New daily cases in the ACT remain over 500 as an outbreak at ANU contributes to an increase in COVID infections.
This comes after the ACT recorded a jump in COVID infections with 946 new cases on Tuesday. The cases hit their highest level in more than a month.
There were 661 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.
The outbreak at ANU has contributed to the increase in cases. The number of infections at residences at the university have doubled since the weekend, with about 400 students testing positive.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the spike in cases was "very strongly driven" by positive rapid tests in ANU residences.
He said the super spreaders over the past two years had been younger people aged under 40 and urged people to get their booster shot.
"We're in the phase of the pandemic, where there is clearly a transition to COVID becoming an endemic disease," he said.
"We are going to see peaks and troughs, there'll be waves that will come and go ... we'll have new cases every day probably for the rest of our lives. The virus will continue to mutate."
Numbers are expected to continue to increase as students arrive for the 2022 academic year and restrictions across the ACT ease.
There were 41 people in hospital with COVID-19 as of 8pm Wednesday, with three people in intensive care and none currently under ventilation. There were 40 people in hospital in the previous day's report, with two in intensive care and none being ventilated.
The new cases reported on Thursday brought the total number of active cases in the ACT to 3578, upfrom the 3185 reported on Wednesday.
They were diagnosed from 311 rapid tests and 350 PCR tests. The territory's death toll remains at 33.
The number of ACT residents aged 12 and over who are double vaccinated remains at 98.6 per cent.
A total of 66.2 per cent of people have received their booster, and 77.9 per cent of children aged five to 11 are vaccinated with a single dose.
Meanwhile, Canberrans have been urged to continue to wear masks in indoor settings and workplaces should consider implementing mask wearing policies, the ACT's chief health officer has said.
Ms Stephen-Smith again warned the situation could change quickly and the winter period would be challenging. This is likely to be exacerbated by the seasonal flu, which has not occurred in Canberra in large numbers since the start of the COVID pandemic.
"We know that Canberrans have generally really responded to the ACT government's response to the pandemic and supported that response," she said.
"There will always be people who think that we've gone too far or that we haven't gone far enough and there's always a balancing act when we talk about public health restrictions."
"We do need to remind people that the situation can change very quickly."
"We expect to see changes through the winter period and we've watched very closely what's happening in the northern hemisphere over their winter."
- For available appointments, call the ACT COVID-19 vaccination booking line on (02) 5124 7700.
Around Australia
NSW has recorded 8271 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths, as restrictions continue to ease.
There are 121 people in hospital with the virus, with 59 requiring intensive care.
The state's population aged 16 years and over is now 52.6 per cent triple-vaccinated.
Children aged between 12 and 15 years are 79 per cent double vaccinated with 47 per cent of kids aged five to 11 jabbed with their first dose.
Victoria has recorded 16 deaths and 6715 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of active cases in the state to 41,257.
The number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 in Victoria stands at 319 with 43 people in intensive care, and five on a ventilator.
Queensland has recorded another eight COVID-19 related deaths and 6094 virus cases as hospital admissions continue to drop.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expressed her "deepest sympathy" for the families of those who have died, four of whom were in aged care.
Hospital numbers in the state continue to drop, down to 334 on Thursday from 379, and Ms Palaszczuk said cases in school-aged children are also trending down.
Tasmania has recorded 853 new coronavirus cases, a slight rise on 24 hours earlier.
Thursday's daily figure comes after 842 infections were reported on Wednesday.
There are 4297 documented active cases statewide, the ninth day in a row the number has increased.
New infections jumped from 569 on Monday to 820 on Tuesday, a shift health authorities have put down to the resumption of school earlier this month.
