The Christmas holiday season has piled major pressure on testing sites across various Australian states.
Health officials collect Covid-19 swab tests at a drive-through testing site on Bondi beach in Sydney earlier this month.(File image) Photo: AFP or licensors
In Victoria, some close contacts who were initially advised to get a PCR test have received text messages from the Department of Health suggesting they get a rapid antigen test instead if they don't have any symptoms.
In New South Wales (NSW), Health Minister Brad Hazzard says wait times for Covid-19 test results have ballooned to 48 to 72 hours, with many people waiting even longer than that to get a result.
The NSW government yesterday urged people to only get tested if they have symptoms, are identified as close contacts, or as part of their travel requirements.
The ACT government is trying to limit the number of people arriving at testing clinics to obtain a "travel test" result, which is needed to enter Queensland, Tasmania or the Northern Territory.
All three open testing sites in Canberra had to close by 9.30am today because they had reached capacity.
Leading epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws says there should have been a better plan to deal with the added pressure on testing over Christmas.
"There should have been some planning to understand that Australians would want to go out and get tested before they went to see their families," she said.
"But they have not done that in New South Wales or anywhere in Australia. They should have been giving out free rapid antigen testing before the holidays."
NSW records more than 6000 new cases and first known Omicron Covid-19 death
NSW has recorded its first death linked to the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as hospitalisation figures in the state continue to climb.
NSW Health confirmed the death of a man in his 80s in Western Sydney, who was a resident of the Uniting Lilian Wells aged care facility in North Parramatta, where he contracted the infection.
He had two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.
Another two deaths were recorded in the latest reporting period, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s, who were also fully-vaccinated but had underlying health problems.
NSW recorded 6324 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Hospitalisations jumped to 520, up from 458 in the previous reporting period, with 55 in intensive care.
NSW Health said a majority of the cases in ICU were not Omicron-related.
"It's believed the bulk of cases in ICU are Delta, but genome sequencing is being conducted over the next week to confirm," said a spokeswoman for NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
From today, people in NSW must again scan in with a QR code at cafes, restaurants and shopping centres, however, only at the entrance and not individual stores.
Victoria records just shy of 2000 Covid-19 cases
The state has 1999 new cases, with 368 people now in hospital.
There are 80 in ICU and 38 who require ventilation.
Queensland records 784 new cases of Covid-19
Seventy-five percent of the state's new cases are the Omicron variant, and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says there has not been any major impact on the state's hospitals.
Four people are in hospital receiving care for Covid-19-related symptoms.
Tasmania records 35 new Covid-19 cases
There are now 194 active cases in the state.
There are 116 people being monitored at home and 45 are in a medi-hotel.
One person is in hospital, after being admitted for an unrelated medical condition.
-ABC
