NSW is expected to hit a grim Covid milestone on Wednesday the day after pandemic restrictions were extended for another month.
NSW is expected to record its one millionth Covid-19 infection on Wednesday, two years after the first case was confirmed in Australia.
At least 994,465 coronavirus cases have been identified in NSW since the pandemic began, with the overwhelming majority recorded in the past two months after restrictions were eased and Omicron spread.
The state has reported more infections than any other Australian jurisdiction, followed by Victoria with 776,320 cases and Queensland with 344,844 cases.
NSW Health officials are due to release the new daily Covid data at 9am on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s case numbers were up slightly from the day before, with 18,512 new infections — 9422 detected through PCR tests and 9090 on at-home RATs reported to the state government.
Out of the 2943 people in hospital, 183 were in intensive care. By comparison, 2816 were in hospital and 196 in ICU the day before.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday announced an extension of the existing pandemic rules – such as indoor mask mandates and capacity limits at pubs – for another month.
He said the decision was made out of caution as the state’s third vaccine dose numbers slowly increase.
“We want to maintain that cautious approach as we continue to get our booster program moving,” he said.
“So the restrictions that we put in place last year we will be rolling over for another month.”
The rules include capacity limits of one person per two square metres indoors at hospitality venues, and mandatory masks at all indoor spaces except homes.
They also include compulsory QR check-ins at certain venues, and a ban on singing and dancing at most public events.
Former federal Health Department secretary Jane Halton, who chairs the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, said the extension was “absolutely the right thing to do”.
“A little bit of care and caution for that month, I think is going to make an enormous difference,” she told Today on Wednesday.
“(It will) keep the pressure off hospitals and mean that everyone can go about their business.”
Tuesday marked the two-year anniversary of the virus’ arrival on Australian shores, when a man who had flown into Melbourne from China tested positive on January 25, 2020.
Hours after Australia’s initial case was recorded, three more Chinese travellers were confirmed to have tested positive in NSW.
Originally published as NSW expected to record its one millionth Covid case on Wednesday
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