Sydney Jan. 18 (BNA): Australia suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic on Tuesday as the fast-moving Omicron outbreak continued to drive hospitalization rates to record levels, even as daily infections fell slightly.
Australia is dealing with its worst outbreak of COVID-19, fueled by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus that has put more people in hospitals and intensive care than at any time during the pandemic, Reuters reported.
Official data showed that 77 deaths were recorded, surpassing the previous national record of 57 cases last Thursday.
“Today is a very difficult day for our state,” New South Wales (NSW) Premier Dominic Beirut said during a media briefing as the state reported 36 deaths, a new high in the pandemic.
Only four of those who died in NSW received a booster dose, prompting state health officials to urge people to avoid delays and get a third dose soon. Thirty-three double doses.
“There needs to be a sense of urgency in adopting the booster doses,” said Kerry Chant, NSW’s chief health officer. “For Omicron, we know the protection is lower and we need the next boost to get that higher level of protection.”
An ANZ poll on Tuesday showed that the surge in case numbers hurt consumer confidence last week, leading to self-imposed lockdowns and stifling spending even as states look to avoid shutdowns and keep businesses open.
O’Micron has also dented Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s popularity, according to a widely watched poll on Tuesday, putting the opposition Labor Party in a leadership position months after the federal election.
Amid rising hospitalizations, Victoria on Tuesday announced a “code brown” in hospitals, usually for short-term emergencies, that would give hospitals the ability to cancel non-urgent health services and cancel staff leave.
While authorities do not usually specify what type of coronavirus leads to death, officials said most patients in intensive care have been infected with the Omicron strain, with young unvaccinated people making up a “large number”.
Queensland said none of the state’s 16 record deaths had received booster shots. Of the 45 people who have died in the state from COVID-19 since December 13, only one has received its third dose.
“Please come forward and get a booster shot, we know it makes a difference,” State Health Secretary Yvette Dath said.
About 73,000 new infections were reported on Tuesday, down from 150,000 last Thursday. So far, Australia has reported about 1.6 million infections since the pandemic began, with about 1.3 million of them in the past two weeks. The total number of deaths was 2,776.
MI