Health workers have been going door to door in far northern WA as the Kimberley's COVID outbreak spreads to a second remote Aboriginal community.
Three new cases have been detected in Beagle Bay, 130 kilometres north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula.
An additional two cases have been reported in Bidyadanga, 180km south of Broome, bringing the total number in WA's largest remote community to 19.
None of the Bidyadanga cases are reporting severe symptoms.
The details of the Beagle Bay cases are not yet known.
The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service has dispatched rapid response teams to both locations in a bid to test, trace and administer COVID-19 booster shots.
Both communities have recorded strong double dose vaccination rates, with Bidyadanga's sitting at 90 per cent and Beagle Bay's near 100 per cent.
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS) medical director Lorraine Anderson said 17 of the 19 Bidyadanga cases were from the same household.
"The community has a very high vaccine rate, which is almost certainly the reason why we're not seeing any sick people," Dr Anderson said.
"We're getting positive results but not sick people. A couple of people have got a runny nose and a cough."
Residents have spent the day locked down indoors, while health workers go door to door checking locals have enough food and medical supplies while endeavouring to test all of the community's 950 residents.
"We've got plenty of supplies for testing, we have enough vaccines for anyone who wants to be vaccinated," Dr Anderson said.
Booster vaccination rate concerning: Premier
Bidyadanga's current double-dose vaccination rate at 90 per cent, but just under 10 per cent have received a booster shot.
Premier Mark McGowan revealed the third-dose vaccination rate for the community was "quite low" at about 8.8 per cent. The third-dose rate in the rest of the state is now more than 60 per cent.
"It is concerning, I would encourage Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal people to get vaccinated," Mr McGowan said.
"We've had multiple efforts all over the state to get Aboriginal people vaccinated, I'd just encourage people to take the opportunity."
The Kimberley-wide double-dose rate currently sits at 78 per cent, well below the state-wide rate of 95 per cent.
The cases represent the first confirmed public spread of the virus in the Kimberley since the initial stages of the outbreak in 2020.
They are also the first confirmed cases of the virus to be detected in one of the region's remote communities, which have been subject to state and federal government restrictions since the start of the pandemic.
Basketball tournaments a concern
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the decision to lock down the community was made by Bidyadanga's leaders and had the full support of the Government.
She told ABC Perth the government was expecting case numbers to grow in coming days.
"All of the close contracts of the original cases have been tested and are isolating," she told ABC Perth.
"Everyone is doing OK."
Two basketball events have also caused concerns around possible community spread.
The Bidyadanga community ran its own basketball event earlier this week, while the Broome Basketball Association was running a tournament for the wider region.
Players from Bidyadanga attended both events, prompting an alert from health authorities on Wednesday night.
Bidyadanga players who attended both events have been tested and are isolating.
Dr Anderson said there was significant concern COVID-positive people might have been circulating in the community.
"There's a lot of anxiety in the Kimberley and a lot of anxiety right across the Kimberley," she said.
Concerns over food, communication
Bidyadanga resident Billy Jo Shoveller is isolating at home with three other families - including eight adults, 10 children and a newborn child.
"I feel scared and confused. We haven't seen this before," he said.
"It'll definitely go round the house. Not just ours (but) a lot of houses in Bidyadanga."
He said many households did not have much food on hand and would need to access the community shop to re-stock.
Frankie Shoveller was on duty at the community power station this morning, and said it was noticeably quieter across the community.
"Hardly anyone's moving around," he said.
"It's something new for the people, we've never experienced one of these lockdowns before.
"People are going to be hungry."
Community leader Greg Billycan said he had enough food for breakfast today.
"We just want to know how long this lockdown is going for," he said.
"It's quiet - but you still hear people screaming, 'Open the bloody shop' and 'when are we gonna get out?'
"It worries us a lot, we need to know how many people got infected and how it was brought into the community."
Testing and tracing begins
Beagle Bay is now the third remote community to be impacted by WA's current outbreak, with authorities in the Goldfields currently working to contain the spread of the virus in Jameson (Mantamaru) in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands.
The outbreak will also be a test of health authorities' preparedness, with a remote community outbreak a long-feared scenario for officials due to the Kimberley's vulnerable Aboriginal population.
Testing and tracing efforts will continue to be spearheaded by the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS).
Residents in Bidyadanga should remain in isolation, while anyone who has been in either community in the past week should isolate and get tested if COVID symptoms develop.
Anyone with symptoms in Bidyadanga should contact the Community Clinic on (08) 9192 4952 to organise testing.
