COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
The COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, Australia was part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in New South Wales was identified on 19 January 2020 in Sydney where three travellers returning from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.[1][2][3]
COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
19-01-2020
4,115,928 (as of 3 November 2023)
1,637 (as of 3 November 2023)
733 (as of 3 November 2023)
12 (as of 3 November 2023)
4,106,444 (as of 3 November 2023)
7,748 [a]
(as of 3 November 2023)
0.19%
As of 1 April 2022, there had been over 1,863,186 confirmed cases in NSW: 1,149,142 confirmed cases from PCR testing, and nearly 714,044 positive rapid antigen tests (RAT) since mid-January 2022.[4] 17,509,209 vaccines have been administered.[4]
Vaccination rollout[edit]
On 21 February 2021, the first public COVID-19 vaccinations in Australia, with the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine, were administered in Sydney.[48] Up to 6:00 pm on 23 February in NSW, 3,200 people were immunised across three state-run hospitals.[49]
On 10 May, a mass vaccination hub opened at Sydney Olympic Park. The same day, registrations began for NSW residents aged 40 to 49-years to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer was the preferred vaccine, with AstraZeneca initially restricted to only those over 60-years-of-age on the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) due to blood-clot issues in younger people.[50] Due to low numbers of Pfizer vaccines available, AstraZeneca was later made available to those aged 18–59 in outbreak areas if they provided written or verbal consent.[51]
During the Higher School Certificate exams in 2021, the Commonwealth government allowed NSW Health to rebook vaccinations affected by reallocation of doses to year 12 students in south west and western Sydney.[52]
As of 1 April 2022, there have been 17,509,209 vaccines have been administered.[4] Of citizens 16 and older, 96% had received their first dose, 94.6% received their second dose, and 60.2% had received their third dose of the vaccine.
Significant outbreaks[edit]
Bondi cluster[edit]
Despite a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people, huge crowds flocked to the popular Bondi Beach and other beaches across Sydney on Friday 20 March. Health Minister Greg Hunt said that such behaviour was "unacceptable" while the New South Wales Labor's Shadow Treasurer, Walt Secord urged the government to completely close off the beach. New South Wales Police Minister David Elliott later stated in a televised interview that lifeguards were instructed to keep a head count of the people at the beach and if the number exceeded 500, the beach would be closed. On 21 March, crowds built up yet again which led Waverley Council to temporarily close Bondi, and the other beaches of Bronte and Tamarama.
By 30 June 2021, the 'Bondi cluster' of delta variant COVID-19 reached 160 cases, becoming Sydney's largest cluster to this date, and by 7 July, the Bondi cluster linked cases had reached 264.[64]
As a consequence of social distancing requirements, lockdowns, travel restrictions, and state or national border closures implemented when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, numerous events in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled, rescheduled, postponed, reduced in size, or changed location. Some went to an online or streaming format. Some events, such as Vivid Sydney were cancelled for the second year in a row. Into early 2021 events such as regional agricultural shows, and music festivals (Byron Bay Bluesfest and Groovin the Moo)[75][76] were cancelled. As of 16 January 2021 twenty regional town shows scheduled for January or February 2021 had been postponed or cancelled in New South Wales.[77]