-19 positive person, and how closely did we interact?
- Did we spend time together outdoors or indoors?
- Were we both wearing masks? Or just one of us, or neither of us?
- Do I live or work with any vulnerable/high risk people? This could include the elderly or people who are immunocompromised
More information: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/
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Updated information and translated resources and materials about COVID-19 are available at www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
Call 13 77 88, available 24/7, for COVID-19 related questions. To speak to an interpreter in your language call 13 14 50