Get up to speed on all the coronavirus news from across Australia.
Look back at how the day unfolded in our live blog.
Key events
- Two deaths, 1,198 new cases in NT
- WA reports a record 37 cases of local transmission among 139 new cases
- Seven deaths, 1,639 new cases in South Australia
- The ACT has recorded 500 new COVID cases
- Queensland has recorded another eight COVID deaths
- Tasmania records one COVID-related death
- Victoria has recorded 16 more COVID deaths
- NSW records another 24 deaths
Live updates
By Peta Fuller
Cases, hospitalisations and deaths
For a detailed breakdown of cases across the country, check out Charting the Spread.
NSW: 24 deaths and 10,130 new cases. 1,795 cases are in hospital with 121 of those in ICU. Press conference here
VIC: 16 deaths and 9,391 new cases. 543 cases are in hospital, 75 of those in ICU and 23 of those are ventilated.
TAS: One death and 637 new cases. 17 people are in hospital with COVID, one is in ICU.
QLD: Eight deaths and 5,854 new cases. There are 579 hospital cases and 46 in ICU. Press conference here
ACT: No deaths and 500 new cases. There are 51 people in hospital and three in ICU.
SA: Seven deaths, 1,639 new cases. 206 people in hospital, 16 in intensive care, 5 on ventilators. Press conference here
WA: No deaths, 139 new cases, including 37 locally acquired. 1 in hospital. Press conference here
NT: Two deaths, 1,198 new cases including 37 being added to Wednesday's total. 168 in hospital, 30 on oxygen, three in ICU.
By Jonathan Hepburn
And that's where we'll leave it, folks
I've been given the nod to put the blog to bed for another day.
We haven't heard any official announcement from the national cabinet and aren't expecting a press conference, so keep an eye on news.abc.net.au for anything that comes out of that meeting — and everything else.
Another blog will be born like a phoenix from the ashes tomorrow morning, so join us again then.
Good night and sweet dreams.
By Jonathan Hepburn
... and don’t let me stand in the way of fairness with a kitten gif ...
-Alice
By Jonathan Hepburn
COVID-wary postal voters likely to delay NSW by-election results, Antony Green says
ABC election analyst Antony Green is tipping swings to Labor in Bega, Monaro, Willoughby and Strathfield, but says we'll be waiting a while for the final results because of the number of postal ballots cast.
Seventeen per cent of voters in Monaro and 23 per cent in Bega have made their decisions already.
"You would have expected pre-poll voting to be much higher in the second week of the campaign, but it hasn't been," Green said.
"So it looks like people have got a postal vote and decided not to pre-poll vote.
"The question is, how many will not turn up on election day and use their postal vote instead?"
Green says there's likely to be a swing against the government registered in all four seats this weekend.
Meanwhile, some voters the ABC spoke to had forgotten it was time for another democracy sausage at all.
By Jonathan Hepburn
If you feel like giffing a puppy, don'y let me stand in the way...
-Natty
What, just one?
By Jonathan Hepburn
National cabinet?
What time national cabinet press conference
-Vicki
I'm hearing there's currently no presser scheduled. We all know that doesn't mean there won't be one, but it's not looking like any announcement will be televised.
By Jonathan Hepburn
Two deaths, 1,198 new cases in NT
That is the highest number of deaths in a single day for the Territory, which has now recorded seven deaths linked to COVID-19.
Two women in their 60s died at Royal Darwin Hospital, one on February 8 and one on February 9.
There were 1,198 cases announced, including 37 being added to Wednesday's tally — Thursday's count is 1,161.
There are now 168 patients with coronavirus in hospitals across the Northern Territory, with 30 patients requiring oxygen.
Three people are in the ICU.
By Jonathan Hepburn
Canadian anti-coronavirus mandate protesters cause US factories to shut down
Car manufacturers Ford and Toyota have halted production as anti-coronavirus mandate protesters blocked US-Canada border crossings that have prompted warnings from Washington and Ottawa of economic damage.
Many pandemic-weary Western countries will soon mark two years of restrictions as copycat protests spread to Australia, New Zealand and France now the highly infectious Omicron variant begins to ease in some places.
Horn-blaring protests have been causing gridlock in Canada's capital Ottawa since late January and from Monday night, truckers shut inbound Canada traffic at the Ambassador Bridge, a supply route for Detroit's car makers and agricultural products.
Toyota, the top US vehicle seller, said it did not expect to produce vehicles at its Ontario sites for the rest of the week, output has been halted at a Ford engine plant and Chrysler-maker Stellantis has also been disrupted.
By Jonathan Hepburn
Vietnam warns of hospitals strain as COVID-19 cases spike after holiday
Vietnam warned on Thursday that its healthcare system could become overloaded, after seeing a surge in new daily coronavirus infections following its week-long Lunar New Year holiday.
The South-East Asian country reported nearly 24,000 new cases on Wednesday, compared to about 15,000 per day in the week before the annual holiday, when millions of people travelled to their rural homes and to tourist hotspots.
"Increased travelling will lead to the risk of more infections among the community, including the risk of spreading the Omicron variant," the health ministry said in a statement.
"If not better controlled, the number of serious cases will increase, putting pressure on the healthcare system and causing unwanted deaths."
Domestic airlines added extra night flights during the holiday as the biggest airports were jammed with travellers, according to a separate government statement.
After being lauded for its measures in containing the virus through mass testing and strict contact-tracing in the first year of the pandemic, Vietnam was hit badly by a wave of infections and deaths from May last year, prompting a scramble to procure vaccines.
At the time, with state hospitals overstretched, the government appealed to private hospitals to treat coronavirus patients.
Vietnam has since recorded 2.4 million infections overall and more than 38,000 deaths. About three-quarters of the 98 million population have been vaccinated.
The country on Monday began reopening schools nationwide after prolonged closure, as authorities announced plans to start vaccinating young children against COVID-19.
Reuters
By Jonathan Hepburn
Casey Briggs has a look at SA's case numbers
Hospitalisations are down slightly on yesterday, but the number of cases is above the 7-day average
By Jonathan Hepburn
Why WA is no longer listing all exposure sites.
This has been an ongoing question today: Why hasn't WA's exposure sites website been updated since Tuesday? Have they given up?\
No, not given up, but being more selective about the locations they list.
Reporting by Keane Bourke:
The number of exposure sites being listed by the government has been decreasing over time, with none posted yesterday.
But Premier Mark McGowan insisted that did not mean exposure sites were becoming irrelevant.
“But obviously you reduce the number of exposure sites because we’ve changed the close contact rules,” he said.
A notice posted to the website by WA Health explained the change in approach.
“High-risk exposure locations related to close contacts – where we cannot identify all contacts at the location – will continue to be listed,” it reads.
“Low-risk exposure sites may be listed in circumstances determined by public health.”
The website still encourages anyone with symptoms to get tested.
By Jonathan Hepburn
Philippines reopens to fully vaccinated, COVID-negative tourists for the first time in two years
From today, foreign travellers from 157 countries that have visa-free arrangements with the Philippines — who have been fully vaccinated and have tested negative for the virus — will be welcomed back and will no longer be required to quarantine upon arrival.
The Philippines imposed one of the world's longest lockdowns and strictest, police-enforced quarantine restrictions to quell a pandemic that caused its worst economic recession since the 1940s and pushed unemployment and hunger to record levels.
The reopening had been set for December 1 but was postponed as the highly contagious Omicron variant spread.
By Jonathan Hepburn
I'm sorry NT, still no word on your figures
I promise, cross my heart, you will know as soon as I do.
By Jonathan Hepburn
Let's look at Australia's vaccination stats
Earlier today, ABC data analyst Casey Briggs tweeted out the figures on where we stand.
This first one is out of the entire population, not a specific age range.
That's followed by a breakdown by state or territory, showing the ACT in the lead:
Daily doses are pretty high, but nowhere near record-breaking.
And finally, the vaccination progress among 5-11 year olds, showing Australia closing in on 50 per cent:
If you want any more, head on over to Charting the jab
By Jonathan Hepburn
WA reports a record 37 cases of local transmission among 139 new cases
"This is no cause for panic," Premier Mark McGowan said.
"It's what we have been predicting as we adjusted our border controls, and it reinforces why we delayed the full reopening of our hard border."
And you can look back at Mark McGowan's press conference here
By Jonathan Hepburn
McGowan takes questions, part 2
Another Q on delaying the border opening
McGowan repeats that if the border had been opened while the third-dose vaccination rate was low, people would have died and businesses and the economy would have suffered. He says his highest obligation is to save lives.
He also says there is no truly accurate modelling because Omicron is not understood well enough.
Q on what's the harm in releasing preliminary modelling
A: McGowan says the government will release accurate modelling when there is accurate modelling, but he will not release information that is misleading or harmful.
McGowan also says health authorities are expecting more waves of COVID-19, and so it is important to make sure as many people as possible have the best possible vaccination coverage.
By Jonathan Hepburn
McGowan is taking questions
Q: Why did you delay the border opening?
A: Because if we didn't, lots of people would die.
He is comparing WA figures to eastern states.
Q on casual exposure sites not being announced
A: McGowan says the requirement to list casual exposures has been removed because the definition of casual contact was changed.
Q and follow-up Q on sports being allowed into WA without quarantine periods
A: McGowan says there are rigorous arrangements to allow professional sports to continue, and that is a continuation of arrangements over the past years. He points to safety hosting the AFL grand final last year.
Q on aged care and vaccinations
A: McGowan says he is very concerned about the situation in the eastern states, and the vaccine rollout in aged care. He says he will raise it at the federal level.
He says he does not know the exact booster rate among aged care residents but he is advised it is significantly lower than the population in general. He said the rate in the aged care workforce is very high.
Q on threats made against him and his family
A: McGowan said his wife was sent a letter containing white powder and explicit threats against his family. He says the person who sent it is a coward of the highest order.
By Jonathan Hepburn
Premier Mark McGowan says delaying the border opening was the right thing to do
He is announcing a new support package worth $77 million, with nine targetted programs for industries affected by the border closure.
Key sectors identified:
- Education
- Tourism
- Promoters and organisers of events
Mr McGown says he is aware that businesses would prefer to be able to trade
