Woman in her 80s dies with COVID-19 in Canberra as hospitalisations drop

ACT Health reported 1053 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, along with a decrease in the number of people in hospital.

There were 66 patients in hospital at 8pm on Thursday night, down from 70 in the previous reporting period. There are now five people in intensive care.

The take up of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccinations have remained mostly flat, with 75.5 per cent of the ACT population aged 16 and over now reported to have had three jabs.

ACT Health reported its second highest COVID hospitalisation rate on Thursday, as high caseloads and staff shortages put pressure on Canberra hospitals.

There were 70 people in hospital with coronavirus in the ACT in the latest reporting period, as cases remained above 1000 for the fourth consecutive day.

Hospitals are not the only public institutions feeling the impact this month, with students at several Canberra schools returning to home learning from Thursday.

Various classes from Margaret Hendry School, Charles Weston School and Cranleigh will be required to stay home until next week due to staff shortfalls.

Health authorities have been urged to get their flu shot amid concerns about waning immunity after the territory has recorded a spike in influenza cases over recent weeks.

ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said ACT Health was undergoing planning around testing for various respiratory illnesses. There were concerns people would not come forward for influenza testing, especially if they have already tested negative for COVID-19.

"It can be concerning that with so much focus on COVID that people forget there are other illnesses and other reasons why you might need to visit your health practitioner," Dr Coleman said.

There were 10,995 new cases of COVID-19 reported in NSW, where 1499 people were in hospital. It was a fall of 30 patients.

Victoria reported 10,305 cases of COVID-19 on Friday, and 502 people in hospital. The number of patients had increased by 10 in the reporting period.

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