As authorities try to stay ahead of extremely contagious Omicron strains, Australia on Thursday reported one of the highest daily death tolls from the new coronavirus while hospital admissions lingered near record levels.
Globally, there has been an increase in new infections due to the BA.4/5 variations’ ability to circumvent immune defenses brought on by vaccination or earlier infections.
With 89 deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday and 90 deaths from the virus on Wednesday, Australia is reporting the highest daily figures since the first Omicron wave earlier this year. The number of new cases rose to little over 55,600 on Thursday, the most since May 18.
Despite requests from some doctors, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said state governors and federal health officials have not suggested mandating masks in indoor settings.
Due in major part to the high levels of public compliance with stringent social distancing measures, Australia was spared the enormous death tolls experienced in other nations during the first waves of the pandemic.
To combat the most recent outbreak of diseases, however, there is little support from the general people, and Albanese has defied calls from certain medical professionals to impose mask requirements.
Without enforcement, a mandate is useless, Albanese told the reporters.
He noted that in addition to physical limits, mental health impacts also needed to be considered by health experts.
The most recent Omicron wave is bringing the number of COVID-19 patients in Australian hospitals very close to the January peak. In hospitals, there are about 5,350 patients, and record admissions are a problem in some states.
With only approximately 71 percent of the eligible population having had their booster vaccinations, authorities have urged firms to permit employees to work from home and advised individuals to get booster shots immediately. Over 16-year-olds have received two doses in almost 95% of cases.
