Victoria's daily Covid death toll highest since 2020, NSW cases rise
NSW’s Covid cases are continuing to soar despite a brief respite last week, as Victoria's virus daily deaths increased to its highest figure in over a year.
NSW Health announced another 29 Covid deaths and 21,030 new daily cases on Wednesday.
Of the cases, 8,112 stem from positive rapid antigen test results (RATs) and 12,918 from positive PCR tests.
Hospital admissions have fallen in NSW from 2,943 to 2,794, with 175 people in the ICU.
Two years after the first Covid-19 cases were recorded in Australia, the state surpassed one million coronavirus cases on Wednesday according to data that includes RATs.
Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday announced that mask restrictions, density limits, and dancing restrictions were here to stay for another month, scrapping the plan for more freedoms come Thursday.
He said extending the restrictions to February 28 was a "cautious, safe and measured" approach to help suppress the Omicron spread as children returned to classrooms from next week.
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"It's better to have the two-square-metre rule than no square-metre rules and not having the confidence in the community to go out to restaurants and bars," Mr Perrottet said.
Under the continuing restrictions, hospitality venues including pubs, nightclubs and cafes will keep an indoor density limit, masks are required in all indoor settings except homes and QR code check-ins are compulsory at certain premises, including hospitality venues and shops.
Victoria's highest death toll since 2020
Victoria’s health department announced 13,507 new cases and 35 virus-related deaths on Wednesday.
The new cases stem from 6,974 positive RATs and 6,533 positive PCR tests.
It brings the total number of active cases in the state to 139,562.
The state has also seen an increase in hospitalisations, rising to 1,089, but its ICU admissions have dropped slightly to 113 people, with 40 on ventilators.
Victoria's daily death toll is its highest since the state's daunting 2020 second wave, however it is unclear at this stage if any of Wednesday's deaths are backdated.
The state recorded 29 deaths on Tuesday, with 12 of those passing away over the previous two days, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said during a press conference.
With AAP
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