Community leaders call for Katanning residents to do their part as COVID case numbers rise in Great Southern

Katanning essential services are adapting to the spread of COVID-19 across the Great Southern as police call on residents to do their part by following guidelines and being ready to isolate. With hundreds of active cases in the region, Katanning GP Nicolas Du Preez has given his expert advice on how to be prepared for the virus. On Tuesday, there were 546 active local COVID cases in the Great Southern with 38,742 active cases across the State, according to the WA Department of Health. Katanning police Acting Inspector Carlos Correia has urged anyone in the community who tests positive to COVID-19 or has been advised they are a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 cases to stay at home and follow WA Health guidelines. “If you do you get COVID, make sure you are isolating,” Senior Sergeant Correia said. “We have had a few people who are not necessarily doing the right thing.” Sen. Sgt Correia said at least one person in Katanning has been charged for failing to isolate, with a Katanning man appearing by video link in the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday charged under the Emergency Management Act. There have already been changes made to essential services in town in recent weeks to protect the community. Katanning and Kojonup’s main doctors surgeries are attempting to limit face-to-face interactions, with St Luke’s Family Practices moving primarily to Telehealth appointments as a precaution. St Luke’s general practitioner Nicolas Du Preez said most clients were adapting well to the changes. “We have done (telehealth) before, so it is not a completely new thing to our clients,” he said. Katanning’s only refuge has also made the decision to only accept double-vaccinated clients in light of the region’s rising COVID-19 cases. Katanning Regional Emergency Accommodation Centre will now find alternatives for those who are not vaccinated due to communal areas shared between clients using the facility. Those wishing to use the centre’s services will be tested and directed to the hospital if they test positive. The donations shed at the centre has also been closed temporarily but people are still encouraged to continue making contributions through the donation bay at the site. KREAC manager Sheralee Buss said the decision was made to protect both staff and clients. “Given the rising numbers of COVID-19, we just want to see what happens,” she said. “If numbers continue to rise, we will have no problems keeping the shed closed.” With local cases set to continue rising, St Luke’s Dr Du Preez said it was important for people to prepare for if they test positive for COVID-19. “Make sure you have supplies of paracetamol or ibuprofen, have at least a day or two worth of food to start with and then if you need to, you can organise for delivery of items to your house in some way,” he said. Dr Du Preez also advised people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 get a pulse oximeter, which are being distributed by local governments for free to those aged 65 years and older, pregnant women and Indigenous people aged 50 years and over. “It will helps us to monitor their oxygen saturation and if need be, tell them if they need to go to a hospital,” he said. Dr Du Preez said he understands concerns about COVID-19 spreading in the local community. “It is understandable,” he said. “We have known about COVID, but we have not had to really deal with it until now. “I often say to my patients ‘carry on but make sure you use precautions’.” “They don’t need to worry that if they get COVID, they will be left on their own - we will guide them through the process.” The increase in local cases comes after Katanning Health Service nursing director Tina Jones warned in February that widespread community transmission of COVID was expected. “It is our expectation that a large number of people will become infected, but it is also our expectation that those who are fully vaccinated will have a very mild illness,” she said. The Katanning Shire had a double-dose vaccination rate of more than 95 per cent as of Monday, with 81.8 per cent of those who are eligible having received more than two doses.