NSW has hit 90 per cent fully vaccinated a day after slashing Covid restrictions to allow unlimited house parties and roaring nightclub dance floors.
The fastest-vaccinating state in Australia is surging towards the 95 per cent of residents aged 16 and over needed to ditch masks indoors.
Residents with one dose hit 94 per cent on the same day, according to data from the federal government’s Operation Covid Shield.
‘I want to pay tribute to the health minister and the health teams as we lead the nation out of this pandemic,’ Premier Dominic Perrottet told the state parliament.
Dr Jamal Rifi (pictured right) administers the Pfizer vaccine to a client at the Belmore Sports Ground vaccination hub. NSW passed 90 per cent fully vaccinated on Tuesday
Hospitalisations, intensive care admissions and deaths were all far lower among fully vaccinated, NSW Health boss Kerry Chant (pictured) has revealed
World-beating vaccination rates have kept new Covid cases per day in NSW below 350 for weeks and avoided hospitals being overwhelmed with infected patients.
A new report revealed hospitalisations, intensive care admissions and deaths were all far lower among fully vaccinated Covid-19 patients during the peak of NSW‘s latest outbreak.
And infection rates among the unvaccinated were 10 times higher compared to those who rolled up their sleeves to get both vaccinations, a NSW Health report revealed.
Of the 61,800 locally acquired cases across NSW between June 16 to October 7, the majority had received no vaccine, 9.2 per cent had received one dose while just 6.1 per cent of cases were fully vaccinated.
The state’s chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said data clearly shows fully vaccinated people were significantly less likely to become infected with the virus.
The state is now on the verge of reaching the 95 per cent double dose vaccination target as NSW recorded 222 new cases and four deaths on Tuesday.
‘This report shows vaccination has been key in protecting ourselves, our families and the community from the harmful effects of the virus,’ Dr Chant said.
Infection rates among the unvaccinated were 10 times higher compared to those who rolled up their sleeves (pictured a drive through vaccination clinic)
Of the 8660 hospitalised cases, only 5.7 per cent were people who were fully vaccinated.
Just three per cent of intensive care admissions were fully vaccinated.
The report was released just hours after it was revealed an unvaccinated man in his 30s with no significant underlying health conditions was one of seven Covid-19 deaths recorded in NSW on Monday.
Father-of-three Mohamed Khaldoun Obeid, 38, from Padstow in Sydney died at Royal North Shore Hospital.
The other six deaths recorded on Monday include two women who died at an Albury aged care facility where they acquired their infections, and a Sydney man in his 80s who died at Prince of Wales Hospital where he caught the virus.
Fully-vaccinated people can now gather in bigger numbers indoors and outdoors.
School children were allowed assemblies and excursions from Monday under the state’s revised road map. Teachers who aren’t fully vaccinated will be suspended.
NSW businesses now have density restrictions of one person for every two square metres, and fully-vaccinated diners can book without number limits.
As many as 1000 people can gather outdoors, while stadiums, racecourses, theme parks, zoos, cinemas and theatres can operate at 100 per cent of their fixed-seated capacity.
All unvaccinated NSW residents will have to wait until December 15 or when the state reaches a 95 per cent double-vaccination to enjoy greater freedoms, whichever comes first.
Just three per cent of intensive care admissions were fully vaccinated. Pictured is a critically ill patient in St Vincent’s Hospital’s ICU unit in July
Mohamed Khaldoun Obeid was 38 when he died from Covid-19 on Saturday. He is pictured with his wife Rayan
People who attended a large funeral and wake in Sydney’s west on the weekend are being urged to get tested for Covid after several positive cases were linked to the events.
The funeral was held at the North Chapel of Pinegrove Memorial Park in Minchinbury on Saturday from 10am and the wake was held at a private residence in Llandilo on Saturday and Sunday.
‘Anyone who attended either the funeral or the wake is a close contact and must immediately get tested, self-isolate and follow the close contact advice regardless of the result,’ a NSW Health alert said on Monday night.