Australia’s New South Wales has set another daily record of 2,313 Covid-19 cases as infections surge across the state. The state has broken its own record for news for the second day in a row, with infections jumping from Thursday’s total of 1,742.
NSW Health also reported one death while 215 people are in hospital, with 24 in Intensive Care Units (ICU).
Superspreading events at large venues — including a Taylor Swift listening party in Sydney last Friday — are driving up the numbers. The spread has been made worse by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned on Wednesday that numbers could reach 25,000 a day by January.
A raft of restrictions have been eased across the state this week: masks are now only required on public transport, at airports, planes and for unvaccinated indoor hospitality staff. QR codes are no longer needed in supermarkets, shopping centers and other businesses.
NSW State Premier Dominic Perrottet has said he does not want to go back to a lockdown or reintroduce restrictions.
Over 93% of people over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated in New South Wales.
