Due to a major outbreak of two new omikron variants of corona, the Australian government is advising companies to let their staff work from home. It is also advised to wear mouth and nose coverings in indoor areas and to take booster shots.
The country is in the throes of a third omikron wave caused by two highly contagious new sub-variants. More than 300,000 new cases have been registered in the past seven days, but the actual number could be significantly higher.
On Tuesday, 50,000 new infections were counted, the largest number on one day of the past two months. The number of hospital admissions will soon reach an all-time high, Paul Kelly, chief public health adviser, said in a radio interview.
“We need to do some things differently, at least for a short period of time,” Kelly said. “We know that working from home plays a key role in combating what we call macro-spreading.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese receives his fourth dose of the corona vaccine.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese receives his fourth dose of the corona vaccine. Photo: EPA
There are currently some 5,300 Australians in hospital with corona, just short of the record number of 5,390 recorded in January during the BA.1 outbreak. The people who are now in hospital are infected with the variants BA.4 and BA.5.
After more workers started calling in sick, Australia reintroduced support payments last week for freelance workers quarantined due to a corona infection. A number of primary health workers are also ill or in isolation.
The authorities have pointed out that the vaccination delay is exacerbating the health crisis. So far, 95 percent of people over the age of 16 have had two doses, but about 71 percent have received three or more doses.
The total number of corona cases in Australia has remained just below 9 million and 10,845 people have officially died from the effects of the virus, a much lower percentage than in many other countries.