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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Sarah Lansdown

New cases take ACT past 150,000 COVID infections since beginning of pandemic

Are we becoming desensitised to the rising COVID-19 death toll? | June 17, 2022 | ACM

The ACT has recorded more than 1000 new COVID-19 infections for the second consecutive day as total infections surpassed 150,000 since the start of the pandemic.

The territory has reported 1134 new cases of COVID-19, as 88 people are treated in hospital for the virus.

Of the new cases, 645 were recorded via PCR testing while 489 people tested positive on a rapid antigen test.

Thursday's load brings the total number of active cases to 5684, amounting to 150,123 infections since March 12, 2020.

Capital Pathology senior scientific officer Rebecca Taylor working with COVID samples. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos

No new deaths were reported on Thursday, after four deaths were reported earlier in the week, bringing the toll to 78.

There are 88 people being treated in ACT hospitals, one of whom requires treatment in an intensive care unit but is not ventilated.

The Canberra Hospital emergency department was under extreme pressure on Wednesday night as people with non-life threatening injuries were encouraged to seek care elsewhere.

Canberra Health Services chief operating officer Cathie O'Neill said the hospital was experiencing bed block every day with a large number of patients staying in hospital longer.

"We expect to continue to experience high demand and bed pressures in coming months," she said.

The percentage of the population aged 16 years and over who have received three doses of a COVID vaccine is 77.1 per cent.

Of children aged five-11, 80.6 per cent have a first dose while 68.6 per cent are double vaccinated.

About 97.3 per cent of children and adults over five years of age have received two doses of a vaccine.

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