Tamworth will hit the nine-month milestone on Sunday, if no local contact cases of coronavirus are confirmed today.
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The city has been COVID-free for nine months since its last confirmed case back on April 17.
Testing numbers have also steadily risen over the past month, which Hunter New England Health (HNEH) physician Dr David Durrheim attributes to more face-to-face interactions during Christmas and New Years.
Dr Durrheim told the Leader 2576 tests had been conducted in Tamworth during this time.
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"The week ending December 20 there was 382 tests completed; the week ending December 27 there was 708; January 3 there was 534; and January 10 there was 952," he said.
"We do think the community is being wise because the number of holiday makers and those who have been in regional NSW are getting tested just to make sure any sniffle and sore throat aren't COVID.
"They didn't want to expose anyone in their family or friend group to the virus and have made sure they've got tested which is fantastic."
Gunnedah has also seen an increase in tests over these same four weeks.
Numbers rose from 63 in the week ending December 20; to 81 the week after; then 83; and then 125 in the week ending January 10.
"We think some of that is some of the concern around the situation in the greater Brisbane area," Dr Durrheim said.
"We know a number of people went to visit family in south-east QLD."
But he warns people not to become complacent, and urged those with any symptoms like a mild fever, cough, or loss of taste or smell, to get tested immediately.
"We hope that everybody ... maintains a very high level of awareness ... and gets tested as soon as possible, then we need to isolate ourselves, while we wait for the result," Dr Durrheim said.
"The turn around time now for test results is generally within 24 hours, so they don't have to isolate like in the past for a long time because the results are readily available."
The doctor said sewage testing was still ongoing in Tamworth, Armidale, Moree, and now in Tenterfield.
All results from these tests have been green results, with no detection of coronavirus traces.
"Every week we take a pre-treatment one-litre sample of wastewater, and that then is sent down to the reference lab in Sydney and they prepare it, they chemically centrifuge it at very high rates, and then use a genetic amplification tool to look for viral particles," he said.
"In regional NSW, it suggests it can pick up one case in a population of 10,000 to 30,000 people."
Testing options in Tamworth include:
A drive-through screening clinic being run by Laverty Pathology, which operates six days per week at the Plain Street fields and no doctor referral is required.
The Tamworth Respiratory Clinic can keep its doors open for coronavirus testing after its funding was extended to at least March next year.
Or, contact your regular GP.