COVID HOSPITALIZATIONS IN AUSTRALIA REACH NEW RECORD HIGHS

Mon 25 July 2022:

Australians were admitted to hospitals on Monday with COVID-19, setting a new record of about 5,450 on Monday, according to official data, as the spread of highly contagious new Omicron sub-variants strains the nation’s healthcare system.

The figure has grown since late June, as the BA.4 and BA.5 strains became dominant since they can evade immune protection from vaccination or prior infection, while some experts say the latter can be as infectious as measles.

The number of patients in hospitals has risen to its highest level since the coronavirus first appeared, surpassing the peak of 5,390 recorded in January during the initial wave of Omicron infections. The number of deaths per day has also increased, reaching 100 for the first time on Saturday.

According to the government, outbreaks have affected more than 1,000 retirement homes, primarily impacting the elderly.

The support of military personnel in such facilities will be continued through the end of September, according to Defence Minister Richard Marles, as several aged care facilities struggle with a staffing shortage.

“It is an extreme measure and it’s right to describe it as that,” he told ABC television. “Given the number of outbreaks that we’ve got right now, this is the right thing to do.”

Many front-line hospital workers are also sick or in isolation, worsening the healthcare crisis.

Authorities have advised using masks indoors and urgent booster doses of vaccine during a harsh southern winter with both COVID-19 and the flu virus in circulation. They have also advised businesses to permit work from home.

Australia, one of the countries most heavily vaccinated against COVID-19, has given two doses to about 95 percent of those older than 16, although just about 71 percent have had booster shots.

However, it still has fewer infections (9.13 million) and fewer deaths (11,181) than most developed economies.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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