Western Australia's daily COVID-19 case tally has doubled in a matter of days as the peak of the state's Omicron outbreak looms.
WA Health on Friday reported 5005 new infections, eclipsing the figure of 2365 cases reported at the start of the week.
There are 20,788 active cases and 92 people in hospital with the virus, including three in intensive care.
The spike in cases backs up the prediction by Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson that infections would double every few days as the peak approached.
A peak of about 10,000 daily infections is now expected to arrive as soon as next week.
Australian Medical Association WA president Mark Duncan-Smith said the outbreak was defying expectations in regards to its severity.
"With the (current infection) numbers, we would have expected about 20 people to be in the intensive care unit," he told reporters on Friday.
"This most likely reflects the fact WA has such high vaccination rates and therefore such high protection against severe disease."
Dr Duncan-Smith said he remained concerned the government was being too secretive, having so far only published a brief summary of its modelling.
WA's justice department on Friday revealed two children and seven staff members had tested positive at the Banksia Hill juvenile detention centre.
Commissioner for Corrective Services Mike Reynolds said the two detainees were COVID-positive when they arrived at the facility.
He said they were asymptomatic and isolating from others but would still be able to contact loved ones and participate in activities.
Another vaccination clinic for detainees was held this week after figures published last month showed more than two thirds of the young people at Banksia Hill had not received a jab.
A number of prisoners and staff also tested positive last month at the privately operated Acacia Prison remand facility.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the number of people in hospital was likely to peak closer to the end of March.
"If the modelling is correct, we hope to be over the worst of it by the end of this month," Ms Sanderson said on Thursday.
"We would hope that the peak lasts hopefully no more than a week. But again, Western Australia is a bit of a experiment population.
"We haven't had large amounts of COVID in the community, we have exceptionally high vaccination rates, so actually we don't know exactly what's going to happen."
