26 Jan 2022

NSW records 29 Covid-19 deaths as number of people in hospital plateaus

2:20 pm on 26 January 2022

NSW has reported 29 Covid-19 deaths after the state recorded its one millionth case since the start of the pandemic.

A health official collects a COVID-19 swab test at a drive-through testing site on Bondi beach in Sydney on December 15, 2021, as rapidly-growing Omicron and Delta clusters brought more than 2,700 new cases nationally.

Yesterday marked two years since the first Covid-19 case was first detected in NSW. Photo: AFP

There are 2794 people with the virus in the state's hospitals, including 175 in intensive care, with 75 people requiring ventilation.

There were 21,030 new cases reported, of which 8112 came from rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 12,918 were from PCR swabs.

The number of new infections mean NSW has now passed one million Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to the COVID Live database, NSW moved to 1,015,495 total cases in the latest reporting period.

Yesterday marked two years since the first Covid-19 case was first detected in NSW.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the country had been to "hell and back" during that period, and again urged people to get their booster shots.

"That's the Aussie way. Look after your mates," he said.

NSW Health deputy secretary Susan Pearce yesterday said she believed the state's hospital numbers had "definitely plateaued".

More than 35 percent of people have now received three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

For children aged 12 to 15, 82.8 percent have received one jab and 78.3 percent have had two doses.

Thirty one percent of children aged 5 to 11 have received their first jab.

Since Monday morning, health authorities have reported the deaths of 82 people with Covid-19.

On Tuesday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the current public health restrictions would be extended into next month.

Masks will be mandatory indoors, density limits remain in pubs and restaurants and singing and dancing will be banned in most venues until 28 February.

"We want to maintain that cautious approach as we continue to get our booster programme moving," Perrottet said.

Daily infections dropping in Victoria

Victoria has recorded the deaths of 35 more Covid-19 patients, as the seven-day average for daily infections continues to fall.

The number of people in hospital after contracting the illness sits at 1089, up from 1057 recorded on Tuesday.

Daily hospitalisations have hovered around 1000 for the past six days.

But in that time, the seven-day average for hospitalisations has fallen from 1,146 last Friday to 1,068 today.

Of the people in hospital, 113 are in intensive care units and 40 are on ventilators.

There were 13,507 new infections officially reported, bringing the number of active cases to 139,562.

The tally comprised 6533 PCR test results and 6974 rapid antigen tests registered with the state on Tuesday.

While the actual number of cases in the community is likely higher than the official tally, the seven-day average for new infections has been falling steadily since hitting a high of around 40,000 on 14 January

About 34 percent of Victorian adults have received at least three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

People queue for a Covid-19 PCR test in Melbourne, Australia on 8 January, 2022.

People queue for a Covid-19 PCR test in Melbourne, Australia on 8 January, 2022. Photo: Recep Sakar / Anadolu Agency via AFP

Nine deaths in Queensland

Queensland has recorded another nine deaths from Covid-19 and confirmed 13,551 new cases in the latest reporting period.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said there was a slight drop in hospitalisations over the past 24 hours, mostly on the Gold Coast, with 889 people currently in hospital, including 47 patients who are in intensive care.

Fifteen people are on ventilators.

Dr Gerrard said most patient discharges were from the Gold Coast which was "exactly as expected" as the region passes its peak in case numbers.

"We expect that drop to continue," he said.

-ABC

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs