Here's a quick wrap of the COVID-19 news and case numbers from each Australian jurisdiction for the past week, as reported on Friday, February 24, 2023.
The states and territories are now reporting their COVID-19 statistics weekly instead of through the daily updates that were provided from the early days of the pandemic.
This story will be updated throughout the day, so if you do not see your state or territory, check back later.
- New South Wales
- Victoria
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Western Australia
- Australian Capital Territory
- Tasmania
News you may have missed
- An audit of death certificates has revealed COVID-19 played a role in killing 61 more people in Canberra than previously thought. Read the full story here.
- Australia's top doctor has confirmed federal health officials are developing an official strategy for how to deal with cases of long COVID. Read the full story here.
- A new study has found that a personalised exercise program seems to be effective when it comes to helping people who have a reduced capacity for exercise after having COVID-19. Read the full story here.
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New South Wales
The state has recorded 6,545 COVID-19 cases this week, up from 6,033 cases last week.
There are 818 cases in hospital, 18 of those in intensive care.
There were 47 deaths announced today.
Victoria
There have been another 3,052 COVID-19 cases, down from 3,344 cases last week.
There are 101 cases in hospital, with five of those in intensive care.
There were 33 new deaths this week.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory has recorded 106 new cases of COVID-19.
There are five people in hospital with the virus.
No new deaths were reported this week.
Queensland
Queensland has recorded 3,950 new cases of COVID-19, down from 4,166 last week.
There are 235 people in hospital with COVID-19, eight are in intensive care.
There have been 26 new deaths reported this week.
South Australia
There has been 1,777 new cases of COVID-19 recorded this week.
There are 46 cases in hospital, two are in intensive care.
South Australia has reported 14 new deaths.
Western Australia
WA Health is reporting a total of 2,278 new cases in the past week.
There are 74 people with COVID-19 in hospital, with two in intensive care.
This week's report includes two deaths.
Australian Capital Territory
A total of 525 new cases have been reported this week.
There are nine cases in hospital.
No new deaths have been reported this week.
Tasmania
Tasmania has recorded 489 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week.
There are 8 people in hospital.
Two deaths have been reported this week.
One thing to know: People with long COVID may be missing a window for early treatment
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has told an inquiry into long COVID the current definition means some people are missing the opportunity to intervene and treat the post-viral illness early.
Currently, Australia uses the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of long COVID, which says it is when someone's symptoms continue or they develop new ones three months after their initial infection.
Mark Morgan, from the RACGP, says using this definition meant people who were experiencing "distressing" symptoms had to wait months to be diagnosed and receive treatment.
"If you wait to 12 weeks before you assign a label of long COVID then you've missed an opportunity to intervene earlier with the sort of strategies and rehabilitation that will work for a lot of people," he says.
There's a new COVID booster rolling out next month. Here's what you need to know
As of this week, all Australian adults who haven't had a COVID-19 booster or a confirmed case of the virus in the past six months are eligible for an additional jab.
And that's not all that's changed: An updated Omicron-specific booster is also set to be rolled out early next month.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has advised that Pfizer's bivalent BA.4/5 booster can be used in all people aged 12 years and over.
In a bid to keep up with this viral evolution, newer COVID-19 "bivalent" vaccines have been developed to target both the original strain of the virus and newer, more immune-evasive variants.
One more thing: COVID-19 infection provides immunity against reinfection
One of the largest studies conducted on COVID-19 immunity has found that previous infections provide protection for as long as vaccination, but experts have cautioned that vaccines are still the safer option.
The study published in the Lancet journal found that even 10 months after getting COVID, people still had an 88 per cent lower risk of reinfection resulting in hospitalisation and death.
That makes this natural immunity "at least as durable, if not more so" than two doses of Pfizer or Moderna's vaccines for ancestral, Alpha, Delta and Omicron BA.1 variants, the study said.
The authors emphasised that their findings should not discourage vaccination, which remains the safest way to get immunity.
