Life under social isolation or mandatory "stay home orders".

[kingofnobbys]

20 December = DELTA WAVE Day 186 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 12

NSW REMAINS IN CovidNORMAL , PM ScoMo, Fed Health Min Hunt, and NSW Premier "Let-it-rip" Dom & NSW Health Min Hazzard , are all telling us "'think happy thoughts" and "learn to live with covid" , and STILL REFUSING to reimpose mask mandates , QR Code checkins , social distancing measures or LGA circuit breaker hard lockdowns w/ ring fencing hotspot LGAs.

This despite a chorus of Australia's leading health experts calling for a pause on reopening plans , and return to restrictions for at least 3 weeks effective IMMEDIATELY ENFORCED reinstatements of
>>mask mandates for EVERYONE EVERYWHERE ( esp indoor settings )
>>the acceleration of the mRNA booster rollout ( gap called for being 3mnth to 4mnth for those in Groups 1 to 2)
>>and social distancing for EVERYONE in all situations
>>along with Stage 4 CCT BKR HD LKDNs in HOTSPOT LGAs with these LGAs RING FENCED to slow Omicron leakage to other regions.

The advise is if NSW Health and NSW Cabinet & Premier wait for hospitalizations to show a rapid acceleration IT WILL ALREADY BE TOO LATE because there is always a lag of 2wks to 4wks before hospitalizations go pear-shaped and ICUs become overwhelmed.

Meanwhile the Delta Wave and Omicron Outbreaks in NSW are hitting new all time daily local case records DAILY and showing now sign of the vertical case number curve slowing --- going from bad to worse .

Omicron is NOW the dominant strain in NSW and is NOW totally out of control and spreading at faster rates in the community than any other strain of covid we've seen to date.

COMBINED DELTA & OMICRON WAVE IN AUSTRALIA

Australia recorded cases o/night ,
Australia's CUMULATIVE LOCAL DELTA + OMICRON cases as of today = 226626.

National record highs daily for 6 days.
Previous Australian record = 2005 on 14/10/2021
New Australian records
14/12/2021 = 2018
15/12/2021 = 2815 UP 40%
< NSW moves to COVIDNormal based on 80% of +16ys being FULLY VAXXED ONLY , according Federal Opening Plan >
16/12/2021 = 3423 UP 22%
17/12/2021 = 3837 UP 12%
18/12/2021 = 4114 UP 8%
19/12/2021 = 3958
20/12/2021 = 3990


DELTA DEATHS TODAY

Australia = 0
NSW = 0, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 588
Victoria 0, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 641
ACT = 0 . ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 12
NT total in this DELTA WAVE ( and for entire pandemic ) = 1
QLD = 0

NSW
20 December 2501
NSW recorded 2,566 new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
NSW total local Delta Cases stands at 95270,
2235 Mystery cases today.
7 intls in quarantine.

20 December 2021
Across NSW, 94.9 % of people aged 16 and over have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 93.4 % have received two doses.

Of the people aged 12 to 15, 81.5 % have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.1 % have received two doses.

The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 13,285,675 with 4,262,147 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 9,023,528 administered by the GP network, pharmacies and other providers to 11.59pm on Saturday 18 December 2021.

NSW Health encourages everyone who is eligible to book into a NSW Health vaccination clinic or another provider without delay through the COVID-19 vaccine clinic finder.

Everyone aged 18 years and older may now receive a booster five months after receiving their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. We urge people to get their booster dose as soon as they are eligible, to best protect yourself, your loved ones and the community from the ongoing transmission of COVID-19. If you are due for your booster over the Christmas new year period, you can have it a little earlier.

We also strongly recommend that people aged 12 years and over who are severely immunocompromised have a third primary dose of vaccine from two months after their second dose. Talk to your GP for more advice.

There are currently 261 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 33 people in intensive care, 11 of whom require ventilation.

There were 144,368 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 148,937.

NSW recorded 2,501 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Nineteen COVID-19 cases have been excluded following further investigation, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 99,851..
NSW Health continues to remind everyone across the community to continue to practice COVID-safe behaviours, including recommending wearing a mask in settings where you cannot physically distance.

Around a quarter of people who have been exposed to COVID-19 may still develop their infection after seven days. For the next seven days close contacts should exercise caution and not enter a high-risk setting, should avoid large indoor gatherings, use a RAT test if coming into contact with vulnerable people, and should get tested again on day 12.

Get tested and stay home if you have the mildest of symptoms. Do not go out and visit family, friends or go to social events if you are unwell. Practice good hand hygiene by washing and sanitising your hands regularly.

If you do not have symptoms, consider using a Rapid Antigen Test before going out.

Of the 2,501 cases reported to 8pm last night,
660 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD),
417 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD,
339 are from Sydney LHD,
315 are from Western Sydney LHD,
250 are from South Western Sydney LHD,
227 are from Northern Sydney LHD,
77 are from Central Coast LHD,
40 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD,
34 are from Northern NSW LHD,
24 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD,
24 are from Mid North Coast LHD,
20 are from Western NSW LHD,
9 are from Murrumbidgee LHD,
7 are from Far West LHD,
4 are from Southern NSW LHD,
and 54 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.


NSW POSITIVITY DAILY SNAPSHOT

NSW Reff DAILY SNAPSHOT

While some health experts favour a more conservative approach towards restrictions, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has emphasised the need for personal responsibility.

Sharon Lewin, the Doherty Institute director who advised on the national plan to roll back public health restrictions, has called for large gathering at pubs and nightclubs to cease and a return of mask wearing indoors.

"We should bring back some restrictions on how people mix for a few weeks, while we get more information on Omicron's severity and its ability to evade vaccines," she said.

On Sunday, Mr Perrottet pointed to the low numbers of intensive care admissions in resisting calls for the reinstatement of a mask wearing mandate.
Mr Perrottet said it's up to individuals to have "personal responsibility" and use masks when it made sense to do so, as rising case numbers become the "new normal".

"The government can't do everything," he said. "It's over to the people of our state."

Federal Labor's government services spokesman Bill Shorten said individuals should be "cautious".

"I think it is up to us to have some personal responsibility here," he told Nine's Today show on Monday. "So with Christmas just around the corner, just be cautious I think is the word of the day. And mask up if you need to be in big social settings."

Professor John Kaldor from the University of NSW Kirby Institute said the national reopening plan should not change in broad terms.

"Every plan need to be responsive to changes in circumstances, and what we've seen with COVID is that there are twists and turns that are unexpected," he told ABC radio.

NSW has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, which politicians and health authorities said was the pathway out of the pandemic.
He said NSW has "always struck the right balance" and is ultimately "in a very strong place".
In a joint comment piece, experts from Australia’s leading infectious diseases research institutions including John Kaldor, a professor of epidemiology with the Kirby Institute in NSW, the director of the Doherty Institute, Prof. Sharon Lewin, and Prof Greg Dore, an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist all agreed that while booster vaccinations will be critical, some restrictions are needed.

They called for the return of indoor mask mandates in NSW [Victoria already requires masks for indoor retail], and for density limits to be reintroduced for indoor venues over Christmas. These measures should remain for at least a few weeks, they wrote, until more information on Omicron’s severity and its ability to evade vaccines is gathered.
Experts are cautioning the government’s approach to reopening as NSW and Victoria record a surge in case numbers over the weekend.
Deputy chief medical officer, Sonya Bennett said on Sunday the new Omicron variant’s transmissibility was “concerning.”
It comes as NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet doubles down on his plans to remove restrictions around masks and check in codes in the state.

 

[kingofnobbys]

20 December = DELTA WAVE Day 186 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 12 < NSW - continued >
GREATER SYDNEY LHAs

NSW Health has lost control of DELTA & OMICRON in all of Greater Sydney. Cases are increasing on a much steeper exponential trajectory in all LGAs than ever before , this is directly attributeable to Omicron running wild in the community.

NSW GREATER SYDNEY SATELLITE LHDs

HUNTER NEW ENGLAND LHD

20/12/2021

VERY BAD day in HNE LHD, Newcastle , Lake Macquarie , Maitland-Cessnock LGAs

660 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Hunter New England region.
There are 4368 active cases in the District. 17 active cases are being cared for in our hospitals, 3 are in ICU.

Of the 660 new cases:
- 294 are from Newcastle LGA
- 220 are from Lake Macquarie LGA
- 75 are from Maitland LGA
- 19 are from Cessnock LGA
- 16 are from Port Stephens LGA
- 16 are from Singleton LGA
- 5 are from Muswellbrook LGA
- 4 are from Tamworth Regional LGA
- 4 are from Upper Hunter LGA
- 3 are from Inverell LGA
- 2 are from Armidale Regional LGA
- 1 is from Dungog LGA
- 1 is from Mid Coast LGA

HNE LHA total ADDED 660 , NOW stands at 8706 cases since start of Delta wave.


WESTERN NSW LHD

20/12/2021

Up to 8pm last night there were 20 new cases identified in the Western NSW Local Health District.
Orange - 11
Midwestern LGA - 3 ( 2 in Mudgee, 1 in Gulgong)
Cabonne LGA - 3 (1 in Molong)
Dubbo - 2
Parkes - 1

WNSWLHA total ADDED 20 , NOW stands at 2090 cases since start of Delta wave.

OTHER REGIONAL NSW LHDs

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

VIC

20/12/2021 VIC
VIC recorded 1302 LOCAL cases , VIC local total for DELTA WAVE now 128126 cases.
986 mystery cases.
2 repats from o/seas.
VIC recorded 0 delta deaths..

VIC DAILY POSITIVITY SNAPSHOT

VIC DAILY Reff SNAPSHOT

DAILY SNAPSHOTS BY MOST ACTIVE LHDs

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ACT

20/12/2021 ACT
ACT recorded 13 LOCAL cases , ACT local total for DELTA WAVE now 12138 cases.
4 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
ACT recorded 0 delta deaths..

The majority of new COVID-19 infections in the ACT have been linked to outbreak hotspots including Sydney and Newcastle.
The national capital recorded 13 new infections on Monday.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said a large number of cases stemmed from people who tested positive after arriving in Canberra from interstate.

There have been 40 infections linked to the Omicron variant since the new strain emerged.

"The majority of our cases were interstate acquired, rather than being locally acquired, so we still weren't seeing a high level of local community transmission," she told ABC radio.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

QLD

20/12/2021 QLD
QLD recorded 58 LOCAL cases , QLD local total for DELTA WAVE now 538 cases.
33 mystery cases.
1 repats from o/seas.
QLD recorded 0 delta deaths..

Queensland has recorded 59 new cases of COVID-19, with 49 of those infections acquired in the state, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says.
f the 49 new local cases, 16 were linked to a known case, nine were interstate-acquired and 24 were under investigation.

Another 10 cases were recorded in quarantine with at least one of those overseas-acquired.

Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard says 13 cases are Omicron and eight are Delta with the variant of the other 38 unknown.
Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Townsville have new cases with Dr Gerrard concerned about a potential Omicron superspreader event in Brisbane last Monday.

More than 2670 people attended the Griffith University graduation ceremony for nurses and paramedics at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on that day.

Dr Gerrard said there were already 15 cases linked to the event, including some Omicron cases, and more were expected.

"It's likely that the whole episode will be an Omicron cluster," the chief health officer said.

There are 66 people in hospital and 32 being treated at home, but only one COVID-19 patient has been moderately ill during the last week. She was unvaccinated and is recovering.

Dr Gerrard said it was likely the hospital and ICU numbers would pick up over coming weeks, due to the lag time on virus symptoms developing.

"So it will be very instructive to learn in the next one to two weeks what pattern we see in the hospitals," he said.

Dr Gerrard also defended saying it was "necessary" for the virus to spread throughout the state on Saturday.

He explained that spread would give everyone some level of immunity, helping make COVID-19 endemic like previous pandemic diseases.

"It's necessary because this virus ultimately needs to become endemic in the community before we can move on," the chief health officer said.

"Eventually all of us will develop some degree of immunity to this virus, and probably the virus will become less virulent.

"That's the nature of how new viruses are introduced into the community. That's what's happened previously, with influenza pandemics."

The latest figures show 84.7 per cent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated and 89.8 per cent have had at least one jab.

"This is exactly what we expected, Queensland," Ms Palaszczuk said.

She urged Queenslanders to wear masks indoors but said there would be no new mask mandate at this stage.

"What we are saying today is that we strongly recommend that you wear your mask in an indoor setting so we're not mandating it," she said.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said it was difficult to trace patients now that the cases were increasing.

"We have 33 cases that are currently under investigation," he said.

"One case overseas acquired, 16 linked to interstate travel and 16 contacts of known cases.

"In terms of the locations of cases, [they are] very similar to what we've seen in the past few days, including Brisbane South and North, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba region and Townsville."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SA

20/12/2021 SA
SA recorded 105 LOCAL cases , SA local total for DELTA WAVE now 482 cases.
65 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
SA recorded 0 delta deaths..

 

[kingofnobbys]

20 December = DELTA WAVE Day 186 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 12 < AUS - continued 2 >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TAS

20/12/2021 TAS
TAS recorded 4 LOCAL cases , TAS local total for DELTA WAVE now 22 cases.
1 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
TAS, recorded 0 delta deaths..

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WA

20/12/2021 WA
WA recorded 0 cases , 0 delta deaths..

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NT

20/12/2021 NT
NT recorded 6 LOCAL cases , NT local total for DELTA WAVE now 127 cases.
0 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
NT, recorded 0 delta deaths..

The lockdown in the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek has been extended for another 48 hours.

NT Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison said the lockdown in Tennant Creek will be extended until 5pm, Wednesday, December 22. "I know this is not the news the people of Tennant Creek wanted to hear," she said.

Ms Manison urged residents to continue getting tested and to get vaccinated.

The lockdown in Ali Curung will also continue until Wednesday December 22 with the possibility of being extended.

"Due to the low vaccination rate in Ali Curung, any decision to lift the lockdown will be critically analysed," Ms Manison said.

"Ali Curung has an extremely low vaccination rate of 44 per cent first dose."

It comes as the Territory recorded 6 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

The first is a child from Tennant Creek, who is a close contact of an existing case.

The child is already in quarantine.

A man and woman in their 30s have also tested positive, both are from Walkabout Bore outstation.

Both were in Tennant Creek a week ago and were asymptomatic.

Ms Manison said all three cases are connected to the Katherine cluster.

here are now 112 cases linked to this cluster.


Mask mandate extended in some NT areas
A mask mandate will remain in Tennant Creek and the Barkley local government area until 5pm on Wednesday December 22 as the lockdown has been extended.

The mask mandate in Katherine and surrounding suburbs will be immediately lifted.

"Please if you're symptomatic still get tested," Ms Manison said.

Interstate testing requirements to enter NT
The NT can move towards quarantine free travel if travellers comply with testing requirements, Ms Manison said.

"We need everyone coming to the Territory for Christmas to make sure you are doing the right thing," she said.

Travellers must get a negative PCR test 72 hours before arrival.

Ms Manison said due to the increase of COVID-19 cases on the east coast, test results have been slower.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

20/12/2021

FEDERAL

National Cabinet will be convened on Wednesday for an emergency meeting on the Omicron variant. It was previously scheduled to meet in February
Experts are calling for some restrictions on crowd sizes and masks to remain, while authorities learn more about the variant.
Some families may not be able to return to their homes in time for Christmas after they were damaged by a "mini-cyclone" that swept through Sydney's northern beaches yesterday.
And Australia has recorded its busiest ever month for auctions during a period when the real estate market is usually winding down for Christmas.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

20/12/2021

OMICRON OUTBREAK

Update pending

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NZ
20/12/2021 NZ
NZ recorded 69 LOCAL cases , NZ local total for DELTA WAVE now 10306 cases.
1 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
NZ recorded 0 delta deaths..

 

[kingofnobbys]

21 DEC 2021
Very bad things happening :

Mother-in-law is locked in her room at her residential nursing home because 8 elderly residents and 6 staff have been infected with Omicron variant. Just got the call from the nursing home today.

Son came up from Western Sydney but said the train was packed so he stayed outside , masked up and kept his distance - scare that because he was vaxxed with AZ is at significant risk of contracting Omicron on the train trip .
Told us WAG & MAG and Trampoline Sports coach colleagues at the local gymnastics clubs here in Newcastle have contracted Delta and Omicron and have all the local clubs closed down early for Xmas because the risk of Delta and Omicron is too extreme here in the Lower HNE. So very disappointing but he returned to Sydney rather than stay til Xmas / NYE.

 

[kingofnobbys]

21 December = DELTA WAVE Day 187 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 13

NSW REMAINS IN CovidNORMAL , PM ScoMo, Fed Health Min Hunt, and NSW Premier "Let-it-rip" Dom & NSW Health Min Hazzard , are STILL all telling us "'think happy thoughts" and "learn to live with covid" , and STILL REFUSING to reimpose mask mandates , QR Code checkins , social distancing measures or LGA circuit breaker hard lockdowns w/ ring fencing hotspot LGAs.

This despite a CONTINUING chorus of Australia's leading health experts calling for a pause on reopening plans , and return to restrictions for at least 3 weeks effective IMMEDIATELY ENFORCED reinstatements of
>>mask mandates for EVERYONE EVERYWHERE ( esp indoor settings )
>>the acceleration of the mRNA booster rollout ( gap called for being 3mnth to 4mnth for those in Groups 1 to 2)
>>and social distancing for EVERYONE in all situations
>>along with Stage 4 CCT BKR HD LKDNs in HOTSPOT LGAs with these LGAs RING FENCED to slow Omicron leakage to other regions.

Meanwhile the Delta Wave and Omicron Outbreaks in NSW are hitting new all time daily local case records DAILY and showing now sign of the vertical case number curve slowing --- going from bad to worse .

Omicron is NOW the dominant strain in NSW and is TOTALLY out of control and spreading at faster rates in the community than any other strain of covid we've seen to date.

COMBINED DELTA & OMICRON WAVE IN AUSTRALIA

Australia recorded cases o/night ,
Australia's CUMULATIVE LOCAL DELTA + OMICRON cases as of today = 231246.

21/12/2021 Positive Rate
Positive Rate
Australia 1.685%
NSW: 2.232%
VIC: 1.861%
QLD: 0.249%
WA: 0.0%
SA: 0.86%
TAS: 0.229%
ACT: 0.247%
NT: 0.0%


National record highs daily for 6 days.
Previous Australian record = 2005 on 14/10/2021
New Australian records
14/12/2021 = 2018
15/12/2021 = 2815 UP 40%
< NSW moves to COVIDNormal based on 80% of +16ys being FULLY VAXXED ONLY , according Federal Opening Plan >
16/12/2021 = 3423 UP 22%
17/12/2021 = 3837 UP 12%
18/12/2021 = 4114 UP 8%
19/12/2021 = 3958
20/12/2021 = 3990
21/12/2021 = 4575 UP 11% ( cf 18/12/2021 prior Australian daily case record )


DELTA DEATHS TODAY

Australia = 0
NSW = 2, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 590
Victoria 6, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 647
ACT = 0 . ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 12
NT total in this DELTA WAVE ( and for entire pandemic ) = 1
QLD = 0

21/21/2021 VAXX ROLLOUT

NEW VAXX APPROVED
The TGA has granted provisional determination to Vaxine Pty Ltd in relation to its #COVID19 vaccine: Recombinant CoV-2-S-ΔTM protein with Advax-CpG55.2 (active ingredient name and tradename to be confirmed).

GAP BETWEEN AZ , PFIZER AND MODERNA 2nd DOSES AND mRNA BOOSTER.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has indicated it may update the interval period for booster shots from six months to as little as three to counteract the extreme high neutralization of immunity by Omicron..


NSW
21/12/2021 NSW
NSW recorded 3051 LOCAL cases , NSW local total for DELTA WAVE now 98325 cases.
2752 mystery cases.
6 repats from o/seas.
NSW recorded 2 delta deaths..

NSW POISITIVITY = 2.23%

NSW Reff = 3.10

21 December 2021
NSW Health is today reporting the deaths of two people.

A man in his 80s from Sydney’s southern suburbs died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.

A woman in her 70s from the Central West died at the Gosling Creek Aged Care facility, where she acquired her infection. She was not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.

Across NSW, 94.9 % of people aged 16 and over have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 93.4 % have received two doses.

Of the people aged 12 to 15, 81.4 % have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.1 % have received two doses.
NSW Health continues to remind everyone to practise COVID-safe behaviours, including recommending people wear a mask in settings where they cannot physically distance.

Around a quarter of people exposed to COVID-19 may still develop their infection after seven days. For the next seven days, close contacts should exercise caution and not enter a high-risk setting, should avoid large indoor gatherings, use a rapid antigen test if coming into contact with vulnerable people.

Get tested and stay home if you have the mildest of symptoms. Do not visit family, friends or go to social events if you are unwell. Wash and sanitise your hands regularly.

If you do not have symptoms, consider using a rapid antigen test before going out.

Of the 3,057 cases reported to 8pm last night,
820 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD),
525 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD,
386 are from Western Sydney LHD,
378 are from Sydney LHD,
346 are from South Western Sydney LHD,
268 are from Northern Sydney LHD,
85 are from Central Coast LHD,
82 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD,
48 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD,
26 are from Northern NSW LHD,
24 are from Mid North Coast LHD,
17 are from Western NSW LHD,
6 are from Southern NSW LHD,
2 are from Murrumbidgee LHD,
and 44 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

There are close to 1,400 healthcare workers currently furloughed due to Delta or Omicron contact or after testing positive, and the best way to help them is to get a booster, the Health Minister says.
Staff have either tested positive or have been exposed to the virus and are isolating, adding extra pressure on the system as cases rise.
Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin told Today this morning that the reintroduction of some public health measures, such as mask mandates, were needed to curb a major rise in coronavirus cases. "The next days are really quite important and the additional intervention of universal mask-wearing indoors can make a big impact with very little disruption," Professor Lewin said.

Mr Perrottet yesterday insisted his government is treating residents "like adults" as he continued to push back against calls for renewed COVID-19 restrictions.
He has urged residents to wear masks in some venues but unlike other states and territories has not made it mandatory.

NSW has eased requirements for international arrivals, with fully vaccinated travellers no longer having to isolate for 72 hours.
From Tuesday, overseas arrivals to Sydney will have to get a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours and isolate at home until they return a negative result.
Unvaccinated adult travellers are still required to complete 14 days of hotel quarantine.

GREATER SYDNEY LHAs

NSW Health has lost control of DELTA & OMICRON in all of Greater Sydney. Cases are increasing on a much steeper exponential trajectory in all LGAs than ever before , this is directly attributeable to Omicron running wild in the community.

NSW GREATER SYDNEY SATELLITE LHDs

21/12/2021

VERY BAD day in HNE LHD, Newcastle , Lake Macquarie , Maitland-Cessnock LGAs.

820 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Hunter New England region.
There are 5169 active cases in the District.
14 active cases are being cared for in our hospitals, 1 is in ICU.

Of the 820 new cases:
- 326 are from Newcastle LGA
- 254 are from Lake Macquarie LGA
- 133 are from Maitland LGA
- 48 are from Port Stephens LGA
- 26 are from Cessnock LGA
- 7 are from Singleton LGA
- 7 are from Muswellbrook LGA
- 6 are from Mid Coast LGA
- 6 are from Moree Plains LGA
- 3 are from Tamworth Regional LGA
- 2 are from Dungog LGA
- 1 is from Narrabri LGA ( 100 km from Moree )
- 1 is from Upper Hunter LGA

HNE LHA total ADDED 820 , NOW stands at 9525 cases since start of Delta wave.


WESTERN NSW LHD

21/12/2021

Up to 8pm last night there were 17 new cases identified in the Western NSW Local Health District.
Bathurst - 2
Dubbo LGA - 2 (1 in Dubbo and 1 in Wellington)
Walgett - 1
Orange - 6
Mid-Western LGA - 4 (2 in Gulgong and 2 in Mudgee)
Blayney - 1
Coonamble - 1

WNSW LHA total ADDED 17 , NOW stands at 2107 cases since start of Delta wave.


OTHER REGIONAL NSW LHDs

COMPARE DELTA & OMICRON GROWTH PHASES

 

[kingofnobbys]

21 December = DELTA WAVE Day 187 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 13 < continued > Rest of Australia outside NSW

VIC
21/12/2021 NSW
NSW recorded 1243 LOCAL cases , NSW local total for DELTA WAVE now 129369 cases.
875 mystery cases.
6 repats from o/seas.
VIC recorded 6 delta deaths..

NSW POISITIVITY = 1.86%
NSW Reff = 1.04

Covidiot so called "freedom" protests have continued in Melbourne CBD.

Victoria has not ruled out tightening indoor mask mandates, but will not turn to wholesale restriction changes for Christmas gatherings and major events to stave off an Omicron case spike.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Paul Kelly has urged all state and territory chief health officers to mandate masks in all indoor settings, citing rising case numbers for the new COVID-19 variant.
cting Premier James Merlino says Victoria will take Dr Kelly's advice on board before making a decision on reintroducing compulsory masks in hospitality and entertainment venues.

"Mask wearing is a prudent common-sense measure. It can be inconvenient but it's a small inconvenience for a significant public health benefit," Mr Merlino told reporters on Tuesday.

"There's no restrictions on getting together with loved ones, with family and friends to celebrate Christmas, to celebrate New Year, to enjoy the summer. None of those things are changing."

No change will be made to the unlimited crowd cap for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, despite fears it could become an Omicron superspreader event.

"The contract with people of Victoria (was) get vaccinated and that means an end to lockdown, it means enjoying events," he said.

In the absence of Premier Daniel Andrews, Mr Merlino will stand-in as the Victorian representative at Wednesday's "informal" virtual meeting of national cabinet, joining other states to call for a shorter COVID-19 vaccine booster interval.

"I want it as short as possible," Mr Merlino said.

No new Omicron cases have been identified in Victoria in the 24 hours to Tuesday, after the state added a further 1245 new COVID-19 infections and six deaths.

Victoria's testing system continues to buckle under the weight of people seeking testing in the lead up to Christmas.

At least 15 testing sites were temporarily closed at 9am after reaching capacity, including the Bourke Street walk-in and Albert Park drive-through.

Queues eased after the morning peak, enabling several sites to reopen.

In response to overwhelming demand, a new testing site opened at Town Hall on Tuesday and will operate until January 24 .

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ACT
21/12/2021 ACT
ACT recorded 15 LOCAL cases , ACT local total for DELTA WAVE now 2153 cases.
4 mystery cases.
1 repats from o/seas.
ACT recorded 0 delta deaths..

21/12/2021 ACT
To limit community transmission of COVID-19 and to keep the community safe from the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the ACT Government has reintroduced the mandatory use of face masks when in an indoor place from 11.59pm Tuesday 21 December 2021.
The ACT government is reintroducing an indoor mask mandate and a limit on visitors to aged care homes, in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

From tomorrow, Canberrans must wear a mask in all indoor settings — a measure that was dumped on November 12.

Indoor settings include indoor retail settings, indoor workplaces, hospitality venues, and on public transport.

Masks can be removed during vigorous exercise, when eating or drinking at a cafe or bar, or when communicating with someone who is hearing impaired.

Visitor caps have also been reintroduced for ACT aged care facilities.

Aged care residents will be restricted to five visitors per day, with a maximum of five at any one time. There is no limit to visitors for end-of-life residents.

ACT acting chief minister Yvette Berry said the new restrictions were in response to the "escalation of Omicron cases" in the territory.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

QLD
21/12/2021 QLD
QLD recorded 85 LOCAL cases , QLD local total for DELTA WAVE now 501 cases.
67 mystery cases.
1 repats from o/seas.
QLD recorded 0 delta deaths..

21/12/2021 QLD
New quarantine requirements for casual and close contacts will be brought forward to 1am tomorrow based on advice from the Chief Health Officer.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced double vaccinated close contacts will now only have to isolate for seven days, rather than 14 days, beginning on Wednesday.

Those people will need to return a negative PCR test on day zero and day five of the quarantine period, Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said.

'This is consistent with the national guidelines,' Dr Gerrard said.

The increase in positive cases reported between Monday and Tuesday was due to the sharp rise in the numbers of tests.
New contact tracing locations exist across:
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Sunshine Coast
Darling Downs
Townsville
Cairns
The first stage of the Palaszczuk Government’s regional quarantine facility at Wellcamp has been completed construction and is almost ready to take the first arrivals in 2022.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SA
21/12/2021 SA
SA recorded 153 LOCAL cases , SA local total for DELTA WAVE now 635 cases.
127 mystery cases.
1 repats from o/seas.
SA recorded 0 delta deaths..

21/12/2021 SA
As of today, vaccinated people who have arrived into SA from Victoria, NSW or ACT are no longer required to have a COVID test upon arrival or on day 6.

They must still have a negative test result in the 72 hours prior to arrival in SA.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WA
21/12/2021 WA
WA recorded 1 case ,
1 repats from o/seas.
WA recorded 0 delta deaths..

21/12/2021 WA
Two new cases in WA linked to Qld
Contact tracing is underway in Western Australia after two people tested positive to COVID-19 after arriving on a flight from Brisbane. The duo, aged in their 30s, arrived on Sunday night on flight VA470, hours before WA's reintroduced hard border to Queensland came into effect.
A Health on Tuesday said the pair were in self-quarantine and four of their close household contacts had tested negative. A fifth person was awaiting a test result.

Authorities have so far identified two exposure sites: 7-Eleven in Midland and the Virgin domestic terminal at Perth Airport.

Other passengers from the flight are asked to monitor for symptoms and comply with testing requirements.

The state's plan to lift travel restrictions from February 5 has been clouded by a dramatic rise in cases in NSW and Victoria.

Western Australia has tightened its travel rules for Queensland and Tasmania in a new border crackdown, just days before Christmas.
People travelling from those states will be forced into quarantine after outbreaks in each state.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TAS
21/12/2021 TAS
TAS recorded 35 LOCAL cases , TAS local total for DELTA WAVE now 25 cases.
0 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
TAS recorded 0 delta deaths..

21/12/2021 TAS
Tasmania has reported four new coronavirus cases as the state's health department boosts testing capacity amid a Christmas-time surge.

The infections, recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday, bring the island's number of active cases to 14.

Tasmania was virus-free when it reopened borders to fully vaccinated travellers on December 15 and has recorded at least one case a day since.

"I can understand that there is some anxiousness and that's quite okay," Premier Peter Gutwein told reporters on Tuesday.

"As we move forward we need to learn to live with COVID. While some people would prefer us to stand still, we need to keep moving forward."

All of the active cases are being managed at home or in a community facility.

Tasmania's public health department has declared more than 80 exposure sites, with 12 considered close contact scenarios, 20 casual contact and 51 low risk.

Mr Gutwein flatly rejected suggestions from the state Greens that Tasmania should close its borders again to Victoria, NSW and the ACT.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NT
21/12/2021 NT
NT recorded 13 LOCAL cases , NT local total for DELTA WAVE now 140 cases.
1 mystery cases.
1 repats from o/seas.
NT recorded 0 delta deaths..

21/12/2021 NT
The Northern Territory has detected 14 new COVID-19 infections as Omicron arrives in Central Australia. Most of the new cases are linked to a Delta outbreak that started in the Top End, with 11 positive tests among residents from Katherine and the Tennant Creek area.
The Omicron variant has been detected in Yulara, 450km southwest of Alice Springs and next to Uluru, after two infected men in their 20s flew from Brisbane to the tourist hotspot last week.

They have now passed the virus to a man in his 30s from the outback community of about 1000 people, which is 18km from the world heritage listed rock.

Authorities are yet to confirm the third case is also infected with the new variant.

Two travellers have also been diagnosed with COVID-19, including a crew member who worked on a recent Qantas flight from London to Darwin.


All the new cases are quarantined or in hospital, with one woman in her 60s in Royal Darwin Hospital's intensive care ward.

The current community outbreak in the NT sits at 123 cases, with more expected in Indigenous communities where vaccination rates remain low.

 

[kingofnobbys]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
21 December = NEW ZEALAND DELTA WAVE Day & OMICRON OUTBREAK
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

NZ recorded 31 LOCAL cases , NZ local total for DELTA WAVE now 10337 cases.
1 mystery cases.
5 repats from o/seas.
NZ recorded 0 delta deaths..

NZ BORDER TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR NOW TO MONITOR O/SEAS & AUSTRALIAN OMICRON SITUATION
New Zealand has postponed its phased border reopening plans by more than a month over concerns of the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

It means that non-quarantine travel for Australians will be pushed back from January 16 until the end of February, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told a media conference in Wellington on Tuesday.

"There's no doubt this is disappointing and will upset many holiday plans, but it's important to set these changes out clearly today so they can have time to consider those plans," Mr Hipkins said.

"[But] all of the evidence so far points to Omicron being the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet."

Mr Hipkins also announced that New Zealand would shorten the gap between second vaccine doses and boosters from six to four months, meaning 82 per cent of vaccinated citizens would be due for a booster by February.

After easing some of the world's toughest pandemic measures, New Zealand had planned to begin loosening international border restrictions next month.

But now foreign tourists — apart from Australians — won't be allowed back into the country until April.

The measures were a precaution as it was still unclear how sick Omicron makes people and the impact it had on health systems was not yet fully understood, Mr Hipkins said.

New Zealand also said the length of stay in state quarantine facilities would be increased from one week to 10 days.

The pre-departure test requirement to enter New Zealand was reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours before travel.

Air New Zealand said it would cancel around 120 services through to the end of February due to the reopening plans being pushed back, affecting about 27,000 customers.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the decisions were taken to give the government more time to prepare for Omicron.

"It's unfortunately not a case of if [it spreads in New Zealand] but when … it's so easily spread," Ms Ardern said on Facebook Live.

"So we are doing everything we can to make sure we are prepared."

The Omicron variant was first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong and has spread with lightning speed to at least 89 countries so far.

New Zealand has reported 22 cases with the Omicron variant but all were at border quarantine facilities.

There have been no community cases recorded, despite a major outbreak in Australia.

 

[kingofnobbys]

22 December = DELTA WAVE Day 188 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 14

NSW REMAINS IN CovidNORMAL , PM ScoMo, Fed Health Min Hunt, and NSW Premier "Let-it-rip" Dom & NSW Health Min Hazzard , are STILL all telling us "'think happy thoughts" and "learn to live with covid" , and STILL REFUSING to reimpose mask mandates , QR Code checkins , social distancing measures or LGA circuit breaker hard lockdowns w/ ring fencing hotspot LGAs.

Meanwhile the Delta Wave and Omicron Outbreaks in NSW are hitting new all time daily local case records DAILY and showing now sign of the vertical case number curve slowing --- going from bad to worse .

Omicron is NOW the dominant strain in NSW and is TOTALLY out of control and spreading at faster rates in the community than any other strain of covid we've seen to date.

COMBINED DELTA & OMICRON WAVE IN AUSTRALIA

Australia recorded cases o/night ,
Australia's CUMULATIVE LOCAL DELTA + OMICRON cases as of today = 236953.

22/12/2021 Positive Rate
Positive Rate
Australia 1.843%
NSW: 2.485%
VIC: 1.629%
QLD: 0.622%
WA: 0.0%
SA: 0.899%
TAS: 0.299%
ACT: 2.84%
NT: 0.0%


National record highs daily for 6 days.
Previous Australian record = 2005 on 14/10/2021
New Australian records
14/12/2021 = 2018
15/12/2021 = 2815 UP 40%
< NSW moves to COVIDNormal based on 80% of +16ys being FULLY VAXXED ONLY , according Federal Opening Plan >
16/12/2021 = 3423 UP 22%
17/12/2021 = 3837 UP 12%
18/12/2021 = 4114 UP 8%
19/12/2021 = 3958
20/12/2021 = 3990
21/12/2021 = 4575 UP 11% ( cf 18/12/2021 prior Australian daily case record )
22/12/2021 = 5739 up 24%

DELTA DEATHS TODAY

Australia = 8
NSW = 2, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 592
Victoria 6, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 654
ACT = 0 . ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 12
NT total in this DELTA WAVE ( and for entire pandemic ) = 1
QLD = 0

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NATIONAL VAXX ROLLOUT

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NSW
22/12/2021 NSW
NSW recorded 3748 LOCAL cases , NSW local total for DELTA - OMICRON WAVE now 102069 cases.
3357 mystery cases.
15 repats from o/seas.
NSW recorded 2 delta deaths..

NSW POISITIVITY = 2.485%

NSW Reff = 2.10

22/12/2021

Across NSW, 94.9 % of people aged 16 and over have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 93.4 % have received two doses.
Of the people aged 12 to 15, 81.% have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.1 % have received two doses.
Bookings for COVID-19 vaccines for kids aged 5-11 are now available.
.

NSW Health encourages everyone who is eligible to book into a NSW Health vaccination clinic or another provider without delay through the COVID-19 vaccine clinic finder.

NSW Health is reporting the deaths of 2 people.
A woman in her 80s from south eastern Sydney died at Prince of Wales Hospital. She had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.
A woman in her 70s from south western Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital. She was a resident of the Gillawarna Village Aged Care facility in Georges Hall, where she acquired her infection. She was not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions. This is the fifth death linked to an outbreak at this facility.

There are currently 302 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 40 people in intensive care, 12 of whom require ventilation.
NSW recorded 3,763 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

26 COVID-19 cases have been excluded following further investigation.

NSW Health continues to remind everyone to practise COVID-safe behaviours, including recommending people wear a mask in settings where they cannot physically distance.
Around a quarter of people exposed to COVID-19 may still develop their infection after 7 days. For the next 7 days, close contacts should exercise caution and not enter a high-risk setting, should avoid large indoor gatherings, use a rapid antigen test if coming into contact with vulnerable people. Get tested and stay home if you have the mildest of symptoms. Do not visit family, friends or go to social events if you are unwell. Wash and sanitise your hands regularly.


People diagnosed with COVID-19 in NSW who are assessed as low-risk will receive an automatic text message advising them that they can cease isolation on day 10 as long as they have had no symptoms for the past 72 hours.
Patients who still have symptoms are advised in the text message to contact their GP for advice about their ongoing management.

A relatively small number patients being cared for by NSW Health who have a protracted illness, such as some people who are immunocompromised, may be advised by their clinical team to extend their isolation period and will be released from isolation when it is deemed safe to do so.

Of the 3,763 cases reported to 8pm last night,
834 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD,
623 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD),
554 are from Sydney LHD,
456 are from Western Sydney LHD,
423 are from Northern Sydney LHD,
420 are from South Western Sydney LHD,
110 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD,
99 are from Central Coast LHD,
71 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD,
48 are from Northern NSW LHD,
40 are from Mid North Coast LHD,
39 are from Western NSW LHD,
17 are from Murrumbidgee LHD,
6 are from Southern NSW LHD,
1 is from Far West LHD
and 22 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

GREATER SYDNEY LHAs

NSW Health has lost control of DELTA & OMICRON in all of Greater Sydney. Cases are increasing on a much steeper exponential trajectory in all LGAs than ever before , this is directly attributeable to Omicron running wild in the community.

NSW GREATER SYDNEY SATELLITE LHDs

HUNTER NEW ENGLAND LHD

22/12/2021

VERY BAD day in HNE LHD, Newcastle , Lake Macquarie , Maitland-Cessnock LGAs

623 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Hunter New England region.
There are 5728 active cases in the District.
11 active cases are being cared for in our hospitals, 1 are in ICU.

Of the 623 new cases:
- 226 are from Newcastle LGA
- 208 are from Lake Macquarie LGA
- 97 are from Maitland LGA
- 33 are from Port Stephens LGA
- 20 are from Cessnock LGA
- 18 are from Mid Coast LGA
- 7 are from Tamworth Regional LGA
- 5 are from Singleton LGA
- 2 are from Muswellbrook LGA
- 2 are from Moree Plains LGA
- 1 is from Dungog LGA
- 1 is from Glen Innes LGA
- 1 is from Gunnedah LGA
- 1 is from Liverpool Plains LGA
- 1 is from Narrabri LGA

HNE LHA total ADDED 623 , NOW stands at 10149 cases since start of Delta wave.


WESTERN NSW LHD

22/12/2021

Up to 8pm last night there were 39 new cases identified in the Western NSW Local Health District.
Orange - 13
Dubbo LGA - 10 (9 in Dubbo & 1 in Wellington)
Mid-Western LGA - 6 (5 in Mudgee & 1 in Gulgong)
Bathurst - 3
Cabonne - 3 (including 1 in Cargo & 1 in Molong)
Walgett - 1
Warrumbungle Shire - 1 (in Coolah)
Cowra – 1 (92km from Orange)
Warren – 1 (54km from Narromine )

WNSW LHA total ADDED 33 , NOW stands at 2149 cases since start of Delta wave.

OTHER REGIONAL NSW LHDs

 

[kingofnobbys]

22 December = DELTA WAVE Day 188 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 14 < OUTIDE NSW >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

VIC
22/12/2021 VIC
VIC recorded 1490 LOCAL cases , VIC local total for DELTA WAVE now 130859 cases.
1149 mystery cases.
13 repats from o/seas.
VIC recorded 6 delta deaths.

VIC POISITIVITY = 1.629%

VIC Reff = 1.01

Victoria has recorded 1,503 new local COVID-19 cases and six deaths, as record demand for testing continues to overwhelm several sites in Melbourne.

There are 394 COVID-19 patients in Victorian hospitals, including 70 active cases in intensive care and 41 patients on a ventilator.

There are 44 patients whose infections are no longer considered active in ICU.

The state's seven-day average for hospitalisations is now 391, up from 296 a fortnight ago.

The latest cases were detected from 92,262 results processed on Tuesday — the highest number of daily tests in Victoria since the pandemic began.

There are 13,888 active cases in the state.

Queues are again ballooning out at testing sites, with demand from those planning Christmas travel into states requiring negative PCR test results causing major delays.

Several testing centres, including those at Albert Park, South Melbourne, Bourke Street in Melbourne's CBD, Alfred Health, St Vincent's Hospital, Malvern East, Wantirna, and Keysborough all reached capacity shortly after opening this morning.

Victoria's Acting Premier James Merlino said on Tuesday mask rules were being weighed up but the state's main COVID-19 settings would not change, despite calls from some health experts to reimpose some restrictions given the explosion of Omicron cases in New South Wales.

Mr Merlino and other state leaders will use today's extraordinary meeting of national cabinet to push for the interval between the second and third COVID-19 vaccine doses to be shortened, in a bid to curb the spread of Omicron.

Vic state government looks set to toughen mask rules as medical experts urge authorities to respond to a surge in COVID cases across the country. Senior ministers met earlier today to discuss mask mandates - a decision expected after today's national Cabinet meeting.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ACT
22/12/2021 ACT
ACT recorded 58 LOCAL cases , ACT local total for DELTA WAVE now 2211 cases.
11 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
ACT recorded 0 delta deaths.

22/12/2021 ACT
The ACT has recorded its highest daily COVID-19 increase with 58 new infections. It comes as testing clinics across Canberra are overwhelmed with demand ahead of Christmas.

Some of the testing clinics have been forced to close due to reaching capacity less than two hours after opening on Wednesday.

Wednesday's 58 cases amounts to the highest one-day COVID-19 total in Canberra. The previous high was 52 in early October.

Government clinics processed 6966 results from Tuesday, making it the national capital's fourth highest testing day.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TAS
22/12/2021 TAS
TAS recorded 18 LOCAL cases , TAS local total for DELTA WAVE now 43 cases.
17 mystery cases.
2 repats from o/seas.
TAS recorded 0 delta deaths.

Tasmania has recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily number since it reopened borders a week ago.
NEARLY ALL of the new cases arrived from NSW, including one transiting from overseas.

Another 3 are from Victoria, including someone from overseas, and one more arrived from Queensland.

1 case is a close contact of a previously confirmed infection and investigations are underway to find the source of the final case.

The infections, reported on Wednesday, bring the island state's number of active cases to 26.

All have been recorded since the island reopened to fully vaccinated travellers from the mainland on December 15.

Eighteen cases are being managed at home, 4 are in a community-case management facility and four are still being assessed or processed. None are in hospital.

The state government opened additional mobile testing clinics in Hobart and Launceston on Wednesday to deal with a spike in demand.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WA
22/12/2021 WA
WA recorded 2 LOCAL cases , WA local total for DELTA WAVE now 4 cases.
0 mystery cases.
2 repats from o/seas.
WA recorded 0 delta deaths.


The state recorded 4 new COVID-19 cases.

2 of these infections were seen in return travellers in hotel quarantine from different locations in Africa.

2 other cases were seen in a couple from Queensland and are in self-quarantine.

Contract tracing is now underway.

Mr McGowan has said "this is no time for complacency" and urged residents to monitor for symptoms and get tested if needed.

WA reinstates hard border with Tasmania, NT from Boxing Day. In response to surging COVID-19 cases around the country, WA Premier Mark McGowan said the state will reinstate a hard border with the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Mr McGowan said he's announcing the border changes now to give residents time to apply for a G2G pass and get back.

From midnight on Boxing Day, Tasmania and the Northern Territory will be deemed as 'medium risk', joining Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Mr McGowan said it gives the state a chance to watch and see what happens to the rest of the country as Omicron spreads.

"As of Boxing Day we will essentially have a hard border with the whole of Australia," Mr McGowan said.

"There will be very few people seeking to come in."

Mr McGowan said it would "take an emergency" for WA to extend the border measures beyond its planned opening date of February 5.

He branded the situation in other states as an "escalating crisis".

It comes as third COVID-19 vaccines are being made mandatory in any workplace and profession already covered by the existing jab mandate, Mr McGowan said.
"So aged-care workforce, health workforce, quarantine workforce, mining," he said.

"The third dose will become mandatory for all those people."

Residents have a month after becoming eligible to get the booster vaccine.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NT
22/12/2021 NT
NT recorded 7 LOCAL cases , NT local total for DELTA WAVE now 147 cases.
0 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
NT recorded 0 delta deaths.

The Northern Territory has detected 7 new DELTA + OMICRON infections as authorities ease testing requirements for interstate travellers.

A child from a Tennant Creek town camp and a teenage girl from Katherine are among the latest community cases.A woman in her 50s from Walkabout Bore, 110km south of Alice Springs, also tested positive, Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison told reporters on Wednesday.

It brings the current community outbreak to 126 cases, with more expected in Indigenous communities where vaccination rates remain low.

A lockdown in Tennant Creek and Ali Curung Indigenous community, 380km north of Alice Springs, has been extended by 24 hours to 5pm on Thursday.

People in Alice Springs have been ordered to wear masks in indoor public areas until 5pm on Christmas Eve as the mask mandate in the Barkly region is extended by 24 hours.

"We are very mindful it is Christmas and a lot of people have a lot of work to do to prepare," Ms Manison told reporters on Wednesday.

The outbreak started when an infected woman illegally entered the territory in late October.The 21-year-old was fined for lying on her border entry form as the virus spread from Darwin to Katherine, 320km south of the territory capital, and multiple Aboriginal communities.

Meanwhile, two men on separate flights from Sydney have also been diagnosed with the virus after arriving in Darwin.

Authorities are currently working to identify close contacts from Jetstar flight JQ672 and Qantas flight QF1.

"As we open up more you are going to see more COVID cases ... It's only a matter of time before we see more of it in the Greater Darwin area," Ms Manison said.

It comes as the NT government eases testing requirements for interstate arrivals, who are now only required to take a self-administered rapid antigen test.

A health directive had required travellers have a PCR test within 72 hours of arriving in the territory and on the sixth day after arriving.

This will ease the workload on health staff processing tests and take pressure off national resources, the acting chief minister said.

Travellers will still have to show evidence of a negative PCR test 72 hours before arriving in the NT.

"We think it is important to keep in place that PCR test before arrival as a protection for the people of the NT," Ms Manison said.

A pilot program for infected but fully vaccinated people to quarantine at their homes in Darwin and Alice Springs has also been launched.

"We know it's coming. We know it's here. We know we're going to have more cases of COVID across the NT and they can be managed at home with the right medical care," she said.

 

[kingofnobbys]

22 December = DELTA WAVE Day 188 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 14 < OUTIDE NSW PT2>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
QLD
22/12/2021 QLD
QLD recorded 186 LOCAL cases , QLD local total for DELTA WAVE now 687 cases.
177 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
QLD recorded 0 delta deaths.

22/12/2021 QLD
Queensland’s daily vaccine update released

90.10% of eligible Queenslanders aged 16 years and over have had their first dose
85.36% of eligible Queenslanders aged 16 years and over have had their second dose

Queensland's Covid case numbers have more than doubled to 186 as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk extends her mask mandate further and furiously denies the state's testing policy is causing massive queues across Australia.
The dramatic case spike is a pivotal moment for the Sunshine State which now must come to terms with infection numbers in the triple digits for the first time since the pandemic began.

In a major shift, Ms Palaszczuk announced that masks will become compulsory for hospitality workers from 5am on Thursday, December 23. The mandate will apply to people working at restaurants, theatres and ci BREAKING: Masks will be made mandatory in cinemas and theatres as well as for hospitality workers from 5am tomorrow (23 December).

Queensland has made masks mandatory in retail centres, hospitals, aged care, airports, ridesharing vehicles and on public transport.nemas.


Meanwhile, as the state reported a massive rush of more than 200,000 to the borders ahead of Christmas, Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday was forced to defend her requirement for travellers coming to the state get a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. One reporter accused Ms Palaszczuk of 'holding the nation to ransom' with the testing requirements - which has fuelled massive queues across the country.

Ms Palaszczuk fired back that the reporter was wrong - claiming just 10 per cent of queues in NSW were for people who want to get their PCR tests for Queensland.

''I spoke to the NSW Premier and we had a good conversation,' she said.

'Our information is 10 per cent of their tests are for people wanting to come into Queensland, not 80 or 90 per cent.

Ms Palaszczuk claimed she had data to back up the claim.

'It's frustrating for people in NSW because there are so many people getting tested, because the variant, Omicron, is rampant in NSW,' she said.

'And guess what, I don't want it rampant in Queensland. I want Queenslanders to have a good, safe New Year.

'Everybody knew our plan. You were all here... and everyone accepted it. We're going around in circles now.

'I'm not going to discuss this any further because we're going to discuss it at national cabinet.'

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said Omicron was 'spreading rapidly through the community'.

'We know this, it's happening around the world, we're certainly not unique,' he said.

There were now 79 confirmed cases of Omicron in the state, Dr Gerrard confirmed.

'Omicron is clearly becoming dominant it will completely overtake Delta and we'll expect fewer and fewer Delta cases as time goes by,' he said.

'It's everywhere, and we know that. And we know we're not picking up every case so that number of 186 is an underestimate of the number of people who are already carrying this virus.'

Dr Gerrard said early evidence suggested vaccines were working against the new variant.

'Most of the patients I’ve seen with Omicron have had trivial symptoms,' he said.

'The more we learn, the more we are assured the vaccines are effective in limiting severe disease.'

Ms Palaszczuk addressed the issue of rapid antigen tests being used to help reduce the waiting times for PCR tests to come into the state.

'We are happy to get some further advice from AHPPC about rapid antigen tests,' she said.

'We will look at whether this is approved and that we may legalise them in the New Year from 1 January but between now and the New Year, we will require those PCR tests for people coming into the state.'Ms Palaszczuk said she did not agree that Queensland would need to restrict people coming into the state.

'I don't think that's a case at all. As soon as the rapid antigen tests can be approved by AHPPC, we can put them in place by 1 January,' she said.

She confirmed the requirement for people to get a further PCR test on day five after arriving in Queensland would also be reviewed on January 1.

The state has watched Covid cases steadily rise since it reopened its border to interstate travellers on December 13.

On that date the state recorded one new locally acquired case and another nine in hotel quarantine.

Yesterday it recorded 86 new cases, including 61 of the Omicron variant, and 186 today.

Ms Palaszczuk revealed 257,000 people had crossed the border from NSW, Victoria, NSW and the ACT since last Monday.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said yesterday 225,000 people had so far applied for border passes to enter Queensland from other states.

Queensland's requirement that travellers arriving from interstate Covid hotspots produce a negative PCR test 72 hours before they arrive has placed considerable pressure on testing facilities in other states.

Long queues at testing facilities in Sydney, in particular, and delays in getting results back from pathology labs is causing travellers stress in timing the test with their entry to Queensland. Commissioner Carroll said at yesterday's Covid update that a number of travellers were arriving at the border without a valid negative PCR test.

'We are seeing people actually flout this at the moment so the strong message is if you don't have that negative PCR test, you will be turned around,' she said.

'We have taken a compassionate approach in extreme cases, placing people in quarantine, however, we are seeing people not making a genuine effort to get the PCR test and wait for that required period to get the test back and come into Queensland.'

She confirmed 325 cars had been turned around in the previous 24 hours, of the 36,271 vehicles that crossed the border. The requirement of the PCR test is expected to be dropped once Queensland reaches 90 per cent of its eligible population fully vaccinated. That mark is expected to be reached during the first half of January.

Currently 84 per cent of eligible Queenslanders are fully vaccinated.

Fears of being forced into quarantine or caught in a snap lockdown is also causing travellers to think twice about plans to holiday in the Sunshine State.
eputy Premier Steven Miles said yesterday that the 72-hour requirement for the lab test would not be extended.

Visitors to Queensland are also expected to get another PCR test on day five of their stay.

Mr Miles and Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said yesterday that compliance with the day five test was not being monitored, but Mr Miles defended its place within border pass requirements.

'It's not unreasonable for Queenslanders to expect that people coming to our state meet the requirements of their border pass,' Mr Miles said.

'It wasn't that long ago these people couldn't come to Queensland at all.

'Now they can and they're coming to Queensland in their hundreds and thousands and one of the measures we've put in place to keep Queenslanders safe is that PCR test.'

 

[kingofnobbys]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

22 December = NEW ZEALAND DELTA WAVE Day & OMICRON OUTBREAK

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

NZ recorded 55 LOCAL cases , NZ local total for DELTA WAVE now 10337 cases.
1 mystery cases.
3 repats from o/seas.
NZ recorded 0 delta deaths..

22 Dec 2021

COVID-19 vaccine update
Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,967,995 first doses (94%); 3,815,424 second doses (91%); 26,178 third primary doses; 239,705 booster doses
Vaccines administered yesterday: 1,727 doses; 7,221 second doses; 860 third primary doses and 11,995 booster doses
Māori (percentage of eligible people): 497,845 first doses (87%); 448,591second doses (79%)
Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 270,173 first doses (94%); second doses 255,010 (89%)

Cases
Seven day rolling average of community cases: 59.7
Number of new community cases: 56
Number of new cases identified at the border: 4
Location of new community cases: Auckland (33), Waikato (6), Bay of Plenty (11), Lakes (4), Taranaki (1), Hutt Valley (1)
Number of community cases (total): 10,375 (in current community outbreak)

Who can enter New Zealand?
Only New Zealand residents and citizens (and their children and partners) can enter New Zealand.
This includes:
>New Zealand citizens (including those from the three Countries of the Realm: Tokelau, Niue and the Cook Islands), permanent residents and their immediate family
>Australian citizens and permanent residents whose primary place of established residence is New Zealand
travellers from a quarantine-free travel zone (see Quarantine-free travel)
>certain arrivals specifically exempted under the orders, for example, some aircrew.

Who can't enter New Zealand?
If you're from another country, you can't enter New Zealand. In some cases, you can apply for an exemption, eg, as an essential worker or for medical reasons.

Managed isolation and quarantine
Managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) is a key measure to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 into our communities.

For international arrivals
Almost every person who arrives in New Zealand, other than those from a quarantine-free travel zone (unless directed), must stay in MIQ. From 2359 hrs Thursday December 23 2021 their stay will be for a minimum of 10 days (240 hours) from the date and time they arrive in New Zealand.

International arrivals will be tested a minimum of two and possibly up to four times, on day 0/1, day 3, day 5/6 and around day 8/9 (prior to departure).

 

[kingofnobbys]

23 December = DELTA WAVE Day 189 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 15

NSW REMAINS IN CovidNORMAL , PM ScoMo, Fed Health Min Hunt, and NSW Premier "Let-it-rip" Dom & NSW Health Min Hazzard , are STILL all telling us "'think happy thoughts" and "learn to live with covid" , and STILL REFUSING to reimpose mask mandates , QR Code checkins , social distancing measures or LGA circuit breaker hard lockdowns w/ ring fencing hotspot LGAs.

Emergency National Covid Cabinet convened today.

Delta Wave and Omicron Outbreaks in NSW are hitting new all time daily local case records DAILY and showing now sign of the vertical case number curve slowing --- going from bad to worse .

Omicron is NOW the dominant strain in NSW and is TOTALLY out of control and spreading at faster rates in the community than any other strain of covid we've seen to date.

COMBINED DELTA & OMICRON WAVE IN AUSTRALIA

Australia recorded 8685 cases o/night ,
Australia's CUMULATIVE LOCAL DELTA + OMICRON cases as of today = 245606.

23/12/2021 POSITIVITY RATES

Australia 2.721%
NSW: 3.561%
VIC: 2.356%
QLD: 1.094%
WA: 0.056%
SA: 1.923%
TAS: 0.769%
ACT: 1.437%
NT: 0.067%



National record highs daily for 6 days.
Previous Australian record = 2005 on 14/10/2021
New Australian records
14/12/2021 = 2018
15/12/2021 = 2815 UP 40%
< NSW moves to COVIDNormal based on 80% of +16ys being FULLY VAXXED ONLY , according Federal Opening Plan >
16/12/2021 = 3423 UP 22%
17/12/2021 = 3837 UP 12%
18/12/2021 = 4114 UP 8%
19/12/2021 = 3958
20/12/2021 = 3990
21/12/2021 = 4575 UP 11% ( cf 18/12/2021 prior Australian daily case record )
22/12/2021 = 5739 up 24%
23/12/2021 = 8685 up 51%

DELTA DEATHS TODAY

Australia = 11
NSW = 1, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 593
Victoria 10, ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 664
ACT = 0 . ==> total in this DELTA WAVE = 12
NT total in this DELTA WAVE ( and for entire pandemic ) = 1
QLD = 0

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NATIONAL mRNA BOOSTER ROLLOUT

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HOTSPOT STATES POSITIVITY

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NSW
23/12/2021 NSW
NSW recorded 5711 LOCAL cases , NSW local total for DELTA - OMICRON WAVE now 107780 cases.
5127 mystery cases.
4 repats from o/seas.
NSW recorded 1 delta deaths..

NSW POSITIVITY = 3.56%

NSW Reff = 2.06

23/12/2021

Across NSW, 94.9 %t of people aged 16 and over have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 93.5 % have received two doses.
Of the people aged 12 to 15, 81.5 % have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.2 % have received two doses.
NSW Health encourages everyone who is eligible to book into a NSW Health vaccination clinic or another provider without delay through the COVID-19 vaccine clinic finder.
Everyone aged 18 years and older may now receive a booster five months after receiving their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. We urge people to get their booster dose as soon as they are eligible, to best protect yourself, your loved ones and the community from the ongoing transmission of COVID-19. If you are due for a booster over the Christmas/New Year period, you can have it a little earlier.
Also strongly recommend that people aged 12 years and over who are severely immunocompromised have a third primary dose of vaccine from two months after their second dose. Talk to your GP for more advice.

NSW Health is reporting the death of a man in his 40s from western Sydney who died at Westmead Hospital. He was not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.

There are currently 347 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 45 people in intensive care, 13 of whom require ventilation.

There were 160,471 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day's total of 151,443.

NSW Health continues to remind everyone to practise COVID-safe behaviours, including recommending people wear a mask in settings where they cannot physically distance.
Around a quarter of people exposed to COVID-19 may still develop their infection after 7 days. For the next 7 days, close contacts should exercise caution and not enter a high-risk setting, should avoid large indoor gatherings, use a rapid antigen test if coming into contact with vulnerable people.
Get tested and stay home if you have the mildest of symptoms. Do not visit family, friends or go to social events if you are unwell. Wash and sanitise your hands regularly.
If you do not have symptoms, consider using a rapid antigen test before going out.

Of the 5,715 cases reported to 8pm last night,
1,186 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD,
976 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD),
841 are from Sydney LHD,
703 are from South Western Sydney LHD,
691 are from Western Sydney LHD,
514 are from Northern Sydney LHD,
199 are from Central Coast LHD,
136 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD,
123 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD,
102 are from Northern NSW LHD,
65 are from Western NSW LHD,
60 are from Mid North Coast LHD,
23 are from Murrumbidgee LHD,
15 are from Southern NSW LHD,
five are from Far West LHD,
one is from a correctional setting
and 75 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

NSW Health has lost control of DELTA & OMICRON in all of Greater Sydney. Cases are increasing on a much steeper exponential trajectory in all LGAs than ever before , this is directly attributeable to Omicron running wild in the community.

There have been extremely long queues at drive thro testing hubs all over Greater Sydney ,many people waiting over 8 hours to be tested , in the hope of being given the OK to travel interstate to visit and go on holiday.
PCR Rapid Test kits are the new "dunny paper" .... been flying off shelves at supermarkets and pharmacists quicker than they can replaced , so have bottle of handsanitizer and face masks ( N95/K95 masks are like gold ).

Many 1000s of NSW residents especially in HNE , Greater Sydney , Cntl Cst , NBMts, ISH and Nth Cst are facing spending Xmas in mandatory isolation because they are waiting test results or have been told by SMS alerts they are contacts.

The 5715 cases recorded overnight were almost entirely Omicron and this represents an ALL TIME HIGH o/night case count for ANY STATE in Australia.
Regional communities are outraged that untested internationals are now being allowed to roam about all over NSW without restrictions for even the option to trace then should they develop covid ( you name the strain , not just Delta or Omicron ).

GREATER SYDNEY LHAs

\

Traditional last minute Xmas rush to buy seafood, hams, turkeys, wines, beer, spirits and presents hasn't happened , Malls in Sydney are near empty of customers and those there are masking up and not lingering.

NSW GREATER SYDNEY SATELLITE LHDs

HUNTER NEW ENGLAND LHD

23/12/2021

VERY BAD day in HNE LHD, Newcastle , Lake Macquarie , Maitland-Cessnock LGAs. An all time record high for cases overnight.

976 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Hunter New England region.
There are 6507 active cases in the District.
14 are receiving care in our hospitals and 2 are in ICU.

Of the 976 new cases:
- 338 are from Newcastle LGA
- 316 are from Lake Macquarie LGA
- 142 are from Maitland LGA
- 61 are from Port Stephens LGA
- 42 are from Cessnock LGA
- 20 are from Mid Coast LGA
- 10 are from Singleton LGA
- 10 are from Tamworth Regional LGA
- 9 are from Moree Plains LGA
- 8 are from Muswellbrook LGA
- 6 are from Upper Hunter LGA
- 5 are from Dungog LGA
- 5 are from Inverell LGA
- 1 is from Narrabri LGA
- 1 is from Liverpool Plains LGA
- 1 is from Armidale LGA
- 1 is from Uralla LGA ( 32km to Armidale )

HNE LHA total ADDED 976 , NOW stands at 11125 cases since start of Delta wave.


WESTERN NSW LHD

23/12/2021 WNSW

65 are from Western NSW LHD THIS IS WNSW's all time daily record .

Up to 8pm last night there were 65 new cases identified in the Western NSW Local Health District.
Dubbo - 28
Orange - 14 (1 with a Cabonne address)
Mid-Western LGA - 8 (5 in Mudgee, 2 in Gulgong, 1 in Kandos)
Cabonne LGA - 3
Coonabarabran - 3 (near Dubbo)
Bathurst - 3
Blayney - 2
Cobar - 1 ( 131 km from Nyngan )
Forbes - 1
Walgett - 1
Wellington - 1

WNSW LHA total ADDED 65 , NOW stands at 2211 cases since start of Delta wave.


OTHE REGIONAL NSW LHDs

 

[kingofnobbys]

23 December = DELTA WAVE Day 189 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 15 < OUTIDE NSW >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

VIC
23/12/2021 VIC
VIC recorded 1980 LOCAL cases , VIC local total for DELTA WAVE now 132839 cases.
1536 mystery cases.
25 repats from o/seas.
VIC recorded 10 delta deaths.

VIC POSITIVITY = 2.36%

VIC Reff = 1.02

INDOOR MASK MANDATE REINSTATED
Victorians young and old must don masks inside this holiday season under a reinstated mandate to curtail the spread of the Omicron variant.2 days out from Christmas and as the state recorded 2005 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths, Acting Premier James Merlino ordered masks for those aged 8 and up in hospitality, entertainment and office settings from 11.59pm on Thursday.
Masks will also be required at all major events with more than 30,000 patrons, including the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, but can be removed while seated outdoors.

They do not need to be worn in households.

Mr Merlino described the measures, which will remain until at least January 12, as modest. "This is a sensible response which will allow businesses to stay open, bars and restaurants to continue to stay open and major events to go ahead,".
Before the Omicron variant emerged Victorian planned to relax mask requirements, but last week kept them in retail settings, for hospitality workers and on public transport.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said uncertainty surrounding the new strain lingered, but early evidence suggests it could be a fifth as virulent compared to Delta and far more infectious. << This has been revised , as further studies indicate Omicron is nearly as virulent as Delta and still far more virulent than other strains.

"New South Wales has 15 times the (case) number they had just a couple of weeks ago," he said.
"One-fifth as severe but 15 times as many cases is going to be a challenge to a health system. So we need to do everything we can."

Professor Sutton argued the mask mandate was needed to achieve greater compliance, saying about 50 per cent of people follow a "strong recommendation" compared to up to 99 per cent for an explicit order.

Victorians are also recommended to work from home over the festive season and hospitality venues asked to consider seated service-only.

A lockdown is not being considered because of Victoria's high vaccination rate.

Prof Sutton stressed the urgency of the dose interval being shortened from five months, despite his former deputy and ATAGI co-chair Allen Cheng last week saying an early booster could provide less protection and interfere with later variant vaccines.

"We can't just think about how things might look in July of next year," he said.

"We need to think about what the immediate challenge is for those individuals who are not sufficiently protected until they've got that booster."

Thursday's case number is the state's highest since October 22.

Another 10 Omicron cases have been identified, taking Victoria's total to 71.

TESTING OVERWHELMED
Christmas rush pushes testing sites to capacity as soon as they open.
By about 7.15am on Thursday, at least nine sites were forced to temporarily suspend operations after they reached full capacity.

The sites included Deakin University's Burwood site, Central Bayside Community Health Services at Cheltenham, Northern Hospital drive and walk-through sites at Glenroy Hall, Hampstead Road, Bourke Street and Wantirna.

By about 8am, the list of testing sites that had to close because they were over capacity had grown to about 18 on the Victorian government's website.

About 8.15am, the wait time at Hume City Council was listed as 30 minutes, and at Keilor Basketball Netball Stadium, Melton Football Club, Mickleham Road in Tullamarine and Victoria University's St Albans Campus, it was 90 minutes.

The wait time was 120 minutes for the Aughtie Walk drive-through facility at Albert Park.

On Wednesday, Victoria's COVID-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar called for more "sensible" travel rules across the country to take the pressure off the state's testing system, with more than a quarter of recent tests done for people intending to head interstate.

Mr Weimar said he hoped fewer people would clog up the state's testing system for "bureaucratic reasons".

"It is not a highly productive way to use a PCR testing system, and of course, it puts additional pressure on, so the additional queues and waiting times we're seeing at the moment are a by-product of that. We hope to move to a more sensible arrangement in future," Mr Weimar said.

"Just jamming up the system with people who particularly are asymptomatic, particularly if they haven't been close contacts, if they're just needing tests for some other kind of bureaucratic reason — that's the kind of stuff that I think we'd like to reduce."

Twenty testing sites in greater Melbourne were turning people away on Wednesday, with queues blowing out to four hours and extended wait-times ruining holiday plans.

The issue was canvassed at national cabinet on Wednesday with the states and territories agreeing to look into reduced demands for PCR tests in favour of rapid testing.

REGIONAL
Christmas visits and gatherings are likely to be cancelled for residents of two Wimmera aged care facilities, after a specialist who visited them early this week later tested positive for COVID-19.

The Grampians Public Health Unit (GPHU) in Victoria's west says residents identified as a close contact of the specialist must remain confined to their area of their care facility for seven days from yesterday.The residents are spread across Wimmera Health Care Group facilities in Horsham and Dimboola, and all staff and residents who came into contact with the specialist have been tested.

The GPHU's Rob Grenfell is urging people to work with the management of the facilities to see if they can visit their loved ones.

A spokesperson says about 100 residents are awaiting test results, but there is no risk of exposure to people outside the two facilities.

They say in most cases people are waiting 48 hours for test results to return, but it is as little as 24 hours for healthcare workers.

A COVID-safe Christmas
In a statement, Dr Grenfell sympathised with the families of those residents affected.

"We understand how disappointing this news will be for the residents and families who may have had plans to celebrate Christmas together," he said.

"It has been such a difficult two years and we all want the pandemic to be over but unfortunately we have a way to go."

Dr Grenfell urged people to consider gathering outside, physically distance, sanitise their hands regularly and use rapid antigen tests prior to attending Christmas events in the interests of keeping their loved ones safe.

Robinvale cases expected to rise
Meanwhile, the health service in Robinvale is concerned by a growing COVID-19 outbreak.The Robinvale District Health Service's COVID lead, Anita Erlandsen, says it is likely there will be a surge in case numbers over the Christmas weekend, and that the outbreak has come at the worst possible time.

“We’ve got limited [access to] doctors. It’s also the Christmas break. It just is like everything’s come together to make a bad situation worse,” she told the ABC.

“It’s in a population with a lot of comorbidities, like diabetes and chronic lung disease, so they’re already behind the eight ball, in terms of being able to recover quickly.

"Robinvale has a very small hospital which is also connected to our aged care facility, so we really don’t have capacity to see people in the facility with active COVID."

She said the same staff operating the town’s aged care service and its urgent care centre were also the ones doing testing, and testing has had to be limited to three hours a day as a result.

"We are, like all health services across Australia at the moment, extremely short-staffed," she said.

Ms Erlandsen said four Robinvale residents were in ICU, in Melbourne or Bendigo.

"Given the number of tests we’ve done on symptomatic people, I expect [cases] to rise considerably," she said.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another 50 or so in the next couple of days."

There are currently 37 cases in Robinvale after 11 yesterday.

Ms Erlandsen said that anyone isolating at home who needs food or medical supplies can contact the Robinvale District Health Service to have it delivered to their door.

The Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council is also doing a food run on Friday to ensure no households are without adequate food on Christmas day.

Residents can contact the Robinvale hospital to book a delivery.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ACT
23/12/2021 ACT
ACT recorded 84 LOCAL cases , ACT local total for DELTA WAVE now 2295 cases.
18 mystery cases.
2 repats from o/seas.
ACT recorded 0 delta deaths.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TAS
23/12/2021 TAS
TAS recorded 15 LOCAL cases , TAS local total for DELTA WAVE now 58 cases.
13 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
ACT recorded 0 delta deaths.

 

[kingofnobbys]

23 December = DELTA WAVE Day 189 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 15 < OUTIDE NSW #2 >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

QLD
23/12/2021 QLD
QLD recorded 368 LOCAL cases , QLD local total for DELTA WAVE now 1055 cases. This is an all time record for QLD.
352 mystery cases.
1 repats from o/seas.
QLD recorded 0 delta deaths.

DELTA + OMICRON cases have surged in Queensland ahead of Christmas. Many Queensland residents are facing Christmas in isolation as COVID-VOC cases grow and more exposure sites are listed.
Remote Queensland areas with lower vaccination rates are increasingly recording VOC cases, as authorities work to investigate more than 520 active cases in those areas.
Queensland reported its highest number of cases at 386 on Thursday, up from 186 on Wednesday.

Authorities again urged people to get vaccinated, with the state government concerned vaccination rates in places like the Gold Coast were not high enough to combat an incoming wave of thousands of interstate travellers.
Queenslanders were warned there would an escalation in positive cases, like the surges in New South Wales and Victoria.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said since the border reopened on Monday, 300k people had crossed and that number was increasing about 30k per day.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Gold Coast, which has a lower first-dose vaccination rate than the rest of the south-east, Ms Palaszczuk urged the region to get mRNA jabs.

Of the regions with active cases across Queensland currently, many have lower first-dose vaccination rates, including Yarrabah in the Cairns region at 71.6 %, and Isaac in Central Queensland at 71.8 %.
For double-dose rates, Yarrabah was at 56.9 per cent, while Isaac was at 63.5 per cent.

"[COVID-19] is now in the Banana Shire, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, central Queensland, Gold Coast, Gympie, Ipswich, Logan, Maranoa, Mareeba, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Redland, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville and the Whitsundays," Ms Palaszczuk said.

Cherbourg, an Aboriginal community in the Wide Bay, had a first-dose rate of 63.5 per cent and a second-dose rate of 52.8 per cent, but it was suggested there could be data issues and the figures may not be accurate.
There were no active cases in the Wide Bay region on Thursday, but Cherbourg remained one of the lowest in the country, according to the data.

Of the national figures, almost 40 Queensland regions did not have statistics available due to remoteness.

Across Queensland on Thursday afternoon there were 800 active cases, with more than 520 of those still needing to be investigated or allocated a region.

Of the 285 active cases across the state that had been allocated a region, Gold Coast recorded the highest at 92, followed by Metro North at 61 and Metro South at 52.

Ms Palaszczuk said almost everywhere in the south-east had reached about 90 per cent first-dose vaccination, except the Gold Coast."It is absolutely imperative we drive up the vaccination rates on the Gold Coast," she said.

The Premier warned Queenslanders would see an escalation in cases like what had been seen in other states, including NSW, which recorded 5715 cases, and Victoria, at 2005 cases.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NT
23/12/2021 NT
NT recorded 10 LOCAL cases , NT local total for DELTA WAVE now 157 cases.
1 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
NT recorded 0 delta deaths.

The Northern Territory has recorded 5 new LOCAL cases of VOC overnight, Health Minister Natasha Fyles says.
This brings the total number of cases linked to the ongoing outbreak to 135.

Ms Fyles also said the remote NT town of Tennant Creek would move from a lockdown to a lockout immediately.
"We will be moving to this lockout because we know that the cases in Tennant Creek appear to be household contacts, and will still continue to have masks [being] worn in Tennant Creek and for anyone that leaves the Tennant Creek region," she said.

"To be able to leave Tennant Creek, you need to be fully vaccinated."

5 VOC cases not linked to the cluster were also recorded overnight in interstate travellers.

They include a man in his 30s from South Australia, a man in his 40s from Sydney, a man in his 20s from Sydney, a woman in her 20s from Sydney and an 11-year-old boy from Sydney.

The 11-year-old boy is among the NT's first COVID cases to be treated at home.

All of the five regional cases were in Tennant Creek.
"All of them are household contacts to our past cases," Ms Fyles said.
"All of them were isolating at the time of their positive cases."
Ms Fyles said 11 VOC patients were receiving treatment in hospital, including one unvaccinated woman in her 60s who is in the ICU.

“She is in the fight of her life and we are certainly giving her the best clinical care,” she said.

Tennant Creek enters lockout, Ali Curung exits lockdown
As part of the lockout in Tennant Creek, residents are banned from entering remote communities or low-vaccination exclusion zones, Ms Fyles said.
Fully vaccinated residents who wish to leave Tennant Creek must return a negative rapid antigen test first.
The mask mandate will remain in place in Tennant Creek until 5pm on December 29.
That applies to people who leave Tennant Creek during the lockout.

There were no new VOCcases recorded in Ali Curung overnight.
As a result, the lockdown in Ali Curung will be lifted immediately, Ms Fyles said. "The reason for that is our intensive testing in Ali Curung," she said. "We haven't found any further positive cases and we're fairly confident that there's no community transmission in Ali Curung."
She urged residents to get vaccinated, and said the mask mandate would remain in Ali Curung until 5pm on December 29.

Alice Springs mask mandate due to lift tomorrow
The mask mandate introduced in Alice Springs yesterday is due to end as planned at 5pm tomorrow, Ms Fyles said.

She said there were no cases recorded in Alice Springs overnight, and urged residents to continue getting tested for the virus.

The Northern Territory has detected 10 new VOC cases as the number of infected travellers carrying the VOC into the territory grows.Five interstate arrivals from NSW and South Australia tested positive overnight, up from two on Wednesday and one a day earlier.

That's the highest daily number of infected travellers since the NT relaxed its COVID-19 border rules on Monday, allowing all fully vaccinated people in.

Authorities say other passengers on the travellers' flights are likely to be deemed close contacts.

There were 2,626 COVID-19 tests conducted across the NT yesterday, she added.
Some 505 close contacts have been identified, of which 467 have been tracked down by authorities and told to isolate.
Of the 505 close contacts, 389 have so far returned a negative COVID-19 test.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[kingofnobbys]

23 December = DELTA WAVE Day 189 & OMICRON TSUSAMI Day 15 < OUTIDE NSW #3 >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WA
23/12/2021 WA
WA recorded 4 LOCAL cases , WA local total for DELTA WAVE now 5 cases.
2 mystery cases.
0 repats from o/seas.
WA recorded 0 delta deaths.

‘It's arrived': Masks in WA are now mandatory, large events cancelled after VOC case bar-hopped in Northbridge .at the weekend while potentially infectious.



WA Premier Mark McGowan confirmed the case was a male backpacker who arrived from Queensland on December 12, when no border restrictions were in place.
The unvaccinated 25yo man, entered WA just one hour before the border with Queensland tightened to require travellers to self-quarantine when there was only a "handful" of positive cases in Queensland.
He has been in WA for 12 days staying in a house in Girrawheen with 4 other people and his girlfriend, who is symptomatic. All are considered close contacts. His housemates were camping near Mandurah and have been contacted by Health WA.
The French national felt sick on Sunday and was tested on Wednesday, with the positive result coming through on Thursday morning. It's suspected he has been infectious since December 16. Mr McGowan said the man had been in contact with 100s of people, and was likely infectious with the Delta strain.

who went out to restaurants, bars, nightclubs, museums and things ... that's why we're so concerned ... there's been lots of interaction in proximity," he said. "There's lots of people who have potentially been exposed. "If the four campers are positive and they've been all over the place, we'll have to investigate that.
"This may be the event that provides us with community spread of the virus, very sadly, and very unfortunately."

Since December 16, the backpacker has visited a number of venues including the Scarborough markets and a pub, Mirrabooka Square shopping centre and a number of Northbridge clubs.

From 6pm Thursday until 6am December 28, masks will be mandatory indoors in public spaces and high-risk, large events will be cancelled, and nightclubs closed. "We're closing down all the music events ... the Ice Cream Factory and various places, we're saying over the next four days they won't be happening," Mr McGowan said.

Close contacts will have to isolate for 14 days and casual contacts must get tested and isolate until a negative result is returned.

Mr McGowan said he did not know when the backpacker arrived in Australia or how he was allowed in if unvaccinated.

"He's being interviewed as we speak by our contact tracers, our main priority is to find out where he's been," he said.

It took contact tracers some time to find the backpacker staying in accommodation in Perth's CBD, which led to a delay in authorities providing information about the case.

"They had to use his phone pings to find him ... he was asleep, he's 25 years old, he's a backpacker ... police had to knock on his door and tell him the bad news," Mr McGowan said.

Mr McGowan said Christmas church services could continue with masks. Crown would also remain open.

However, there are no rules on gathering at homes, meaning Christmas plans can continue.

When asked whether people could host 100-person parties Police Commissioner Chris Dawson conceded they could, but he urged the public to use common sense.
"If you have a big enough a house you could," he said.
"We're just asking people to use common sense in a private setting, but if you go shopping, if you're going to do last minute to buy drinks, etc, you will have to wear a mask."

Media got wind of the significant contact tracing operation on Thursday morning after attendees at various nightclubs in the entertainment precinct began receiving text messages instructing them to isolate and get tested.
"You have been identified via the SafeWA app as having been at Geisha Bar when a COVID-19 case was present," a message to a Geisha Bar patron read.

Perth Mess Hall staff are isolating for 14 days.

Geisha Bar updated its Facebook page on Thursday afternoon to say it was working with WA Health.
"Hi everyone, we've been contacted by WA Health and we've been informed that Geisha Bar was an exposure site on Saturday night/Sunday morning between the hours of 12 am to 3 am," it said.
"We are working with WA health to provide all contact registers, and we are waiting on further instructions."

People began arriving at Royal Perth Hospital COVID testing clinic around midday, with lines quickly forming. Authorities said to expect queues and be well-prepared for a wait.

Mr Dawson said Department of Communities staff were on hand to help backpackers staying in Perth accommodation that may need to isolate because of the new case.

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23/12/2021 FEDERAL

Jetstar and Virgin suddenly cancel dozens of flights on Christmas Eve.etstar and Virgin airlines have caused Christmas Eve travel chaos by cancelling dozens of flights as families around Australia prepare to reunite with loved ones.

Hundreds of passengers suddenly found their plans in dire straits as they were notified late on Thursday night of the mass cancellations.

Australia's busiest route between Sydney and Melbourne is by far the worst affected with 23 flights between the two capitals cancelled on Friday.
Text messages alerting passengers as late as 9pm on Thursday, when many were already in bed before early departures, with the airline's customer service line closing at 10pm.

Virgin also made a huge number of cancellations for December 24, with 12 flights between Sydney and Melbourne cancelled.

The canned flights include early morning and evening fares, throwing many Australians' Christmas plans into disarray.

As many as 13 flights were suddenly cancelled by Jetstar on Thursday, including routes between Sydney and Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide, and Sydney and Melbourne.

The Sydney and Melbourne route was the most heavily-affected, with seven Sydney departures and four Melbourne departures breaking hearts on Christmas Eve.

With all direct morning and afternoon flights either sold out or cancelled, passengers were mostly offered replacements that first flew the wrong direction to other cities and landed up to eight hours later than they had booked to arrive.
Virgin Australia also cancelled flights on the eve of Christmas with 12 flights grounded between the NSW and Victorian capital.

There were a further nine flights cancelled between Sydney and Brisbane, and another 11 stopped between Sydney and the Gold Coast.

The common denominator appears to be Sydney, with skyrocketing Covid cases potentially the reason for the major airlines ruining Aussies' Christmas plans.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jetstar and Virgin Australia to explain why so many flights have been cancelled, reason = crews in iso after being exposed in flight or catching the VOC .

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23 December = NEW ZEALAND DELTA WAVE Day & OMICRON OUTBREAK

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NZ recorded 55 LOCAL cases again, NZ local total for DELTA WAVE now 10447 cases.
1 mystery cases.
4 repats from o/seas.
NZ recorded 0 delta deaths..