Covid NSW: Deadliest day yet as cases soar to new record
12 new deaths - a state record
A record 1,431 new local cases reported
Cases set to peak in the next two weeks
NSW has reported its deadliest day of the Covid-19 pandemic with a further 12 lives lost.
The record death toll was paired with another record day of cases, with a further 1,431 locally acquired Covid infections announced on Friday.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the health advice indicated cases will peak in the next two weeks.
“The next fortnight is likely to be our worst in terms of the number of cases, but as I have said it is not the number of cases we need to be focusing on but how many of those cases and up in our intensive care wards and hospitals and how many people we have vaccinated,” Ms Berejiklian said.
The premier said she would provide modelling next week as to what those worst case scenarios look like.
Envisaging October to be the worst period for the healthcare system, she called on residents to be extra cautious in the next two weeks to minimise transmission.
"We cannot be complacent," she stressed.
There are currently 979 people admitted to hospital with Covid, 160 of which are in intensive care and 63 who require ventilation.
While the NSW health system can surge to 2000 ICU beds and an equivalent number of ventilators, unions and frontline healthcare staff have expressed concerns that staffing levels are not sufficient to manage this scenario.
Impressive vaccine rate continues
Ms Berejiklian praised the 827,000 people who came forward for a vaccine in the past week. She said the current vaccine rate meant it was likely we would reach 70 per cent of the population fully vaccinated by mid-October.
She said the rate of vaccination in the 12 LGAs of concern was "outstanding" but said it would take time for a desirable level of immunity to develop in those areas.
On Thursday, Ms Berejiklian announced those in LGAs of concern would no longer have a cap on the time they could spend exercising after the state reached 70 per cent of its eligible population vaccinated with at least one dose.
Speaking on booster jabs for Covid, Ms Berejiklian said residents will need to get used to having a booster dose once a year. She said it will a normalised process accessible through workplaces and GPs in a similar way the flu jab is.
The youngest victim announced Friday was an unvaccinated woman in her 30s who died at home. The outbreak's death toll now stands at 119.
The outbreak's case total has now surpassed 25,000.
There has been further regional sewage virus detections with fragments discovered in Jindabyne, Cooma and Bega in Southern NSW Local Health District (LHD), Bombaderry in Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, Wauchope in Mid North Coast LHD, and Blayney in Western NSW LHD.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said Dubbo remained the area of concern in regional NSW with a further 53 cases announced.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
