Eighteen Melbourne suburbs are on high alert after Covid fragments were found in waste water despite no positive cases
An urgent Covid-19 alert has been issued for 18 Melbourne suburbs after fragments of the virus were found in waste water.
Victoria’s Department of Health said the viral fragments were found in a wastewater catchment in the city’s east between April 20 and April 24 last week.
The warning comes despite Victoria on Tuesday reporting no new community cases of the deadly virus for 60 consecutive days.
Eighteen Melbourne suburbs are on high alert after fragments of Covid-19 were found in waste water in sewage catchments in the city’s north and east
Separate detections of the virus were made in the city’s northern catchment between April 17-22.
The suburbs whose sewage drain into the eastern catchment are Balwyn, Balwyn North, Blackburn, Blackburn North, Box Hill, Box Hill North, Bulleen, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Donvale, Mitcham, Mont Albert, Mont Albert North, Nunawading and Templestowe Lower.
The northern catchment serves Epping, South Morang and Wollert.
Residents of the 18 suburbs have been told to watch for symptoms of the virus and get tested if they occur.
The state’s Department of Health said the fragments could be caused by Covid-19 cases continuing to shed the virus for several weeks after they were infected.
Fragments found in wastewater could also be a sign though there are as-yet undetected coronavirus cases in the community.
Victoria’s 60-day run without a community case of the virus was preserved despite an infected Melbourne resident flying into the city from Perth on April 21.
He contracted the virus in Perth from a positive coronavirus case who was staying on the same floor of his quarantine hotel.
His infected was reclassified as a Western Australian case after being initially included in Victoria’s case total.
More to come
