Hospitalisations fall in NSW and Victoria as 72 COVID-19 deaths reported

NSW has reported 38 COVID-19 deaths with 34 in Victoria, as hospitalisations continue to decline.

Another 72 people have died from COVID-19 across NSW and Victoria, while hospitalisations continue to fall.

Victoria recorded 34 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, while NSW reported 38.

There are currently 2,578 patients with COVID-19 in NSW hospitals, with the number having fallen for the third straight day.

Some 160 people with COVID-19 are in intensive care units, down from 170 on Wednesday.

In Victoria, there are 752 people in hospital — a number that has dropped each day for the past week.

Victoria has 82 people in intensive care – 17 fewer than on Wednesday.

NSW recorded 12,632 new cases of COVID-19, while Victoria reported 12,157 new infections.

The NSW government has warned that cases could rise as children return to school.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has challenged those questioning the return of students to classrooms.

Many students had lost one-quarter of their face-to-face learning during the pandemic, he said on Wednesday.

“We cannot ruin our children’s future,” he said.

While the school year will have “bumps along the way” it was the “right thing to do”.

“We have a duty as a government, we have a duty as a people, to ensure our kids are given better opportunities than we had,” he said.

Source: sbs.com.au