COVID-19 Australia: Death toll rises as Victoria records 37,994 new cases

WA has recorded four new local COVID-19 cases overnight, one of whom was infectious in the Perth community for several days.

The new cases come after the ServiceWA app — which consolidates the SafeWA check-in function, G2G passes, and proof of vaccination — went live this morning.

Three of the local cases are linked to truck drivers , while the fourth — who was infectious in the community — is the contact of a returned traveller from Tasmania.

Health authorities released a swathe of new exposure sites visited by an infected person as recently as Sunday. Jandakot, Bentley, and Success are on alert, with four, four, and two exposure sites respectively.

It is the first time in four days that new sites have been added to the list.

Health Minister Amber Jade Sanderson said new exposure sites would likely be added throughout the day.

“Case 1244 (one of today’s new local cases) picked up a family member from the airport on the second of January, who recently returned from Tasmania,” she said.

“Although not confirmed, case 1244 is likely to have Omicron which will mean it will be the third case of Omicron in the WA community.”

The traveller from Tasmania arrived the day before the jurisdiction moved from medium to high risk, and was therefore required to quarantine at home.

WA also recorded 11 other cases, all related to overseas and interstate travel. These cases are in quarantine.

Death toll rises as Victoria records more than 37,000 cases

Victoria has recorded 37,994 new cases and 13 Covid deaths in the past 24 hours.

There are now 861 infected people in Victorian hospitals, with 117 in intensive care and 27 on ventilators.

More than 93 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and the state has 171,369 active cases.

A total of 59,670 PCR tests were taken on Monday and 16,433 vaccines were administered at state hubs.

It comes as ambulances in Melbourne were forced to declare a code red for the second time in a week as services stretched desperately thin across the city.

The warning came after midnight on Tuesday with anyone needing non-emergency care urged to contact Nurse on Call services instead.

“Ambulance Victoria is experiencing an extremely high demand for ambulances in the metropolitan region,” a statement said.

“It is likely there will be a delay in an ambulance reaching you.

“Our priority is to provide care to Victorians who require lifesaving assistance.”

A week earlier, the embattled service implemented another code red as Victoria’s daily cases skyrocketed past 10,000.

More than 500 Ambulance Victoria staff were furloughed at the time with SES and Lifesaving Victoria used to help keep up with demand.

NSW reports 25,870 COVID cases, 11 deaths

NSW has reported 25,870 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths, as the state government wants to force residents to report positive at-home rapid test results.

The new cases reported on Tuesday were detected from just over 71,000 PCR laboratory tests.

But NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant warned on Monday that daily case numbers are “conservative” because rapid antigen test results were yet to be officially included.

The state will this week move into a dual reporting system for infections that includes positive, self-administered RAT results - reported through the ServiceNSW app - and the normal PCR results.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard told The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday the government wants to mandate the reporting of positive RAT results.

His department has sought advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office on how it can be legally enforced.

“It comes with the added benefit that it might also open the door to federal financial assistance if you’re off work for the week. The bottom line is it is a must-do, even if there is no fine,” Mr Hazzard told the SMH.

“At the end of the day, it’s an obligation on all of us to make sure that we log in to the Service NSW app, particularly as it will give a clear picture of how the virus is moving through the community.”

NSW on Monday recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic, with 18 dead including a three-year-old boy who had significant underlying health conditions.

Another 11 deaths were reported on Tuesday, as virus-related hospital admissions again climbed, to 2186.

Some 170 people are in intensive care, about half of whom were unvaccinated.

More than 78 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 are already fully vaccinated.

While the transition to a system that relies more heavily on rapid, at-home tests has been welcomed, the test kits remain in short supply in NSW.

The state government has ordered 100 million tests, with the first to begin arriving this week.

The state-procured tests are intended for schools, social housing, vulnerable, remote and Indigenous communities.

But Premier Dominic Perrottet on Monday said the rest of NSW can expect to see “a substantial amount of supply being available through private supply chains as well”.

Tasmania records 1379 new COVID-19 cases

Tasmania has recorded 1379 new COVID-19 cases, with the number of people being treated in hospital for virus symptoms dropping to seven.

The cases are made up of 1015 self-reported positive rapid antigen tests and 364 PCR tests, taking the state’s number of active infections to 8356.

The health department says seven people are being treated in hospital specifically for COVID-19, down from 11 reported on Monday.

Another 11 people with the virus are in hospital for unrelated medical conditions.

Fifty positive cases are staying in community management clinics, while 278 are being monitored under the COVID-at-home system.

Tasmania’s Child Health and Parenting Service is reducing client service delivery until February 4 to allow nursing staff to focus on broader health system requirements.

“This will include the cancellation of most appointments for older children (six months and above) in order to allow prioritisation of service to younger infants and their families during this time,” the health department says.

“The service will continue to offer the opportunity for new parents to participate in an online new parent group and focused breast feeding and perinatal mental health services as required.

“Service delivery will be available via either face-to-face or Telehealth options during this time as clinically appropriate.”

QLD hits record 20,556 COVID cases

Another person has died as Queensland’s daily coronavirus tally hits a record 20,556 cases, with official data zig-zagging amid new testing protocols and technical glitches.

The number of new infections reported on Tuesday more than doubled from the 9581 cases announced on Monday, when data from four private testing clinics was missing due to ‘software issues’.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the latest stats therefore jumped so significantly because they included Monday’s lagging data.

Ms D’Ath also advised a man in his 70s with ‘significant medical complications’ had died in a nursing home.

The state’s total Covid caseload is now 109,524, more than seven times the 14,000 reported on New Year’s Day, and 50 times the 2100 cases that were reported at Christmas.

The Gold Coast remains the state’s major hotspot but cases in the Southern regions of Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast are soon set to climb.

There are 502 people in hospital statewide – up from 419 in the space of 24 hours – while the number of people in intensive care has risen from 21 to 27 people.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said there were six people on ventilators, up from four.

He said while hospitals were coming under increasing pressure, the number of serious ill people remained low.

“The less on is the vaccines are working,” he said.

On Tuesday there were 1196 positive rapid antigen tests logged via the online government portal, down from 3714 the day before.

Queensland’s daily cases surged to 18,000 on Sunday when self-reported rapid antigen tests were included in the figures for the first time.

Authorities expect the Omicron wave to continue to rise until the first week of February, a tend that triggered a decision to postpone the start of the school year by two weeks.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the weekend said it was a “sensible and logical” move to push back the start of term one back to February 7 for kids in prep through to year 10, noting the move gave parents more time to get their children vaccinated.

Students in years 11 and 12 will being online learning from January 31.

NT moves to calm COVID fears, 594 cases

The Northern Territory has reported 594 new COVID-19 infections as authorities attempt to calm community fears about the spread and severity of the virus.

Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison focused on hospital admissions over case numbers at Tuesday’s daily briefing, saying they remain low.

“There are 32 patients in hospitals across the territory but only 11 of them are classified as acute admissions,” she told reporters.

“This represents 0.42 per cent of all active cases, which still remains low.”

Two infected patients are in the territory’s intensive care ward but only one is being treated for virus symptoms.

Most patients are understood to be Indigenous and infected with the Delta variant.

Across the NT there are about 2600 active COVID-19 infections, which equates to about one per cent of the territory’s population.

About 300 of them are in central Australia after 65 people, many in Alice Springs, tested positive overnight.

This includes five residents at the Old Timers Village aged care facility.

Ms Manison said the facility’s vaccination rate was high and none of the infected residents were showing symptoms.

“The total case count for Alice is in line with the percentage of the territory population,” she said.

“It is not surprising. It is not alarming.”

Ms Manison also urged infected Territorians to use the NT government’s COVID-19 website and online tools to declare they had tested positive after calls to its hotline tripled on Tuesday and wait times “blew out”.

Record 1508 new COVID-19 cases in ACT

The ACT has recorded 1508 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic.

A Canberra man in his 80s died from the virus in the latest reporting period.

More than one in five Canberra adults have received a COVID-19 booster vaccination, and 98.5 per cent of people aged over 12 have received two doses.

There are 28 people in hospital with the virus including four in intensive care and three requiring a ventilator.

The new cases come from nearly 6000 tests.

As the capital deals with high case numbers for the first time during the pandemic, a new dedicated clinic for people who are COVID-19 positive opened on Monday.

The clinic provides free health care for those who have tested positive for COVID-19 - on either a PCR or rapid antigen test - and who need treatment for other non-life threatening injuries or illnesses.

These may include cuts and abrasions, strains and sprains, bites and stings, infections, and wounds.

Healthcare workers at the clinic can also provide COVID positive patients with support and advice to manage their illness.

No appointments are required at the clinic which runs seven days a week.

CASE-BY-CASE BREAKDOWN

NSW - 25,870 new local cases, 11 deaths

VIC - 37,994 new local cases, 13 deaths

QLD - 20,556 new local cases, one death

WA - four new local cases

NT - 1508 new local cases

SA - TBA

TAS - 1379 new local cases

ACT - 594 new local cases