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Australia reported Thursday the highest number of daily deaths from the new coronavirus, but hospitalizations are close to record levels as authorities struggle to stay ahead of the highly contagious variant of Omicron. It changed in.
The BA.4 / 5 variant excels at avoiding immune protection from vaccination or previous infections and is driving a proliferation of new infections worldwide.
Australia has reported the highest number of days since the first Omicron wave earlier this year, with 89 people dead on Thursday and 90 on Wednesday from the coronavirus. Slightly over 55,600 new cases were recorded on Thursday, the highest since May 18.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said state leaders and federal health officials did not recommend mandating masks at indoor venues, despite requests from some doctors.
Australia avoided the high death toll seen in other countries during the first wave of the pandemic. This is largely due to the high level of public compliance with strict social distance restrictions.
However, there is little public desire to return to such measures to defeat the recent surge in infectious diseases, and Albanese is resisting pressure from some health professionals to impose masking obligations.
“It’s not good to have a mission unless forced,” Albanese told ABC Radio.
He also said health authorities must take into account the impact of strict restrictions on mental health.
The latest Omicron wave is bringing the number of people infected with COVID-19 in Australian hospitals closer to the peak hit in January. Approximately 5,350 patients are hospitalized, and several states are fighting record hospitalizations.
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Authorities urged businesses to work their staff at home, recommended people urgently took booster shots, and only about 71% of the eligible population received boosters. About 95% of people over the age of 16 took two doses.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Australia has reported approximately 9 million COVID-19 cases and 10,968 deaths.