South Australia has recorded 5,666 new cases and six COVID-linked deaths, as extra hospital beds are opened to boost capacity.
Two men in their 60s, a man in his 70s, a man and a woman in their 80s and a woman in her 90s have died.
Today's figures take the total number of COVID-linked deaths to 279, with all but four of those occurring since borders were opened on November 23.
The number of daily cases has dropped from the record of 6,091 new infections, which was set yesterday.
The state now has 37,053 active cases.
There have now been more than 300,000 cases of COVID reported in South Australia since the start of the pandemic.
The state has 202 people in hospital, eight less than yesterday, and 11 in ICU including one person on a ventilator.
The most recent SA Health figures showed as of Wednesday there were 15 COVID-positive children aged 18 and under in hospital, while 36 were receiving support through the state's virtual health service COVIDKids.
There are also 11,206 active cases in children aged 17 and under.
Speaking before today's case numbers were announced, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the rate of hospitalisations was the "key statistic" to watch.
"At the moment what we are seeing is hospitalisations hover around just over 200, that is a number the system is coping with but it ain't easy," he said.
"This requires a lot of work, a lot of effort."
The government announced 26 hospital beds would reopen today at Modbury Hospital, in Adelaide's north-eastern suburbs, after their ward had been closed for refurbishment for four weeks.
The beds were included in the previous government's bed surge plan to add 392 beds to the system.
Five new ICU beds and eight paediatric beds have also opened at the Lyell McEwin Hospital, in Adelaide's north.
Mr Malinauskas said his government had now added 125 new beds since taking office to "deal with the anticipated increase in demand that we know is coming our way around COVID".
Mr Malinauskas said his government had an "ambitious" target of opening closer to 200 beds, but finding staff was a challenge.
"No point in having a bed if you don't have a nurse, a doctor, a cleaner, an orderly, to help provide the services that are required for that bed," he said.
"Both of those efforts are ongoing."
Head of general medicine at the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN) Dr Karen Taylor said hospitals were busy, but staff were managing.
"The number of hospitalisations have plateaued so that's put us in a reasonable place," she said.
NALHN chief executive Maree Geraghty said about 160 staff were COVID positive and about 17 were currently furloughed as close contacts or looking after family members, out of a total workforce of about 5,500.
Ms Geraghty said the Lyell McEwin Hospital currently had 39 COVID patients, close to its limit of 40 after which positive admissions would be sent to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
"We're peaking but as we're saying, we hope the COVID figures are plateauing so we would hope that we're managing pretty well," she said.
Mr Malinauskas urged all South Australians to get vaccinated to help reduce their chances of ending up in hospital.
"We can handle high cases of COVID, provided we don't see a dramatic increase in the hospitalisations," he said.
"And the best thing we can do to keep hospitalisations under control is the vaccine.
"Get that third dose, get the fourth dose if you're eligible.
"Not just for your own health, but for the health of our hospital system which is important to every South Australian."
