NSW Cases Explode As New Close Contact Definitions Kick In

NSW has recorded a massive spike in cases with 21,151 new infections and six Covid-related deaths on Friday.

The rise in cases once again marks a national first with more than 20,000 cases recorded in a single day, along with a 43 per cent increase in infections.

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The new cases were detected from 148,410 swabs collected on Thursday, as revellers prepare to bring in the New Year.

There are currently 763 people in hospital, with 69 of those are in ICU.

The rapid surge in presentations and hospitalisations, continues to gain momentum up from 382 last Friday.

Currently, more than 93 per cent of eligible people aged over 16 are now fully vaccinated, while 95 per cent have received their first dose.

In NSW, 95 per cent of people aged 16 and over have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 93.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.

It comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday announced changes to close contact definitions and testing requirements across each State and Territory.

The new reclassification has a close contact as a household contact of a confirmed case only.

A household contact is considered someone who lives with a case or has spent more than four hours with them in a house, accommodation or care facility setting.

“So, you are only a close contact if you are, effectively, living with someone or have been in an accommodation setting with someone for more than four hours with someone who has actually got Covid,” he said.

“Omicron requires us to undertake a change of how we are managing the pandemic, and we need to reset how we think about the pandemic, and how we manage ourselves and the things we need to do as governments,” he said.

The changes came into effect in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT at midnight Thursday, while Tasmania will follow suit on January 1.

Northern Territory are expected to make an announcement shortly, while Western Australia will continue with their current Covid regulations, unless the situation changes.

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