A spike in Covid-19 cases in NSW is concerning authorities as a more transmissible version of the Omicron variant emerges, Phoebe Loomes from AAP reports.
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard appeared at a budget estimates hearing on Thursday as the state recorded 16,288 new cases of the virus, an increase of more than 3,000 on the previous day:
It is concerning us greatly, that we are seeing an increase in daily cases.
There has been an increase in Omicron’s BA2 subvariant that preliminarily data from the University of NSW suggests is more transmissible. The subvariant was first detected in Australia in December.
We could be looking at cases more than double what we’re currently getting.
Hazzard is also concerned people have become complacent about getting a booster shot, with just 56.3% of people having had three vaccine doses:
While the community may have gone to sleep on the virus, the virus has not gone to sleep on the community … The virus can still wreak havoc if we don’t go out there and go and get our boosters fast.”
NSW’s acting chief health officer Marianne Gale said the technical term for the Omicron BA2 subvariant is a “sublineage” and the dominant form of that in NSW had been BA1:
What we are seeing … is a trend to an increasing rise in the BA2 sublineage. Experience has shown us overseas that BA2 can quite quickly overtake BA1 to become the dominant sublineage.
The sublineage was more transmissible, she said, but there was no evidence it was more or less severe.
Covid putting pressure on health resources in flood-hit communities
There are concerns about health resources in the flood-ravaged communities in northern NSW. One of the six evacuation centres in northern NSW could be converted into a Covid-19 isolation facility to deal with cases of the virus there.
Evacuated flood victims in northern NSW who have tested positive are being housed at Casino district hospital, the hearing was told.
NSW Health’s acting deputy secretary for patient experience and state health services disaster response Wayne Jones said the government was considering turning the evacuation centre at Goonellabah Sports and Aquatic Centre into a Covid isolation centre for flood victims.
Hazzard said the government was trying to ensure virus-positive people arriving at evacuation centres would able to be cared for in a safe location.
Gale said cases had been reported at evacuation centres but there had been no outbreaks.
NSW Health reported the deaths of two women and two men with Covid in the 24 hours to 4pm on Wednesday. One person was in their 60s, one in their 70s and two were in their 80s.
There are 991 Covid patients in hospital, 39 in intensive care and 14 are ventilated.
Nearly 80% children aged 12 to 15 have had two doses of vaccine and 48.1% of five- to 11-year-olds have had one jab.
