NSW is doing better than its ‘best case scenario’ in combating Omicron the Premier has claimed as the state recorded 34,660 new Covid cases and 20 deaths on Sunday.
Dominic Perrottet urged residents to get vaccinations and boosters ‘to protect you, your family and friends’, and that of 191 people in ICU, 50 per cent are unvaccinated despite this group making up less than seven per cent of the population.
‘We are currently tracking at both an ICU and hospitalisation rates here in NSW better than the best-case scenario we released last week,’ Mr Perrottet said.
Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) on Sunday said modelling released for the state was ‘encouraging’ that Omicron was easing
Speaking on Sunday, the Premier said 47 per cent of eligible people in New South Wales have had booster jabs – about 25 per cent of all residents over 18-years-old.
He said NSW had also secured a supply of rapid antigen tests and he ‘expected these will be distributed in schools, healthcare, and transport as well as supporting the Commonwealth government in remote Aboriginal communities or aged care.’
Free PCR testing will also continue to be provided in NSW as pressure on labs eases – but Mr Perrottet urged people not to report their cases twice.
‘We don’t want to have a duplication of rapid antigen and PCR tests. The PCR test turnaround is now back at two to three days,’ he said.
Chief medical officer Dr Kerry Chant said the state was also securing ‘oral antivirals’ to widen methods to fight the virus.
Sydney residents enjoyed a brief break in the rainy weather to travel into the city (pictured) as the Premier said the state was was at an ‘encouraging’ point in battle against coronavirus
Modelling released last week for NSW showed a worst-case scenario would see 6,000 people in hospital with COVID and 600 receiving intensive care at the peak.
In the best-case scenario, the modelling predicted there would be 3,158 COVID patients in hospital at the peak, while 270 of those would be in ICU.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazard on Sunday expressed concern that some areas of the northern part of the state, around Byron Bay and Lismore, had lower vaccination rates.
‘People who think that it’s OK to ignore getting vaccinated or indeed, think it’s OK to go put other people of getting vaccinated doing absolutely inappropriate messaging to those people,’ he said.
‘They will be responsible for people in hospital or much worse. And there’s more, one day this week we had six people in (Lismore Hospital) intensive care unit and all six were unvaccinated.’
‘You can’t get a clearer message than that. In a hospital, you have everybody who’s in the ICU unvaccinated, there is a message for the rest of the state. Go and get vaccinated.’
Panic-buyers have again cleared supermarket shelves of toilet paper in the last week as Coles has brought in limits for some items (pictured)
Premier Perrottet says the state has ‘a difficult few weeks ahead’ but things not currently being as bad as feared is ‘very reassuring and encouraging’.
Dr Chant said authorities were confident cases would peak soon.
She said about half the state’s population could eventually become infected but some would be asymptomatic and may never even know they’d contracted the virus.
‘Not all of those will have symptomatic infections or even know that they’ve been infected,’ she said.
‘Across NSW we have 95.2 per cent of people aged 16 and over receive the first dose of covered vaccine and 93.8 per cent have received two doses,’ Dr Chant said.
‘For the 12 to 15-year-old age group that was stubbornly stuck around 81.5 per cent and it’s now 82.1 per cent have received their first dose and 78.4 have received the two doses.
‘And pleasingly, the five to 11-year-olds, 11.5 per cent of receive their first dose of Covid vaccine.’
Experts have warned people believed to have ‘immunity’ after recovering from Covid should remain vigilant as they could be exposed to other strains
The NSW state government will also extend rental relief for small businesses amid the Omicron outbreak.
Treasurer Matt Kean on Saturday announced the scheme would continue until March 13.
‘Small business is the engine room of our economy and we need to make sure we support impacted businesses through this latest Omicron wave,’ he said in a statement.
‘With staff shortages and reduced foot traffic, many businesses are struggling at the moment but the ability to negotiate rent will give them a buffer so they can keep the lights on now and recover more quickly.’
Commercial and retail tenants will qualify for the relief if they have an annual turnover of less than $5 million and continue to meet eligibility criteria for since-discontinued JobSaver or micro-business grant programs.
Landlords will also have more time to apply for land tax relief, with applications extended until February 28 for those eligible.
The state is 93.8 per cent double dosed for eligible residents 16 or over.
More than 24 per cent have also had a booster, while 8.9 per cent of children aged five to 11 have received their first jab.