Vaxxed male becomes NSW’s first Omicron death

The man in his 80s from western Sydney died at Westmead Hospital.“The man was a resident of the Uniting Lilian Wells aged care facility in North Parramatta, where he acquired his infection,” health authorities said.“He had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions. This is the first known death in NSW linked to the Omicron variant of concern.”He was among three deaths recorded.A woman in her 90s from the Central Coast also died at Wyong Hospital. She had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.Meanwhile a man in his 80s from Sydney’s inner west died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.“NSW Health expresses its sincere condolences to their loved ones,” NSW Health said in a statement.There are currently 520 Covid cases admitted to hospital, with 55 people in intensive care, 17 of whom need ventilation.There were 97, 241 Covid-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 109,545.It comes as new restrictions come into force for the holiday season as the state battles to contain its mammoth coronavirus case surge. Masks are now compulsory in all indoor, non-residential settings, including for hospitality staff and in offices, unless eating or drinking.Venues and patrons must also now follow the one person per two square metres rule indoors at pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes. However, the rule will not apply in outdoor spaces such as beer gardens.QR code check-ins at retail and hospitality are also making a return in a bid to stop the spread. The process was initially scrapped after the state hit 90 per cent fully vaccinated.All rules will remain in place until January 27.Sydney’s Omicron surge has seen the state’s testing capacity pushed to the brink as thousands wait for hours to be swabbed for the virus.There were 97,241 tests conducted over the past 24 hours, again slightly down from 109,545 tests on Sunday. Return times for results have also stretched out to between 48 and 72 hours.NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Sunday warned “we’re all going to get Omicron”, as cases in the state hit a new high of 6934 infections. But he aded “Omicron is not as severe in terms of its impact on individuals”.“The unvaccinated are taking more places than they should be in our ICUs simply because they’ve chosen not to be vaccinated.“Those who make the choice not to get vaccinated are putting themselves and our health staff at risk.”