There are now 116 people with COVID-19 in the hospital. Photo: Region Media.
UPDATED 5 pm: ACT Health has this afternoon corrected its COVID-19 update, confirming one person is in ICU and requiring ventilation.
Earlier figures showed no one was requiring ventilation but one person was in the ICU.
12 pm: ACT Health is reporting 1458 new COVID-19 infections in the latest reporting period.
It is the highest number of daily cases in the Territory since the middle of January and could be a sign the BA.5 variant of Omicron is already driving higher caseloads as predicted last week by ACT Health.
On 19 January, 1467 new COVID-19 cases were reported at the peak of the Omicron outbreak.
COVID-19 hospitalisations have declined slightly to 116 after five consecutive days of record-breaking highs. Only one person requires intensive care but nobody is being ventilated.
Yesterday, there were 121 people with the virus in hospital.
A COVID-19 outbreak in a cancer ward at the hospital is also understood to be contributing to the increase in hospitalised cases. That outbreak is being investigated.
Health authorities have previously noted that the reported figure of hospitalised COVID-19 cases does not necessarily correlate to the number of people actually requiring care because of their COVID-19 infection.
In line with national reporting guidelines, ACT Health does not differentiate between active and cleared COVID-19 cases in hospital.
Students in Years 1 and 2 at Duffy Primary School are at home for the rest of the week and so won’t be back on campus until next term. Photo: File.
As school students around the Territory hurtle towards the end of Term Two this week, two student cohorts will essentially get an early start to their holidays.
Years 1 and 2 at Duffy Primary School and Years 7 and 8 at Lanyon High School will not be back at school until next term.
Existing staffing shortages across the Territory’s public schools have been repeatedly exacerbated by the pandemic throughout the term, with multiple student cohorts being sent home to learn every week.
Earlier this month, the ACT Government agreed to inquire into how many teachers the system needs and will need in the future.
It’s information Opposition spokesperson for education Jeremy Hanson has long been calling for.
With the 1458 (784 PCR and 674 RAT) cases recorded overnight, there are now 6543 active infections in the Territory.
A total of 156,472 (93,847 PCR and 62,625 RAT) COVID-19 cases have been recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Yesterday, the ACT reported 1159 new COVID-19 infections and a record 121 people in hospital with the virus.
The double-dose vaccination rate for the ACT’s five-plus population is now 97.4 per cent and 77.2 per cent of residents aged 16 and older have received a booster.
Of ACT residents aged five to 11, 68.9 per cent have received two doses of vaccine.
Interstate, NSW has reported 11 deaths overnight and 11,067 new cases of COVID-19.
There are now 1526 people in hospital with the virus and 40 people in ICUs around the state.
Victoria’s COVID-19 update has been delayed.
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