Queensland has reported three new cases of Omicron among 18 new cases of Covid-19 in the state. New South Wales reports 1742 new cases and 1622 cases are reported in Victoria, as well as nine deaths.
Health officials collect COVID-19 swab tests at a drive-through testing site on Bondi beach in Sydney. Photo: AFP or licensors
Tasmania has also reported its first case, after the border to the rest of the country reopened yesterday.
Queensland has 22 new cases of Covid and 18 of those were detected outside quarantine, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said.
The local cases spent up to a week in the community and were recorded in Brisbane's south, Brisbane's north, the Darling Downs, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, West Moreton and the Wide Bay.
D'Ath said most were acquired while in another state.
One of the positive cases visited an aged care facility in Holland Park and it has been locked down as a precaution.
There are now three confirmed cases of Omicron, two of which have been infectious while in the community.
Meanwhile, New South Wales has set a new daily Covid-19 record with 1,742 infections in what health authorities predict is the beginning of a major surge in case numbers over the next month.
The case numbers come a day after most remaining social distancing restrictions were scrapped and unvaccinated people were given new freedoms for the first time since June.
It's the highest number of cases recorded in the state in a day, breaking the previous benchmark of 1,603 on 11 September.
The total number of confirmed Omicron cases now stands at 122, after another 12 cases of the variant were confirmed overnight.
Today is also the first time in months NSW has surpassed Victoria's daily case figures, with the latter announcing 1,622 infections in its 24-hour reporting period.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned yesterday this would just be the beginning, citing modelling projecting up to 25,000 cases a day in the next month.
He said the research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) was still being fine tuned.
Tasmania has recorded its first Covid-19 case since borders reopened to the rest of the country yesterday.
Premier Peter Gutwein said a man in his 20s, who arrived in Hobart from New South Wales on one of the early morning flights yesterday, tested positive.
The man was an approved traveller who had met all the necessary vaccination and pre-testing requirements, having received a negative Covid test prior to his departure, Gutwein said.
"After arrival, he was notified by New South Wales Health and informed that he was a close contact of a case in New South Wales," he said.
Public Health director Mark Veitch said authorities would not know if it was an Omicron case until further testing had been conducted, likely tomorrow or Saturday.
In ACT, there were 11 new cases reported.
- ABC
