In the latest reporting period, 7362 infections were recorded from PCR tests and 5664 were from rapid antigen tests.There were 2779 people with the virus being treated in the state’s hospitals, with 185 in intensive care. Hospitalisations and ICU presentations both increased from the day before compared with 2633 and 182 respectively.On Sunday, 52 deaths were reported making it the deadliest day in NSW during the pandemic.10,000 NEW CASES IN VICIt came as Victoria recorded 10,053 new cases and eight Covid deaths in the past 24 hours.There are now 873 infected people in Victorian hospitals, with 102 in intensive care and 33 on ventilators.Victoria’s pre-Omicron peak for Covid hospitalisations was 851 in October when the state was battling a surge in Delta infections.However, the figure is dwarfed by the 2779 people in NSW who are in hospital with Covid.More than 93 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and the state has 76,335 active cases.A total of 20,859 PCR tests were taken on Wednesday and 16,298 vaccines were administered at state hubs. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews criticised anti-vaxxers, labelling them “wrong”, while hinting it will only be a matter of time before a third-jab mandate is implemented.Only 31 per cent of Victorians have received a booster shot despite hundreds of thousands of appointments now being available and 2.1 million people now eligible.Mr Andrews said movement around third dose mandates would likely happen in the next week or so.“I think it’s only a matter of time before the relevant federal agencies confirm that it is three doses to be protected,” he said.“There’s already been some mandating done for third doses and there will be more.“Those who are not vaccinated have made the wrong choice. They’ve made a choice that puts so many other people at risk. I could not be more clear about that.”WA SET FOR COVID RESTRICTIONSWestern Australian Premier Mark McGowan won’t rule out further restrictions in the state as it continues to see a rise in Covid cases.Cases have risen steadily in WA in recent weeks, with authorities reporting 20 new infections on Sunday.While preparations for a steep rise in cases are in place, Mr McGowan said he wouldn’t rule out further restrictions for “problematic” bars and nightclubs.“That’s a situation we continue to monitor,” he said.“The details of that are being worked out, obviously we don’t need to put them in place yet but that point in time is probably not far away.”Western Australia recorded 20 new infections on Sunday, with almost all linked to existing clusters.Eight were linked to nightclub outbreaks in Perth, with a handful connected to the Library Nightclub and Club Bootylicious.Indoor masks are currently mandatory and it’s expected vaccination requirements will come in from next week. But no further restrictions have been announced yet.“When the time comes, we’ll put in place further public health measures,” Mr McGowan said.“You don’t want to put them in before you need them, and you don’t want them too late, it’s a delicate balance to get it right. “If you put them in too early, you get people getting sick of them over time.”32K COVID-19 CASES IN NSW, VIC, QLD AS BIG JAB CHANGE FLAGGED Queensland’s Premier has flagged major changes to the state’s schools and workplaces, as residents prepare to return to classrooms and offices from early February.Return to school and work was delayed by two weeks as the state battled the Omicron outbreak.Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is adamant she made the right decision.“We’re going through our peak, and we delayed the school term because of that,” she said on Sunday.“I’m confident we made the right decision to delay schools for two weeks.”Students and teachers won’t be required to take rapid antigen tests to attend school, but if students develop symptoms they will be sent home with a rapid antigen test.“We want our schools to be a safe place and we want our parents to have confidence and their children to know exactly what they need to do going back,” Ms Palaszczuk said.“It’s really important that if you are sick, stay home, don’t go to school.”Office workers will also be encouraged to return to their workplaces from February 7.Masks will also be mandated for workers indoors.Ms Palaszczuk said the state was moving in a positive trajectory, despite 13 deaths recorded on Sunday.The state is also beginning to see a drop in cases, with Saturday numbers decreasing from 10,391 reported the day before.“In encouraging news, the numbers are coming down,” the Premier said.“We’re seeing a decline in hospitalisations on the Gold Coast, in Ipswich, Logan and Brisbane South.“This is encouraging news but we’re still not out of the woods.”The number of people with Covid in hospital dropped to 745, down from 853, while intensive care admission numbers fell to 41 from 53.Chief health officer John Gerrard on Saturday said the state had reached roughly the midpoint of its Omicron outbreak.“We’re going to see a steady fall in hospitalisations over the course of three or four days in the various regions of Queensland,” he said.“This is the peak, it’s not the end. The unknown is what happens as those numbers decline, what the tail looks like. We’re only sort of halfway through.”ANDREWS MAKES BOLD JAB CLAIM Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says it’s “only a matter of time” before people will need three doses of a Covid jab in order to be considered fully vaccinated.It comes as the state reported 10,589 new infections and 20 deaths on Sunday.Currently only 31 per cent of Victorians have received a booster shot, despite hundreds of thousands of appointments now being available and 2.1 million people now eligible.“I think it’s only a matter of time before the relevant federal agencies confirm that it is three doses to be protected,” he said.“We will wait to see how that unfolds over the course of the next week or so.“As we head into winter, being three-dosed protected is incredibly important to take some pressure off our nurses and ambos.”In the latest reporting period, 4479 of the new cases were reported from PCR tests and 6110 cases were from rapid antigen tests.The total number of active cases in the state was 78,294, down from 79,836 reported on Saturday and 101,605 on Friday.There were 889 patients in Victorian hospitals being treated with the virus.Of those in hospital, 111 people are being treated in intensive care, with 35 people on ventilators.Victorian health authorities said on Saturday they had detected cases of the new Omicron subvariant.NSW LASHES MORRISON GOVERNMENT NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has lashed the Morrison government after it vetoed a request for financial support for small businesses that have suffered through the Omicron wave.The NSW government on Sunday unveiled its $1 billion economic support packages for small and medium sized businesses, which it will fund alone despite asking the commonwealth to contribute.The new support package targets small and medium businesses that have had at least a 40 per cent downturn over the summer period, covering 20 per cent of their wages bill to a maximum of $5000.It has been reported the amount of support would have been doubled if the Morrison government had chipped in. Mr Kean on Sunday took aim at his federal counterparts, saying he was “very disappointed” they had declined the request for assistance.“I was hoping to make this announcement standing beside Prime Minister (Scott Morrison) today and the Treasurer (Josh) Frydenberg. But they’re not to be found,” he told reporters.“These are not just NSW businesses, they’re Australian businesses, that pay their taxes to the commonwealth government, that are doing it so tough at this time.”Premier Dominic Perrottet insisted he remained a proud “fiscal conservative” as he doubled down on criticising the Morrison government.“I’d like them to provide financial support just like they have in the past. It’s been a partnership over the last two years,” he told reporters.STATE SUFFERS DEADLIEST DAYNSW has reported its deadliest day of the pandemic so far on Sunday, surpassing its previous record set just a day earlier.The state recorded 52 Covid-related deaths in the latest reporting period, after 49 people died with the virus on Saturday.There were 13,524 new Covid cases, of which 7492 infections were recorded from PCR tests and 6032 were from rapid antigen tests.There were 2663 people with the virus being treated in the state’s hospitals, with 182 in intensive care.NED-4835-rapid-Covid-test
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