Omicron case numbers rise in Victoria

But acting premier James Merlino said the critical issue was hospitalisations and ICU beds, not case numbers.“That’s the critical thing that we that we look at every single day but obviously we’ve got a new variant, and it is likely to become the dominant variant across the globe,” Mr Merlino told reporters on Sunday morning. “We’re seeing a big increase in NSW so it’s something that we are learning more about every day in terms of its impact and the effectiveness of vaccines.”There are 392 people in hospital with the virus, 81 in intensive care and 41 on a ventilator.
Mr Merlino said there were 24 cases of the Omicron variant in Victoria, 16 of which were acquired overseas.
Mr Merlino said there were 24 cases of the Omicron variant in Victoria, 16 of which were acquired overseas. “Omicron has shown us the importance of the booster so our focus is on how hospitals are coping and how do we gear up and maximise the number of vaccinations and boosters that people have over the next period.”The latest numbers are substantially lower than Saturday’s, when Victoria recorded 1504 new Covid-19 cases – 19 of which were the Omicron variant – and seven deaths.The state on Thursday confirmed 1622 cases – its highest number of daily infections since late October.Hordes of Victorians have been flocking to Covid-19 testing centres before Christmas.Pre-travel requirements and increased notifications for testing resulted in daily swabs hitting a record 88,000 on Friday, leading to calls for more pop-up sites before families embark on holidays.