Case numbers continue to rise across the country with New South Wales recording 12,226 new COVID-19 cases and one death in the past 24 hours.

Sadly, hospitalisations have increased from yesterday’s 625 to 746 with 63 patients in intensive care.

The data has come out of 97,201 COVID PCR tests processed in the state.

Meanwhile, Premier Dominic Perrottet said the NSW is considering making changes to close contacts rules and isolation periods ahead of today’s national cabinet meeting.

Apologising again for the long queues and wait times for COVID-19 test results he said that close contacts would only be required to quarantine for seven days without having to queue up for a test and take a rapid antigen test (RAT) on day six to see if they can exit isolation or not.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid took to social media arguing that such a change in measures will merely accelerate the outbreak.

“Omicron spreads more easily than any other variant. It doesn’t care if you are a family member, a coworker, a drinker in the pub or breathing the same air in a lift. Isolating close contacts slows spread. Isolating less people means faster spread,” he said.

I’m confused @ScottMorrisonMP Omicron spreads more easily than any other variant. It doesn’t care if you are a family member, a coworker, a drinker in the pub or breathing the same air in a lift. Isolating close contacts slows spread. Isolating less people means faster spread.

— AMA President (@amapresident) December 29, 2021

Currently, Victoria is also seeing a massive spike from yesterday reporting 5,137 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths as at least 10 testing centres have had to turn people away. In total, 395 people are hospitalised of whom 55 are in intensive care and 23 are on a ventilator.

The data has come out of 81,093 test results processed yesterday while thousands of people complain that the minimum wait time for pathology results ranges from 72 to 96 hours.

Melbourne pathology laboratory 4Cyte that has been severely impacted by the influx of people requesting tests issue a statement earlier stressing that it warned the Victorian and Queensland governments three weeks ahead of the crisis that testing requirements for travel were going to destabilise pathology labs.

Active COVID-19 infections per state up to time of publication:

  • NSW 61.3k
  • VIC 20.0k
  • QLD 6.4k
  • SA 6.3k
  • ACT 1.0k
  • TAS 300
  • NT 158
  • WA 23