The Omicron strain of the coronavirus is causing the worst COVID-19 outbreak in Australia’s history, putting more people in hospitals and critical care than at any other time throughout the pandemic. Australia had its deadliest day of the pandemic, as a fast-moving Omicron outbreak pushed hospitals to overflow, despite a minor decrease in daily infections.
By late morning, a total of 74 deaths had been reported throughout Australia’s three most populated states. Surpassing the previous national high of 57 deaths last Thursday, according to official data. New South Wales state reported 36 deaths, a new pandemic high. “Today is a very difficult day for our state,” New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said.”Despite the challenges, they are not unique to the rest of the world,” he said. Hospitals can still cope with the increased number of admissions, according to Perrottet, who has constantly ruled out any harsh restrictions due to high vaccination rates.
There needs to be a sense of urgency in embracing the booster doses
“There needs to be a sense of urgency in embracing the booster doses,” NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said. “For Omicron, we know that the protection is lower. And we need that next boosting to get that higher level of protection.” Victoria announced a “code brown” in hospitals on Tuesday in reaction to heightened hospitalizations. Which is generally for shorter-term emergencies and gives hospitals the authority to cancel non-urgent health services and staff leave.
Unvaccinated young people, according to authorities, account for a “substantial number” of hospital entries in the country. Consumer confidence in Australia took a hit last week, despite governments’ efforts to avert lockdowns and keep companies running. Omicron has also reduced Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s approval ratings, placing Labor in front months before a federal election. Since the pandemic began, Australia has reported 1.6 million cases, with 1.3 million occurring in the previous two weeks. The total number of people that died are 2,757, so far.
