Australia reports another 10 deaths from COVID-19
NSW Health reports 55.8 per cent of people have had a COVID-19 booster vaccine, while 79 per cent of people aged 12-15 have had two jabs.
Nearly half – 47.9 per cent of children aged 5-11 have had one dose of a COVID vaccine.
Meanwhile, the last of mask mandates in schools have been scrapped, with childcare workers and teachers in primary schools no longer required to mask up at work.
COVID-19 positive people arriving at flood evacuation centres must notify staff, wear a mask and physically distance from others.
Victoria posts 5,645 virus cases, two deaths
Victoria has reported 5,646 new COVID-19 infections and another two deaths.
Of the new cases reported by the Health Department on Sunday, 4,254 were self-reported from rapid antigen tests and 1,391 from PCR lab tests.
The number of Victorians in hospital with COVID-19 has risen by eight to 227 patients on Sunday.
This includes 29 patients in intensive care and seven on ventilation.
Some 61 per cent of Victorian adults have received three vaccine doses.
Queensland reports one death
One person has died with COVID-19 in Queensland as the state records 3,677 new virus cases following the scrapping of mask rules.
A total of 267 patients are in hospital with the virus, 20 of whom are in ICU.
The state now has 30,557 active cases and a double dose jab rate of just over 91 per cent for people aged 16 and over.
The mandatory requirement for masks at indoor venues and workplaces was officially scrapped at 6pm on Friday.
It means residents no longer have to wear masks in pubs, cafes and supermarkets for the first time since the rules began on 2 January as the state braced for the Omicron wave.
Masks are still be mandatory in healthcare settings, residential aged care, disability accommodation, prisons, public transport, airports, and planes.
Slight rise in cases for Tasmania
Tasmania has reported 784 new coronavirus cases, a slim rise on the daily figure from 24 hours earlier, with active cases dropping for the first time in about three weeks.
Monday’s number follows 757 fresh infections on Sunday and 941 on Saturday.
There are 5,574 active cases statewide, a slight drop from the 5,641 documented 24 hours earlier.
Tasmania’s active case number had risen daily since dropping to 3,033 on 15 February.
There are 21 people with the virus in hospital, with nine of those being treated for COVID-19 symptoms. Five patients are in intensive care, the same number as Sunday.
Tasmania has recorded 26 virus deaths since the beginning of the pandemic – the most recent was recorded on Saturday.
Western Australia records one death
In Western Austrlaia, a woman in her 40s with underlying health conditions has died with COVID-19 as the state records 2,365 new cases.
Three people have now died during WA’s Omicron outbreak.
There are 13,486 active cases and 36 people are in hospital, although none are in intensive care.
WA Health on Sunday introduced new rules for close contacts of COVID-19 cases linked to schools. Parents and carers are no longer automatically required to quarantine with children identified as close contacts.
They are still encouraged to take extra precautions, monitor for symptoms and limit their contact with the child where possible.
The government has also eased hospital visiting rules, having faced backlash over the tough “red alert” restrictions.
Patients are now allowed to have one non-essential visitor at a time during designated visiting periods.
Hospitals had previously only allowed essential visitors including birth partners, parents, guardians, carers and support people for patients who were critically ill or at their end of life.
WA’s outbreak is expected to peak at about 10,000 daily cases in coming weeks.
Health department modelling also forecasts a peak of 430 hospital ward admissions and 53 ICU admissions.
One death in the Northern Territory as mask mandate ends
A man in his 60s is the latest person to die with COVID-19 in the Northern Territory, as the toll since the start of the pandemic climbs to 29.
The Darwin man suffered from underlying health conditions and died at Royal Darwin Hospital, NT Health said on Monday.
His death comes as the territory reported 235 new infections, bringing the number of active cases in the NT to 3161.
Of these, 47 are in hospital, with 14 patients requiring oxygen and three in an intensive care unit.
Meanwhile, the territory has dropped its mask mandate for indoor settings except high-risk settings, such as hospitals and aged care facilities, and in the Big Rivers and Katherine areas.
ACT records 553 new COVID-19 cases
The ACT has recorded another 553 COVID-19 cases in the latest reporting period.
As of Monday, there are 39 people in hospital with the virus including two people in ICU and one requiring ventilation.
Nearly 80 per cent of children aged five to 11 have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 69.2 per cent of Canberrans 16 years and older have had three doses.
Since the start of the pandemic the capital has recorded 54,683 cases and 34 deaths from the virus.
