Canberra: Australia has reported a 38 per cent increase in new Covid-19 cases amid a fourth nationwide wave of the pandemic, government data revealed on Friday.
According to the data published by the Department of Health, an average of 10,799 new infections were reported nationally every day in the week to Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.
It represented an increase of 38.2 per cent from the previous week (7,809 per day on average) and a 103 per cent increase from 5,300 cases per day in the first week of November.
On average, 1,973 patients were being treated in hospitals every day, up from the previous figure of 1,553, and more than 110 deaths were recorded across the country.
In response to the increase, Australia’s largest state New South Wales (NSW) has reimposed restrictions, making face masks mandatory in all areas of public hospitals and health facilities.
The president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Steve Robson, has warned the hospital system could be placed under immense pressure if cases continue to rise into the “high risk” Christmas period.
“Most of the protections have been lifted, and the message the community has is that maybe you shouldn’t worry as much as you did in the past,” Steve told local media.
In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) where cases rose 20 per cent, residents are being urged to take personal responsibility to avoid the new Omicron sub-variant.
–IANS