NSW reports 283 local COVID-19 cases as non-urgent elective surgery set to resume

NSW has reported 283 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths as the state prepares to resume non-urgent elective surgery next week.

In the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm on Tuesday, 92.3 per cent of people 16 and older have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 81.6 per cent of people are fully vaccinated.

There are 552 people in NSW hospitals with COVID, 124 of them in ICU.

Non-urgent elective surgery will resume in Greater Sydney next week after a two-month hiatus during the height of the recent COVID-19 outbreak in the state.

NSW Health says high vaccination rates and falling case numbers mean it can safely give the green light to overnight elective surgery, which was suspended on 2 August in public hospitals and three weeks later in private hospitals.

Surgeries will be capped at 75 per cent capacity at public and private facilities within Greater Sydney, including the Nepean Blue Mountains region from Monday.

Day surgery returned on 5 October across both public and private systems.

Generally, non-urgent elective surgery continued in regional and rural NSW during the outbreak, although temporary restrictions were put in place in response to local outbreaks, such as in western NSW and far west NSW.

Source: sbs.com.au