Australia on Monday reported its first confirmed death from the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 amid a rise in daily infections, but authorities did not impose new restrictions because of the rate of infection. Hospitalization rates remain low.
The death of a man in his 80s with poor health marks a major milestone for a country that has had to halt some parts of its phased reopening process after nearly two years. year of shutdown, due to a new outbreak.
Omicron, which health experts say appears to be more contagious but less virulent than previous strains, began spreading domestically as soon as it lifted restrictions at most of its domestic borders and allowed allowing Australians to return from overseas without quarantine, pushing the number of cases to a pandemic peak.
Authorities gave no further details about Omicron’s death, except to say that the man contracted the virus at a aged care facility and died in a Sydney hospital.
NSW Health epidemiologist Christine Selvey said: “This is the first known death in New South Wales (state) that has been linked to the worrying Omicron variant.”
The man was among six COVID-19 deaths reported in Australia the previous day, all in the most populous states of NSW and Victoria, home to more than half the population of 25. million of the country.
The states of NSW, Victoria and Queensland reported a total of 9,107 new cases on Monday, putting the country on a rampage of new infections. Five other states and territories have yet to report daily case numbers.
Annastacia Palaszczuk, Premier of Queensland, said: “While we are seeing an increase in cases… we are not seeing an impact on our hospital system.”
With reported six-hour wait times for COVID tests for those hoping to meet requirements for interstate holiday travel, Palaszczuk has defended the travel-friendly state for commencing testing. forced, saying “everyone knew when they booked that if they wanted to come here they would have to do a PCR test”.
“We need to make sure we are protecting (Queensland people).
Australian authorities have so far resisted going back to lockdown in the face of a rising number of cases but have restored some restrictions. On Monday, NSW again made it mandatory to check public places with QR codes, while many states have made face masks mandatory in indoor public places.
