Australia’s NSW reintroduces mask mandate, density limits as omicron spreads

This comes as 5,715 COVID-19 cases were reported today, with almost 70% coming from the Sydney metropolitan area. NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said that about 80% of new infections in the state were the omicron variant.

Meanwhile, state premier, Dominic Perrottet, said that the “key indicators” were not case numbers but rather intensive care numbers and hospitalisations. Adding that:

“Importantly [it is] the ability of our healthcare workers…to provide the care that people need if they’re seriously ill as they come into the hospital system. What we’re seeing… is that many of our health workers, around 1500 just today, are either sick or unable through testing requirements to be able to come into work.”

That is certainly a message to be heeded. Of note, hospitalisations jumped to 347 today – an increase from 192 compared to the same time last week. Meanwhile, 45 patients are in ICU and that is up from 40 yesterday.