NSW has recorded 23,131 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths. Today’s daily case total is up from yesterday’s 20,794 cases. There are a record 1344 people in hospital with the virus. Of those, 105 are in intensive care.
Victoria reported a record 14,020 cases of COVID-19 today, along with two deaths. Today’s daily tally eclipsed the previous record (set yesterday) of 8577 cases. There are 516 people in Victorian hospitals due to the virus. Of those, 56 active cases are in intensive care.
Nationally, federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has continued to slam the Morrison government over the pricing and supply of rapid antigen tests. Speaking of rapid tests, the head of Australia’s competition watchdog – Rod Sims – says he is contacting major retailers, pharmacies and their suppliers to seek more information about the current pricing of RATs amid concerns consumers are being overcharged.
Queensland has recorded 5699 new cases of COVID-19. That’s up from yesterday’s 4249 cases. Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has urged people to be patient after long lines at testing sites and a number of private pathology labs closing to deal with backlogs.
The ACT has recorded 926 new cases of COVID-19. Thirteen people are in hospital but just one is in ICU. Canberra continues to lead the nation when it comes to vaccination rates: 98.5 per cent of residents aged 12 and up are fully vaccinated against the virus.
Tasmania has recorded 702 new cases of COVID-19. That’s up from yesterday’s 466 cases. Three people are in hospital with the virus, but none are in intensive care.
South Australia reported 3246 new cases of COVID-19 today. That’s up from yesterday’s 2552 cases.
The Northern Territory reported 75 new cases of COVID-19. Chief Minister Michael Gunner also announced the Top End is scrapping PCR tests for interstate travellers prior to their arrival. Instead, people will be given an additional rapid test upon arrival.
Western Australia reported 14 new cases of COVID-19. WA Health said they were all in quarantine. Eleven are linked to interstate travel including nine who arrived by air - six who were recent travellers from Queensland and three from Tasmania - and two truck drivers tested at the state’s border. The other three new cases are related to international travel.

Broede Carmody will be back around 8.30am tomorrow morning (in case you missed it, the blog will be starting later than usual this week due to the traditional summer holiday period).

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6.36pm on Jan 4, 2022

US records more than 1 million COVID cases in one day

In world news just in this afternoon, more than 1 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the US in a single day as a tsunami of Omicron swamps every aspect of daily American life.

The variant drove cases to a record, the most – by a large margin – that any country has ever reported. Monday’s number, available on Tuesday AEDT, is almost double the previous record of about 590,000 set just four days ago, which itself was a doubling from the prior week.

It is also more than twice the case count seen anywhere else at any time since the pandemic began more than two years ago. The highest number outside the US came during India’s Delta surge, when more than 414,000 people were diagnosed on May 7, 2021.

The data from Johns Hopkins University is complete as of midnight eastern time in Baltimore, US, and delays in reporting over the holidays may have played a role in the rising rates.

Read the full story via Bloomberg here.

6.31pm on Jan 4, 2022

WA reports 14 new COVID cases linked to interstate or international travel

By Sarah McPhee

Western Australia has reported 14 new cases of COVID-19.

“All new cases are in quarantine and are not related to the Delta backpacker cluster or the case of the hotel quarantine security guard,” WA Health said in a statement this afternoon.

Of the 14 new cases, 11 are linked to interstate travel including nine who arrived by air - six who were recent travellers from Queensland and three from Tasmania - and two truck drivers tested at the state’s border. The other three new cases are related to international travel.

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“While there are no new cases linked to the Delta backpacker cluster, WA Health is continuing to work with close and casual contacts. The total number of cases related to this outbreak now remains at 18, including the index case,” the state’s health department said.

“WA Health has identified 804 close contacts associated with the cluster and 25 are yet to be tested. There are also 1452 casual contacts linked to the Perth mess hall and four are yet to be tested.

“The case of the vaccinated hotel quarantine security guard, whose positive test was reported on Sunday, remains under investigation. To date 15 close contacts have been identified, 12 have returned a negative result, 2 results are pending and one is being tested.”

6.26pm on Jan 4, 2022

Labs may need to focus PCR tests on at-risk patients, not test old swabs, pathology director says

By Roy Ward

Melbourne Pathology’s medical director says the service has been swamped by a “tsunami” of tests over the Christmas period and older swabs may not get tested as the focus turns to urgent cases.

Dr Ellen Maxwell told ABC radio this afternoon the current wait time had extended to five days and the greater number of positive tests had forced pathologists to go to a much slower process as they could no longer “batch test”.

Dr Maxwell, who has been battling COVID-19 herself, said laboratories had to shut to the public to try and work through the backlog with machines working to daily capacity.

“The reason that we’ve had to shut is because there has been an absolute tsunami of testing over the holiday period, which I guess was expected knowing that there would be many super-spreader events with people out and about crowds getting together families are reuniting Christmas and New Year,” she said.

“So huge numbers of positives and the result of having a lot of positive tests amongst all the tests coming through is that you can no longer rely on the types of innovation that we use to allow bulk testing all at once.”

Dr Maxwell said the backlog was leaving staff demoralised and suggested a move to not test swabs that were seven days or older, instead focusing on at-risk cases and health staff.

“That would be a personal preference, but I don’t know that that’s necessarily something that would be supported throughout the community or necessarily by government,” Dr Maxwell told the ABC.

“But you do reach a point where you have to consider the validity of old tests and if people have already been in isolation for seven days before they get their test results take up to seven days - let’s hope we don’t get to that.

“You can see that there’s obviously a tipping point where you have to consider the value of it, and we need to focus the testing, not on symptomatic people in the community have put themselves into isolation, but on high-risk members of the community ... and making sure that we can get those people through, and then we’re that we’re not drowning them with the close contacts and symptomatic people who can afford to just go and isolate as the government is recommending.”

Dr Maxwell asked for forgiveness from people waiting for test results and expects “no relief” in the next two weeks.

6.14pm on Jan 4, 2022

Japanese PM cancels Australia trip

By Anthony Galloway

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has given up on a proposed visit to Australia and meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, saying he needs to focus on the COVID-19 response at home.

Mr Kishida was due to meet with Mr Morrison on Friday as part of a trip to Australia and the United States.

Japan’s Fumio Kishida and Scott Morrison in November 2021.Alex Ellinghausen

“In light of the domestic and overseas spread of the novel coronavirus, I have decided not to make overseas trips before the regular Diet session this month,” Mr Kishida announced today.

Mr Morrison and Mr Kishida would have signed the final documents allowing for a reciprocal access agreement between the two countries on the visit.

5.21pm on Jan 4, 2022

Case numbers, positive test rates smash overseas records but still underestimate infection

Looking to the COVID-19 situation overseas, and the US is reporting record infections, but the true tally may be significantly higher.

Average daily cases reached about 405,000 in the past week, about 60 per cent higher than the previous US peak in January 2021, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

But the rate of positives among the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests is at 17 per cent, the highest since April 2020. In New York City, one in three tests are coming back positive, according to data as of December 31.

In England, just under 25 per cent of all PCR tests are coming back positive but in Wales, more than 40 per cent of tests return as positive for coronavirus.

Previously, five per cent of tests coming back positive was considered a good indicator of community infection.

Together, the data suggests Omicron has become so prevalent that many infections are going undetected, perhaps because the person used an at-home rapid test or no test at all.

Worldwide, the seven-day average for new confirmed cases is now around 1.4 million a day.

Even as the variant finds more and more people, hospitalisations and deaths remain below previous peaks, reinforcing a growing body of data showing Omicron is less severe than Delta.

The US is reporting about 1100 COVID deaths a day, according to a seven-day average that has changed little in the past month. New hospital admissions of patients with COVID surged 40 per cent in a week to an average of 12,000 for the December 25-31 period, but remain below a peak of more than 16,000 a year earlier.

In the UK, there are 11,918 COVID patients in hospital - admissions have remained under 2000 a day, lower than the peak in January 2021. The seven-day-average for COVID daily deaths is now 125.

Bloomberg, staff writers

4.46pm on Jan 4, 2022

COVID cases should ‘plateau’ in February, Deputy CMO says

By Sarah McPhee

Circling back to Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sonya Bennett’s press conference this afternoon, when she was asked about an anticipated peak of COVID-19 cases and said Australians should expect them to plateau next month.

Millions of Australians became eligible for their vaccination booster today, four months after their second dose, with millions more eligible from January 31 when the interval is shortened to three months.

The country has recorded close to 48,000 cases in the past 24 hours.

Dr Bennett said elsewhere in the world, there had been a “short, sharp rise” in cases of COVID-19 before they “plateau and fall off”.

“There are things that we need to do now, that we can do now to work together to bring those case numbers under control, and I’d just like to reiterate that the booster program is the single most important thing that we can do,” she said.

She added: “In South Africa, it was really four to six weeks that they had their wave [of the Omicron variant]. But we have to remember the context in other countries is always very different to the context in Australia.

“They’d had previous waves, a high level of natural immunity, lower level of vaccination coverage.

“But I do think that by February ... we will probably continue to see cases increase over the next few weeks but by February, I’d expect, with the booster program in place as well, that we should see it plateauing and cases starting to come down.”

Dr Bennett also encouraged parents and carers of children aged five to 11 to consider making a booking for their vaccination, as they are eligible from next Monday, January 10.

4.23pm on Jan 4, 2022

Kyrgios withdraws from Melbourne Summer Set due to asthma

By Sam Phillips

Nick Kyrgios’ Australian Open preparation has hit a hurdle at the first possible opportunity, after he withdrew from the Melbourne Summer Set due to asthma.

Kyrgios was set to begin his season against Alex Molcan on Rod Laver Arena tonight, but withdrew about six hours before he was due on court.

Nick Kyrgios at the US Open in August this year.AP

The withdrawal leaves Kyrgios with just one lead-up tournament - the Sydney Tennis Classic - before he begins his Australian Open campaign. The 26-year-old has not played since the Laver Cup in late September.

He has spent the last three months recovering from a knee injury and spending time with family and friends in Canberra.

Read the full story here.

4.11pm on Jan 4, 2022

Tens of million of rapid antigen tests to arrive in Australia

By Sarah McPhee

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sonya Bennett was also asked this afternoon about PCR testing queues and the availability of rapid antigen tests (RATs).

She acknowledged there were delays to testing and some difficulties sourcing RATs but said national cabinet had revised the definition of close contacts and isolation requirements last week which would “free up” testing at clinics, where long lines have formed for days over the festive season.

“This is a problem that we’re seeing around the globe. I think the sheer increase in numbers with Omicron, while everyone knew it was more transmissible, it’s happening very quickly,” she said. “But testing is accessible and will become even more accessible very shortly.”

A sign posted to the door of a pharmacy on Nicholson Street in Carlton informs customers it has sold out of rapid antigen tests.Chris Hopkins

Here’s a bit more of what Dr Bennett had to say:

Over the next week or so ... we certainly should see upwards of 100 million rapid antigen tests coming into the country.
We’ll have plenty of tests for people to access as they need.
Right now, people who do need testing can get it, there are different avenues to get that through.
The most critical message I’d have is if you’re mildly unwell, stay home. If you’re moderately unwell, then you seek healthcare. See your healthcare provider, whether that’s your GP or going to hospital, and certainly tests are available there as well.

My colleague Roy Ward has more on the situation with Australians trying to source RATs here.

3.48pm on Jan 4, 2022

Early evidence ‘majority’ of COVID patients in ICU have Delta variant: Deputy CMO

By Sarah McPhee

Australian Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sonya Bennett says there is early evidence that the majority of COVID-19 patients in critical hospital care have the Delta variant, adding that the Omicron variant is “inherently, in itself, a less severe virus”.

Dr Bennett said 47,738 cases of COVID-19 were recorded nationally in the past 24 hours, up from about 38,000 reported yesterday.

She said 2362 people with COVID-19 are in hospital - “which is almost double the number that were in hospital last week” - and 184 of those are in intensive care, which is up from 135 last week.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Sonya Bennett.Alex Ellinghausen

Dr Bennett said 59 people in ICU are ventilated, which has remained steady.

“We’re working collaboratively with the states and territories, looking at the data, particularly with respect to hospitalisations,” she told reporters this afternoon in Canberra.

“There’s some early evidence that the majority of people in critical care have the Delta variant, particularly in jurisdictions such as Victoria.

“There still remain a significant proportion [of people in ICU] that aren’t fully vaccinated and/or they have other serious illnesses or comorbidities.”

She said there was interesting evidence a lot of people in the hospital wards, outside of ICU, were there for another reason and had tested positive for COVID-19.

“That’s not surprising given the sheer case numbers that we’re seeing in the community,” she said.

Dr Bennett noted case numbers had reached a level not seen before in Australia, and there were “certainly” more cases out in the community that health authorities were not aware of due to the spread of infectious disease.

“We do know the Omicron variant is inherently, in itself, a less severe virus. But it’s also part of the outcome of our excellent vaccination coverage ... that we’re really seeing limited severe disease despite those significant case numbers.”

3.24pm on Jan 4, 2022

Lorne Pier to Pub swim cancelled in person, moves online

Organisers of the popular Lorne Pier to Pub open water swimming race in Victoria have decided to cancel this year’s event in person and make it virtual, “due to the developing COVID-19 situation”.

A statement on the Lorne Surf Lifesaving Club site says: “The township of Lorne and volunteer lifesavers are already feeling the many impacts of Covid.

“Lorne SLSC’s focus is on the safety of the community, members, visitors and holiday-makers and as a result, the 2022 Powercor Pier to Pub Swim and Powercor Mountain to Surf Run will be virtual events.”

The event was due to be held on Saturday and attracts around 5000 swimmers each year.

The 2020 Lorne Pier to Pub event. Mark Dadswell

Read the full story here.

As it happened: Hopes rapid test shortage will soon ease as NSW records 23,131 cases of COVID-19, two deaths; Victoria reports 14,020 cases, two deaths

Key Posts

The day’s headlines at a glance

Latest Posts

US records more than 1 million COVID cases in one day

WA reports 14 new COVID cases linked to interstate or international travel

Labs may need to focus PCR tests on at-risk patients, not test old swabs, pathology director says

Japanese PM cancels Australia trip

Case numbers, positive test rates smash overseas records but still underestimate infection

COVID cases should ‘plateau’ in February, Deputy CMO says

Kyrgios withdraws from Melbourne Summer Set due to asthma

Tens of million of rapid antigen tests to arrive in Australia

Early evidence ‘majority’ of COVID patients in ICU have Delta variant: Deputy CMO

Lorne Pier to Pub swim cancelled in person, moves online

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