Daily Covid cases dive as NSW notches deadliest day yet
NSW has recorded a significant dip in daily Covid infections ahead of the state introducing a new reporting system for rapid test results.
On Monday, NSW announced there were 20,293 new Covid-19 cases identified from 84,333 PCR tests.
Monday also marks the deadliest day of the pandemic to date in NSW, with 18 Covid-related deaths officially reported.
There are currently 2,030 people in hospital with Covid-19 in NSW, with 159 people in ICU. On Sunday there were 1,927 people in hospital with 151 people in the ICU.
By mid-week, NSW should have a system where people can report positive rapid home test results, like Victoria, where about half of the identified cases reported have been found through RATs.
It is very likely the actual growth of infections in NSW is much higher that what is being reported, as people are being encouraged to take rapid tests instead of PCR tests.
Over the weekend, NSW recorded over 75,000 Covid cases. On Sunday there were 16 Covid-related deaths, which was previously the highest daily death tally.
From Monday, children aged five to 11 are able to get vaccinated against Covid-19, while 78.1 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds are already fully vaccinated in NSW.
More than 93 per cent of the population aged over 16 in NSW is fully vaccinated.
To ease the stress of the supply chain, NSW has changed its self-isolation requirements.
Critical workers in food logistics and manufacturing sectors who have been identified as close contacts are now allowed to leave self-isolation, as long as they test negative for Covid.
Rapid test identify nearly half of new cases in Victoria
Victoria has recorded 34,808 new Covid-19 cases on Monday and two deaths.
Of the new cases,17,190 were confirmed with rapid antigen tests and the remaining 17,618 with PCR tests.
The state rolled out a web-based system on Friday so people could report their positive rapid test results, which meant there was a backlog of cases reported over the weekend.
In Victoria, there are currently 818 people in hospital, with 118 patients in the intensive care unit and 28 people on ventilators.
About 17 per cent of Victorians aged over 18 have received their third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, while 93 per cent of those aged over 12 are double-dose vaccinated.
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