There are now 347 people in hospital with the virus, with 45 of those in intensive care.There were 160,471 tests conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.Of the over 16 population, 93.5 are double-dose vaccinated while 94.9 have had at least one shot.Two major changes to the NSW government’s pandemic response were flagged earlier on Thursday.Rapid antigen tests will be free and mailed directly to NSW residents’ homes while QR code check-ins in all hospitality and retail settings are set to return.Pressure is mounting on Premier Dominic Perrottet to stop the spread of Covid-19.A massive surge in the virus fuelled by the Omicron variant has sent people scrambling ahead of Christmas in the hopes of testing negative before celebrating with family.Long queues at testing clinics and sold out rapid antigen tests have caused grief in the lead up to the holidays, with many urging the NSW Government to bring back mandatory masks.Mr Perrottet is refusing to bring back mask mandates But he said bringing back venue check-ins would help contact tracers and allow people to know whether they had visited an exposure site.Millions of rapid testing kits will also be made available at pharmacies, GP clinics, other sites and delivered directly to homes for free.The Premier said the free testing kits would hopefully make testing clinics available for “people who really need it”.“Providing rapid-antigen testing kits for those who want to do the right thing will help take the pressure of our testing clinics, while giving people confidence to get on with their lives,” he said.“This will also help people monitor their own symptoms and go about their daily activities in a responsible manner helping protect their themselves, their families and the community.”Health Minister Brad Hazzard was instructed to order bulk amounts of testing kits, with residents being encouraged to use them before heading to events and high-risk settings.While Prime Minister Scott Morrison said states could decide on mandating masks, he told Australians to “just wear one”.“There’s no confusion about it, just wear one,” he said after the meeting with state premiers.“Think of Christmas Day when you’re going to see elderly relatives, and wear a mask – it’s pretty simple.”Mr Morrison urged state leaders to abandon travel testing requirements – one of the main reasons for huge testing queues around the country.The Prime Minister said only one in every 1000 travellers had been testing positive to the virus, while 20 in 1000 close contacts received positive results.It was also determined state vaccination hubs that had been rolled back will be reopened to help with the booster program, while GPs and pharmacies will be paid an extra $10 per vaccine to get boosters into arms.A nationally consistent isolation and testing rule for casual contacts will be created.VICTORIA HAS 2005 NEW CASES Victoria has recorded 2005 new infections on Thursday.Ten more Victorians have also died following their diagnosis.There are now 398 infected Victorians in hospital with 72 active in intensive care and 39 on a ventilator. A total of 85,112 tests were recorded and 17,443 vaccines administered at state hubs. It comes as Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino is expected to make a major announcement on whether a face mask mandate will return.There are mounting calls to bring back mask rules in some indoor settings with Covid continuing to circulate ahead of Christmas.Senior officials met on Wednesday to discuss the issue, as the Omicron variant gains momentum across the country. Premier Daniel Andrews, who has typically favoured conservative restrictions, briefly returned from holiday to attend a national cabinet meeting on Wednesday.Mr Merlino is expected to reveal the state government’s position on masks on Thursday morning.Prime Minister Scott Morrison believes wearing a mask should be a personal decision.QUEENSLAND CASES NEARLY DOUBLEQueensland has reported a dramatic surge in Covid numbers, reporting a near doubling of infections to 369 new cases on ThursdayThe new numbers are a significant rise on the 186 infections recorded on Wednesday, and 86 cases on Tuesday, as the Omicron variant embeds itself in the community.Crucially, just one person is in hospital specifically for Covid treatment. The total number of infected people in hospital is has risen to 93, and 163 people with Covid are receiving care at home.The number of active cases in the state is now at 807, with 123 confirmed Omicron cases. Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said this figure was likely higher because of a lag in the testing system. Authorities expect case numbers could reach the thousands by January if daily cases double every 48 hours as expected.Thursday’s update comes as new mask-wearing rules for certain venues come into place. Face masks became mandatory in cinemas and theatres, and for hospitality staff, from 5am on Thursday morning.Masks were already mandatory in supermarkets, shops, on public transport, and in rideshares.Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard on Wednesday said it was inevitable that public health units will wind down their investigation efforts as the virus spreads further.TASMANIA SETS NEW CASE RECORDTasmania has set a new record of its highest ever daily Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began.The island state reported 26 new infections on Thursday, bringing the total number of active cases to 52.Currently, only one positive case has been hospitalised but they were not admitted for Covid-19 related symptoms.Of the new infections, 13 were male and 13 were female and they were all aged between their late teens to their 80s.Despite 90.87 per cent of residents aged 12 and over being fully vaccinated and 96.17 per cent having at least one dose, Premier Peter Gutwein again encouraged the remaining residents to book in their jab.“If you’re feeling unwell, isolate and get a test. Don’t turn up to your end of year booze up,” he said. “If you’re unwell and you know you’re going to in a family setting where there are vulnerable people, isolate and get tested. Use your common sense.”Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said authorities knew the source of all the new infections.But he warned locals there were be cases were a link was unknown.More than half of Thursday’s cases acquired their infections from NSW while others got theirs from South Australia, Queensland and Victoria. There were also a number of cases that were household contacts or close contacts of a previously known case in quarantine.“I’ll be quite sure that within the coming days we will start to see occasional cases of people who have been infected in Tasmania,” Dr Veitch said. “Now is not the time to ignore a sniffle.”Tasmania reopened its borders to all jurisdictions on December 15.
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