Tasmania's Covid Cases Rapidly Growing

Tasmania recorded 12 new Covid cases on Wednesday, bringing the state’s active infections to 26.

Cases have almost doubled in 24-hours following 14 reported infections on Tuesday.

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Four of the confirmed cases are under the state's Community Case Management Facility, while 18 are using Covid@Home and the remaining four are under investigation

It comes after 300 people were forced into isolation after two people tested positive to Covid following flight VA1086 from Sydney to Launceston last Wednesday, and then four more presented with Covid on Tuesday. 

Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch confirmed yesterday that all travellers onboard the flight are required to get tested and isolate until they deliver a negative result 

“The flight has been reclassified as a close contact site which will require everyone on that flight to have a further Covid test which at this stage will be about six days since their exposure to the site.

“That means the additional close contacts on that flight will bump that up to around 300 by the end of today,” Dr Veitch said.

Meantime, Premier Peter Gutwein threw aside any drama, confirming that rising cases numbers and exposure sites were always anticipated.

"We always said COVID would arrive, and we would have the systems in place to manage it," he said.

"It's important we keep on going and return to a life where we can live with Covid.

"As we learn to live with this, there will be many places that are listed, that's a statement of fact," the premier stated.

As of Wednesday, more than 90 per cent of eligible people aged over 16 are now fully vaccinated, while 96 per cent have received their first dose.

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