Another 58 people have died from COVID-19 across Australia

A further 34 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in New South Wales, with Victoria recording 14 new fatalities and Queensland reporting 10 further deaths.

Victoria and New South Wales’ COVID-19 figures on Sunday showed hospitalisations had fallen. Source: AAP

Fifty-eight people have died from COVID-19 across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

NSW recorded 34 COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, Victoria 14 and Queensland 10.

The number of new cases reported in NSW is 20,324, up from 20,148 on Saturday.https://815ab87f3825f0bf5a593587e76e4c86.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlAdvertisement

Sunday’s figures showed there are 2,712 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across NSW — a drop on the previous day’s 2,762.

This includes 189 patients who are in ICUs, which is 15 fewer than what was reported on Saturday.

NSW Health’s “best-case scenario” predictions based on outbreaks in London and South Africa initially suggested a peak of 3,158 people in hospital and 270 in ICU.

Authorities say just under 7,000 of the latest cases were detected using rapid antigen tests and 13,620 of them were recorded in labs.

About 93.9 per cent of all eligible people aged 16 or over in NSW are now double vaccinated, while almost a third (32.8 per cent) have also had a booster shot.

More than a quarter (26.5 per cent) of kids aged 5-11 have also had their first jab.

Victoria records 14 new COVID-19 deaths

Meanwhile, Victoria reported 13,091 new infections on Sunday.

The new infections, confirmed by the health department on Sunday, include 6,625 from PCR tests and 6,466 from rapid antigen tests.

Sunday’s overall daily case figure is the lowest recorded in Victoria since 3 January, a sign the state’s Omicron wave may have peaked.

It brings the total number of active cases in the state to 191,058, which includes 1,002 people in hospital, down 27 on Saturday’s figures.

The number of Victorians in intensive care remains at 120 and there are 44 people on a ventilator.

Queensland reports 10 new COVID-19 deaths

Ten further COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in Queensland, along with 11,947 new infections.

Those who died were aged from their 30s to their 90s, with seven in their 80s, and none had received a booster shot yet.

“This is not easy knowing that people are going to lose their lives from this virus,” Health Minister Yvette D’Ath told reporters on Sunday.

“What it does is reinforce the importance of getting vaccinated and getting your booster.”

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said there are 863 patients being treated for COVID-19 in hospital and another 47 in intensive care and 17 people on ventilators.

He said while the number of hospitalisations had dropped over the past 24 hours, it did not indicate a trend yet.

“I wouldn’t over-interpret that,” he said.

“There are a number of reasons why that number could have dropped including changes in discharge practices on the weekends.”  

What’s happening elsewhere?

Tasmania’s health department reported 625 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking the total number of infections currently active in the state to 5,650.

Of those active cases, 39 patients are in hospital and three are in ICU. 

The state did not record any new deaths but 15 people have died of COVID-19 in Tasmania since 2020.

In South Australia, no new COVID-19-related deaths were recorded.

There were 2,062 new COVID-19 cases reported — 191 fewer than Saturday’s daily case figure, which South Australian Premier Steven Marshall hailed as “good news”. 

“The good news keeps coming because the number of positive cases yesterday was down to the lowest it’s been in a very, very long time,” Mr Marshall told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday morning. 

“I think [it’s] more proof that we’re at or about or maybe even slightly past the peak in South Australia at the moment,” he said.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals is 278. which is “below the five-day average”, Mr Marshall said. 

Of these, 24 are in ICU, down from 37 on Saturday.

Six of those patients are on ventilators.

The Australian Capital Territory recorded 694 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, of which 385 tested positive via PCR and 309 through RAT. 

There are currently 67 people in hospital, three in ICU and two on ventilators.

Source: sbs.com.au

With additional reporting by AAP.