The ACT continues recording high numbers of cases as Canberrans react to mask rules.
There were 147 people with COVID-19 in hospital in the 24 hours to Thursday 8pm.
Of those, one patient was in the ICU but not on ventilation.
The ACT recorded 1007 new COVID-19 cases, with a rolling weekly average of 944, a slight rise from the previous day's 927.
Thursday's new cases by age group
- 0-4 years: 47
- 5-11 years: 83
- 12-17 years: 70
- 18-24 years: 112
- 25-39 years: 279
- 40-49 years: 159
- 50-64 years: 173
- 65+ years: 84
- Total: 1007
Canberra's public health workforce is set to grow by an extra 170 staff over the next two years.
Extra allied health practitioners and nurse practitioners at walk-in centres will be employed.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said more material will "roll out and ramp up" on encouraging people to wear masks.
As the ACT government increases its public health messaging on the importance of mask-wearing, Canberrans hold mixed feelings about the policy measures.
Weekly vaccinations
- Aged 5-15 years (2 doses): 77.8 per cent
- Aged 16+ years (3 doses): 77.5 per cent
- Aged 50+ years (4 doses): 48.5 per cent
Around Australia
The disabled and their carers will be the focus of a text message campaign to improve Australia's uptake of second COVID-19 boosters and antiviral treatments.
More than a million disability pensioners and their carers will from August receive texts highlighting access to fourth vaccination doses and antivirals to counteract the potential for severe illness.
The campaign will be targeted and the messages have been developed following consultation with those living with disability.
The federal government earlier this month extended eligibility for Australians who test positive to COVID-19 to be able to access antiviral treatments on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
More Australians are feeling lonelier now than before the COVID-19 pandemic, research has found.
The latest research released on Friday from Telstra's Talking Loneliness report shows 27 per cent of people experienced loneliness for the first time during the pandemic, while almost half of Australians felt lonelier because of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Almost two-thirds of Australians regularly feel isolated from others, the report found, while one in four say they don't have people they can regularly talk or turn to.
More than 40 per cent of people reported being worried they would be judged if they told people they were feeling lonely.
- With AAP, Olivia Ireland and Lucy Bladen
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