The ACT has recorded 17 new COVID-19 cases overnight, bringing the total number of active cases in the Territory to 45.

None of the 45 cases are hospitalised.

An all-time Territory record level of testing was set yesterday at 7,380 swabs.

“This shows Canberrans are coming forward,” ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

Of today’s new cases, three are unlinked at this stage, with more intensive interviews to be conducted by contact tracers this afternoon.

Ten of the ACT’s new cases have known links, while the status of four others is currently unknown as they are “extremely new”, just coming through overnight.

“They’re prioritised for follow-up interviews,” ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said.

Included in the new cases are three who were unknowingly infectious when attending the CIT Bruce and Reid campuses.

They visited several buildings across both campuses, thereby establishing multiple exposure locations.

CIT is working closely to communicate details with students and staff.

Of the current 45 cases, 37 have confirmed linkages with eight still under investigation.

“I’m really happy with that news, we’re keeping on top of the information we have,” Dr Coleman said.

The eight cases still under investigation includes the “index” or “source case” out of preliminary cluster.

Dr Coleman said her “public health priority” is ensuring “we haven’t missed any potential chains of transmission”.

Six sites have now identified at which transmission has occurred, those being Fiction Bar, the Downer Community Centre, Assembly Bar, Lennock Jaguar/Land Rover, Gold Creek School and Lyneham High.

“We definitely are seeing transmission from these exposure sites,” she said.

Four cases have been associated with the Lyneham High cluster, three at Gold Creek School, three at the Downer site, and “approximately six” at Fiction Bar, with potentially more as some “secondary and tertiary” transmission has been demonstrated.

Dr Coleman added there are “potentially three or four” additional exposures at “other sites”.

Testing sites to be further streamlined amid long queueing

The new case load will substantially increase the number of close contacts and exposure sites across Canberra.

The total number of exposure sites in Canberra ballooned to over 80 overnight, with Dr Coleman expecting that number to rise into the hundreds “probably tomorrow or the next day”.

“Please keep an eye out for those,” she said.

Testing capacity across the ACT has already dramatically scaled up since lockdown was announced last Thursday, with staff across Canberra Health Services being redirected to frontline testing duties.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith “urged” those at casual contact sites to postpone testing so close contacts could be prioritised.

“If you’re not in queue already, please hold off,” she said.

There were queues this morning at sites across Canberra before gates and doors opened.

Yesterday, some of the public waited up to 11 hours at EPIC.

The near 7,400 tests across public and private sites yesterday marks an exponential increase on the 1,000 tests being conducted daily just one week ago before lockdown began on 12 August.

In that time, testing has opened at the Brindabella Business Park, more than doubled capacity at EPIC, while the Kambah drive-through site opened yesterday afternoon.

From this afternoon, a “new model” will be activated across testing sites to further streamline the administration of testing.

The flow at EPIC will be redesigned to make it run even more efficiently, with people to be fast-tracked to different sites if required.

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