Australia Covid-19: Australia records more than 4,000 cases and 15 deaths on Saturday
Australia’s Covid-19 crisis continues to worsen with more than 4,000 new infections and 15 deaths recorded across the east coast on Saturday – with just a week to go until Christmas.
New South Wales suffered another record day of cases on Saturday with 2,482 new infections and one death.
The new cases smash the previous record of 2,213 cases reported on Friday and are the highest daily tally recorded since the pandemic began.
Hospitalisation rates have dropped with 206 patients being treated – the figure is down from 215 reported on Friday.
Intensive care numbers have increased to 26 – up from 24. Eight people are currently on ventilation.
Australia’s Covid-19 crisis continues to worsen with more than 4,000 new infections and 15 deaths recorded on Saturday with just a week to go until Christmas (pictured huge queue at Bondi testing clinic on Friday)
New South Wales suffered another record day of cases on Saturday with 2,482 new infections and one death (pictured in Sydney)
Queensland reported 24 new infections and seven deaths on Saturday.
Due to its growing Covid crisis the state government has now enforced a string of restrictions back onto residents.
Mask mandates have been reintroduced and are now required in retail settings, hospitals, aged care, public transport, rideshare and airports.
‘I’m asking Queenslanders once again, it’s a small price to pay for your freedoms,’ premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Friday.
The 24 new cases announced on Saturday is an uptick from the 20 reported on Friday and 22 announced on Thursday.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer John Gerrard also confirmed on Saturday there are now 12 Omicron cases around the state.
Cases have surged ahead of Christmas (pictured are Sydneysiders enjoying Christmas parties on Friday)
He also gave a grim warning that the state would likely see thousands of cases in the coming weeks.
‘We are going to see very large numbers of COVID cases in the community,’ he said.
None of the new infections are understood to be severely ill.
The new mask mandate won’t apply in venues where a vaccine mandate came into effect from 5am on Friday such as cafes, restaurants, nightclubs, stadiums and theme parks.
Masks will also not be required in outdoor settings or in workplaces, the premier said.
Ms Palaszczuk said the new mandate will likely remain in place until the state reached 90 per cent of the eligible population with two doses of a Covid vaccine – which is expected to be hit some time in January.
She also added ‘there won’t be any lockdowns over Christmas’.
The premier said the dramatic escalation in cases in NSW and the fact more than 100,000 border passes to enter Queensland had been received from people in interstate hotspots made the reintroduction of masks necessary.
Visitors from NSW, Victoria and the ACT were welcomed back to Queensland by road and air last Monday, provided they were fully vaccinated, possessed a valid border pass and had proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arriving in Queensland.
Queensland suffered seven deaths and 24 locally acquired cases on Saturday (pictured in Brisbane)
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was forced to reintroduce mask mandates around the state
Victoria saw another surge in cases with an additional 1,504 infections on Saturday, with seven deaths also reported.
In the state, hospitalisation rates have remained stable with 384 patients being treated.
The number of patients in ICU has jumped to 86 – up from 84 reported on Friday.
NSW and Victoria will lift 72-hour isolation rules for international arrivals from December 21 – less than a month after authorities first imposed the rule.
The requirement was introduced on November 29 amid the global emergence of the hyper-contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19.
With the recent scrapping of mask mandates in NSW, Premier Dominic Perrottet is determined to hold his course and encourage individual responsibility, rather than reimpose restrictions.
He has stood by his government’s plan to ease restrictions on mask-wearing indoors and check-ins on Wednesday, despite the escalation in cases.
‘It is obviously going to be a challenging time. We accept that,’ the premier said on Friday.
‘But we need perspective.
‘Our number one focus is to keep people safe, to keep hospitalisations and ICU numbers down.’
More to come
