The COVID-19 infection count continues to grow in NSW, where Health Minister Brad Hazzard has warned every Australian will likely catch the Omicron variant.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A new record daily case count of 6394 was reported on Sunday, from reduced testing numbers on Christmas Day.
There were 109,545 tests, a drop of around 40,000.
No deaths were reported but hospitalisations are up to 458 from 388. There are 52 people in ICU - the majority are unvaccinated.
The state hit its 95 per cent single dose vaccination rate for people aged 16 and over on Christmas Eve, Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Sunday.
The second dose rate is at 93.5 per cent. Among those aged 12-to-15, 81.6 per cent have received at least one dose and 78.3 per cent are double vaccinated.
"We never believed we would reach that rate," he said.
"To be in a position now where we have one of of the highest vaccination rates, not just in Australia but globally, ensures that as we open up we're able to do so as safely as possible."
But Mr Hazzard cautioned that case numbers will continue to rise with the Omicron variant.
"Everyone in NSW is probably going to get Omicron at some stage. Everybody in Australia will get Omicron," he said, noting vaccination was the best way to face that prospect.
It's highly likely everyone will spend 10 days in isolation in the next two or three years, he said, but he noted symptoms appear milder and the current approach to isolation may change.
"Early evidence both internationally and here ... is indicating that it's nowhere near as severe, so on that basis we're looking at how we reconfigure our approach," he said.
The premier, who visited a major Sydney vaccination hub at Olympic Park, said he would receive his booster later on Sunday.
He has urged people to get their third doses as soon as they're eligible - four months after their second dose from January 4 and three months after from January 31.
Authorities are also encouraging people who don't have symptoms or aren't required to get PCR tests by NSW Health or in order to travel to instead use rapid antigen tests.
The spiralling outbreak has for the past week swamped contact tracers and overwhelmed testing sites.
Mr Hazzard also implored states requiring PCR tests for travel to rethink the policy.
The average wait for results is between 48 and 72 hours, but there have been cases where wait times have gone past 72 hours.
"It will take the pressure off our health system ... take the heat off the pathology capacity allowing pathology to be used what it should be for," he said.
Current case numbers prompted the government to reintroduce some restrictions that had been wound back on December 15.
Masks are again required in indoor settings, with hospitality venues to return to the one person per two-square metre rule and QR codes to be compulsory again from Monday.
Australian Associated Press
