Australia: New South Wales reports record number of coronavirus infections

The most populous state in Australia reported a record number of new COVID-19 infections and a marked increase in hospitalizations on Sunday as thousands of people isolate themselves at home after contracting the disease or coming into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

New South Wales reported 6,394 new cases, compared to 6,288 the day before. The number of infections in the state has been on the rise in the past two weeks, albeit without as many hospitalizations.

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More than 70% of infections in some states in Australia are of the omicron variant, but New South Wales does not typically perform genomic testing to identify the variant. State Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Sunday that the presence of omicron is widespread.

“We would anticipate that at some point, virtually everyone in New South Wales will contract omicron,” Hazzard said. “If we are all going to get sick with omicron, the best way to do it is with all the vaccines, including the booster dose.”

Health authorities reported 458 active cases in state hospitals, well above 388 the day before. In New South Wales there are 58 patients in intensive care units.

Members of the public queue for Covid-19 PCR testing at a clinic on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: EFE / EPA / MICK TSIKAS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND). (MICK TSIKAS /)

Victoria, the second most populous state in the country, reported 1,608 new infections of COVID-19 and two deaths on Sunday, with 374 hospitalized patients, 77 of them in intensive care.

More than 30,000 people in Victoria spent Christmas isolated at home, unable to celebrate with family or friends. Of that number, about half are active cases that contracted the virus in recent days.

Members of the public queue for Covid-19 PCR testing at a clinic on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: EFE / EPA / MICK TSIKAS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND). (MICK TSIKAS /)

Doctors and pharmacists in New South Wales reported that they are running out of supplies of the vaccine due to the spike in inoculations due to the presence of the omicron variant.

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