Australia has recorded its deadliest day of the entire pandemic, as Western Australia delayed plans to reopen the state to the rest of the country.
There were 80 virus-related fatalities across the country on Friday, eclipsing the previous record of 78 set on Tuesday.
There have been 2976 deaths since the pandemic began two years ago.
More than half of the total deaths on Friday were recorded in NSW, which had 46 fatalities, a one-day record in the state.
The tally included a baby from the Hunter New England region of the state, who died from COVID-19 in December.
Of the 46 deaths, seven were from historical cases and had been determined as COVID-19 deaths after coronial investigations.
There were also a further 20 deaths in Victoria, 13 in Queensland and one in Tasmania, the state's first COVID fatality for almost two years.
It comes as Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan sensationally backed down on a promise to reopen the state to the rest of the country on February 5.
In a late-night press conference on Thursday, Mr McGowan said WA reopening as planned on February 5 would be "reckless and irresponsible" given the large amount of COVID-19 cases in the eastern states.
No new date has been set for when the state may relax its hard-line border measures, with Mr McGowan indicating more time was needed to rollout booster shots and vaccines for children.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said he supported the decision made by the WA premier.
Mr Albanese said he was informed of the decision in a phone call from Mr McGowan just before Thursday's news conference, and while he said some were disappointed by the border decision, it was the right call.
"I told (Mark McGowan on Thursday night) I respected and supported the decision," Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney.
"People were keen to visit loved ones, but the first priority of Mark McGowan has been to keep WA safe. People in WA enjoy life almost as normal, certainly compared with NSW."
The border decision has meant neither the opposition leader or Prime Minister Scott Morrison would be able to get into WA for campaigning ahead of the federal election, due to be held by May 21 at the latest.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said while he could understand the decision made by the west, more certainty was needed for residents going forward.
"(West Australians) would be asking, 'If not now, when?'" Mr Frydenberg told the Seven Network on Friday.
"This is a decision that the Western Australian government themselves have taken, and one for them to explain, but obviously people in WA would be disappointed with the decision."
The decision to hold off reopening has been slammed by the president of the Australian Medical Association Dr Omar Khorshid.
"Gutted ... seems Mark McGowan is a one-trick pony when it comes to COVID-19," he said on Twitter.
"This decision should be acknowledged as a failure by the WA government to prepare and a broken promise."
Dr Khorshid said WA could not stick its head in the sand, with an outbreak in the state inevitable.
Across the country, there were 25,168 cases in NSW, 18,167 in Victoria, 6031 in Queensland and 866 in Tasmania.
