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Media

The Far West LHD Media Unit is responsible for all media inquiries and interviews with Far West LHD staff members. The Unit regularly advises on major public health issues and disease outbreaks, through media releases, media conferences and, sometimes, special telephone hotlines.

Contact us

The Media Officer for Far West LHD is Branko Licul on 0411 119 592 or email branko.licul@health.nsw.gov.au

The Media Unit is the primary point of contact for news organisations. All media enquiries must come through the Media Unit in the first instance. This includes:

  • Requests for interviews
  • Photo requests of staff, patients or our facilities
  • General enquiries about health issues
  • Any condition updates on patients who have been injured in an accident or are otherwise of interest to the media

Please do not call our hospitals directly as they are not allowed to provide this information.

Staff are not permitted to speak to journalists or representatives of media organisations without the knowledge or permission of the Media Officer.

An On-Call Media Officer is available after normal business hours to assist media with urgent enquiries. This is organised on a roster basis and the correct person to contact is available via a voicemail message on 0411 119 592.

 

 

 

 




View Far West LHD Media Releases for

<< The archived Media Releases from the Greater Western AHS can be accessed here >>





08 December 2021

Far West Lhd Covid-19 Update - No Cases Reported


There were no new cases of COVID-19 reported in the Far West Local Health District (FWLHD) to 8pm last night.

All cases in FWLHD are in isolation and are being contacted regularly by NSW Health staff for health and welfare checks. Follow up investigations and contact tracing are continuing as required.

Anyone with even mild cold-like symptoms is asked to come forward immediately for testing. If you have symptoms you must isolate after your test until you get a negative result. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, sore throat, cough, headache, runny nose, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches or pains, and a change in taste or smell.

Surveillance testing has been implemented across the Far West Local Health District to encourage more people to get tested. Surveillance testing is the same as normal COVID-19 testing but there is no requirement to self-isolate while awaiting the test results, provided the person tested has no symptoms, and is not a close or casual contact of a confirmed case and everyone at home is well.

Find your nearest testing clinic here: COVID-19 testing clinics | NSW Government.

Sewage surveillance testing has detected traces of the virus that causes COVID-19 in samples taken at Broken Hill (25 November), South Broken Hill (25 November) and Buronga (1 December). Residents are urged to be vigilant for symptoms and come forward for testing. No traces of the virus were detected in sewage samples in Dareton (1 December), Wentworth (1 December), Wilcannia (30 November) and Balranald (24 November).

Those aged 12 years and above are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination. Far West LHD continues to urge the community to come forward for vaccination (providing they are not cases, contacts of cases, are not isolating, and do not have symptoms). People who were not vaccinated at the time of contracting the virus are also eligible to be vaccinated as soon as they have recovered.

NSW Health state-run clinics are now offering a booster dose, using the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, to individuals aged 18 and over. This booster shot will help people maintain a high level of protection against the COVID-19 virus, including the Delta variant. People aged 18 years and older may receive a booster at least six months after receiving their second dose of any of the COVID-19 vaccines registered for use in Australia.

To book a vaccination appointment, access the Federal Government’s Vaccine Clinic Finder: https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility.

Anyone in the community with COVID-19 who is isolating at home is reminded they should call the public health unit on 1300 066 055 if they have any health concerns. Please call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency, including a deterioration in symptoms.

New rules for returning travellers regarding the Omicron B.1.1.529 variant of concern are now in place. In line with Commonwealth measures, all travellers arriving in NSW who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must enter hotel quarantine for 14 days, irrespective of their vaccination status.

All fully vaccinated travellers who have been in any other overseas country during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must travel directly to their place of residence or accommodation and isolate for 72 hours. They will only be able to exit isolation at the end of the 72-hour period if they have received a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken after arrival in NSW. These people must also complete a PCR test on day six after arrival.

Anyone who has already arrived in NSW who has been in any of the eight African countries within the previous 14 days must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, and call NSW Health on 1800 943 553.