As the country bounces back from New Year’s Eve and Day celebrations, testing centres are recording more positive cases.
NSW recorded 20,794 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths as COVID-19 patients in hospital have jumped with 1204 being treated. There are 95 people in intensive care, up 12 from yesterday. The NSW health system is “struggling” as COVID-19 hospital cases rise, the Australian Medical Association is warning as authorities move to stave off shortages.
Victoria hit its highest daily total at 8,577 with three fatalities while 56 are in intensive care, with 24 of them on ventilators. A total of 491 people are hospitalised overall, with the state’s active case total at 38,118. And while Omicron is the dominant variant in the state, most hospital admissions are suffering from Delta.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has approved a recommendation that aged care staff deemed to be close contacts be allowed back to work without any isolation requirements. There is a similar framework in place in New South Wales, where staff take a PCR test every 72 hours, followed by a rapid antigen test.
Moving on to ACT, the state health authorities have reported 514 cases with 11 people currently in hospital and Tasmania hot 466 new daily infections.
Queensland has just announced 4,249 new COVID-19 cases, a new record number. Palaszczuk said that there are 10 people in ICU and the state has recorded one death, a man in his late 30s.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison assured the public that health systems are well equipped, however, the government’s decision to not keep providing free PCR tests unless someone is a close contact has disappointed Australians.
As coronavirus hospitalisations across the country continue to rise and rapid tests are still scarce Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese criticised the federal government over the difficulties people have experienced in trying to get a COVID-19 test.
