20 December 2021

COVID-19 update 20 December 2021

WA Health is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 overnight. The State’s total stands at 1125. To date, 1114 people have recovered from the virus in WA.

WA is monitoring two active cases in hotel quarantine.

A list of exposure site (external site) related to the interstate truck drivers, who were potentially infectious in WA, has been published on the HealthyWA website. Please continue to check the site in case more exposure sites are added.

Anyone who visited these sites at the specified times and dates must:

  • Get tested immediately and isolate until you receive a negative result unless directly advised otherwise by the Department of Health.

Metropolitan testing locations are available on HealthyWA.

Regional testing is available at:

  • Norseman Hospital – 8am to 6pm
  • Southern Cross – 24/7 – phone ahead on 9081 2222
  • Kalgoorlie Health Campus, 8am to 6pm.

178 contacts now identified (who are still in WA)

To date, 167 casual contacts and 11 close contacts have been identified (who are still in WA). So far 117 contacts have tested negative, one test results are pending. Of the close contacts, all have returned a tested negative.

Border controls

Based on the latest health advice, border controls with Queensland and Tasmania have been strengthened from 12.01am today (Monday, December 20).

Queensland update

WA has transitioned its border arrangements with Queensland from Low” risk to “Medium” risk. Travel from Queensland will not be permitted, unless a person is an approved traveller.

Tasmania update

Border controls with Tasmania has transitioned from 'very low risk' to 'low risk'. The elevation is part of a cautious approach as Tasmania now has relaxed border and quarantine requirements with COVID-positive jurisdictions.

NSW update

Based on the latest health advice, WA has transitioned its border arrangement with New South Wales from ‘High’ risk to an ‘Extreme’ risk category on Saturday, 18 December 2021.

Information about Western Australia’s controlled border arrangements, conditions of entry and quarantine is available online.

COVID-19 vaccinations*

Since vaccination numbers were reported on Friday December 17, 47,954 COVID-19 vaccine doses were recorded in WA, 24,459 of these were second doses. The total includes 14,154 historic COVID-19 vaccine doses*. These figures represent COVID-19 vaccinations at State-run clinics and doses given as part of the Commonwealth rollout**.

People are reminded that it is more important now than ever for everyone who has received their second dose of the COVID-19 five or more months ago to get their booster vaccination now without delay to ensure they have maximum protection again COVID-19. Do not wait till it is too late, act now and get vaccinated.

For the latest WA vaccination figures, visit the COVID-19 Coronavirus: Vaccination dashboard (external site)**.

Testing clinics

Yesterday, 602 people were swabbed at State-run clinics.* A list of all testing clinics is available on the HealthyWA website.

Mandatory vaccination information

mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for a majority of occupations and workforces in WA is being introduced in a phased approach. For more information on getting your COVID-19 vaccine, visit: https://rollup.wa.gov.au/

Variants

To date, 195 cases of variant strains have been detected in Western Australia – including two Omicron strain, 53 Alpha strain, 15 Beta strain, one Gamma strain and 117 Delta strain.

Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA website for the latest information on COVID-19.

Follow us on Twitter: WAHealth

** WA vaccination data for the WA COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard is sourced from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). AIR is a national register maintained by the Australian Government that records all vaccines given to all people in Australia. WA data includes all COVID-19 vaccinations in WA, whether administered by WA Health, Australian Government providers or other providers (including GPs). WA previously reported only WA Health data. Note that the dashboard does not update until after 2pm Monday to Friday.

vaccine dashboard data interpretation guide (external site) is also available to help you.