Health

New South Wales reports first Omicron-linked death

Sydney, Australia, Dec 27 (EFE).- New South Wales health authorities on Monday reported the first death linked to the Omicron variant of Covid-19, as infections soar across Australia.

The man was fully vaccinated, aged in his 80s with underlying health problems, and a resident of an aged care facility in the state, where 6,324 new cases were announced Monday.

“This was the first known death in New South Wales linked to the Omicron variant of concern,” said NSW Health epidemiologist Christine Selvey in a video released by the government, in which she also reported two other deaths.

Cases are on the rise in Australia, although this is due in part to greater testing, as required by regional authorities for interstate travelers.

In the state of Victoria, almost 2,000 new cases were also reported Monday, while in Queensland there were 784, and on the island of Tasmania there were 35.

More than 90 percent of the target population has been fully vaccinated, and in January the administration of booster doses will be accelerated.

Despite the rising case numbers, the central government has declared that it will not apply more isolation restrictions to the population.

Some regional governments, such as NSW and Victoria, have taken some measures such as reimposing the mandatory use of the masks indoors.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Australia has accumulated more than 291,000 confirmed infections, including more than 2,160 deaths, low figures compared to other countries of similar size. EFE

aus-nc/tw

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