After a dip in daily COVID-19 cases over the long weekend, infections have climbed over 1000 and hit a four-week peak.
Meanwhile, hospitalisations remain high with 63 people in Canberra hospitals with COVID in the 24 hours to 8pm Tuesday, including two people in intensive care and one on ventilation. The day before the ACT recorded a 10-week peak for hospitalisations with 64 people in hospital and two in intensive care. ICU admissions remain steady.
The ACT reported 1180 new infections to 8pm on Tuesday, an increase of 364 from the previous day. This takes the territory's pandemic case tally to 95,625. In the previous reporting period there were 816 cases recorded for the territory.
Wednesday's tally was the highest number of reported cases since 1314 were announced on March 23.
The tally for COVID-19-related deaths in the capital remains at 47.
The ACT now has 5192 active cases of coronavirus, up from 5097 reported in the previous period. Of the new cases, 570 were reported through PCR tests and 610 via rapid tests.
The ACT government has released a breakdown of current cases by age:
- 0-4: 70 (6%)
- 5-11: 63 (5%)
- 12-17: 60 (5%)
- 18-24: 148 (3%)
- 25-39: 409 (35%)
- 40-49: 176 (15%)
- 50-64: 165 (14%)
- 65+: 88 (7%)
Latest vaccination rates
The first-dose vaccination rate for children aged five to 11 is at 80.6 per cent.
Meanwhile, fully vaccinated people aged over five make up 96.7 per cent of the ACT population. The percentages have decreased from 98.7 per cent due to a revision in ACT Health's population estimate. The proportion of people triple-vaxxed rose to 74.7 per cent.
ACT weighs up releasing household contacts from isolation rules
The ACT government expects it will announce changes to household isolation rules later this week, as conversations continue between states on the eastern seaboard on how the rules will be eased.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said she expected to speak with health ministers in NSW and Victoria over the coming days to clarify plans for the states, stressing that consistency around the rules was crucial.
Ms Stephen-Smith said there would likely still be some restrictions for household contacts, including requiring them to wear face masks in public and a ban on attending high-risk settings such as aged-care facilities and hospitals.
Around Australia
NSW has recorded 15,414 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths in the 24 hours to 4pm.
There are 1,639 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 72 in ICU.
Hospitalisation numbers are up on yesterday, when 1,623 patients were being cared for with 70 in ICU.
Of the new cases, 10,311 came from positive rapid antigen tests while 5,103 came from PCR testing.
Victoria has reported 14 deaths and 10,628 new COVID infections. There were 437 people across the state in hospital with the disease with 28 in the ICU.
Of the new cases, 7440 were reported through positive rapid antigen tests.
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