The ACT's Covid testing system will face its toughest challenge yet, after a Gungahlin high school student tested positive for the virus and thousands of people were identified as potential contacts.
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Two new cases of Covid were identified in the community on Friday, bringing the total to six, with authorities confirming the first identified case of the outbreak had the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Mystery still surrounds how COVID-19 returned to Canberra, with genomic sequencing yet to determine on Friday where the case was linked to.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said now was not the time to focus on the origin of the outbreak, including whether anyone had breached public health orders.
"That is entirely unimportant at the moment because it will do absolutely nothing to address the situation that we face today, which is about identifying close contacts, testing people that we need to get tested and advising of the exposure sites," Mr Barr said.
More than 1800 people had been identified as close contacts by 11am on Friday, but between 1500 and 2000 people were expected to be affected by the Gold Creek School case.
The ACT is expected to post several days of record Covid test numbers, with 10-hour wait times reported for some government-run clinics on Friday.
More than 2000 tests were conducted on Thursday, with 1331 negative results received by 9am.
Three of the six active cases were already reported on Thursday night by ACT health authorities. Those three cases were close contacts of a Gungahlin man in his 20s, who was the first case.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith apologised to people who were turned away from testing sites on Thursday night, and said the ACT government was working hard to boost capacity.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman implored anyone who had been turned away from a testing clinic to come back for testing.
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"None of us are trying to stop somebody getting tested. We are trying our absolute best to get you your test when you need it. Please give us a break in this. We're trying our best," Dr Coleman said.
ACT Health was working last night to establish a pop-up testing site for people potentially exposed to the virus at Gold Creek School, where a 14-year-old student tested positive.
The student attended school while infectious for three days last week, forcing anyone who was there on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, including staff, students and construction workers on site, into a two-week quarantine period.
The neighbouring Holy Spirit Catholic primary school and early learning centre was named as a casual contact location.
Medical experts have raised concerns globally the Delta variant of COVID-19 could pose a greater risk to young people, while clusters in schools have been reported in Queensland, Victoria and the NSW Hunter region in recent weeks.
Five residential halls at the Australian National University's Acton campus were released from quarantine after potential close contacts received negative tests on Friday.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
