Uralla residents urged to get tested

Published on 24 November 2021

Sewage samples continue to show traces of COVID-19

Throughout October and November, Uralla Shire Council’s Water and Sewer crew have been taking twice-weekly samples of sewage to be freighted to Sydney Water’s laboratory for testing.

Every sample collected in these past two months have come back with a ‘Detected’ result for SARS-CoV-2 virus fragments. 

“It’s clear from these results that we do have one or more cases of COVID-19 in Uralla,” said Mayor Michael Pearce. “But with no positive cases having yet been identified within the Uralla sewage catchment, it's difficult for NSW Health to understand the scale and to help prevent its transmission.”

COVID-19 testing services are available by appointment at the Uralla Medical Centre. Laverty Pathology has also reopened the drive-through testing clinic adjacent to Armidale Airport, which temporarily closed due to extreme weather conditions.

 “People of Uralla Shire have led the way with excellent vaccination rates – currently sitting at over 95% of eligible residents with their first jab and 92.6% with their second jab,” said Mayor Pearce.

“We can’t afford to slack off when it comes to testing – everyone needs to pull their weight.”

For further details about testing clinics, including opening hours, visit: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/clinics.aspx