Over 2600 cases a day have been recorded on average nationwide as the Therapeutic Goods Administration dispels claims that rapid tests are defective.
Over the last week, 18590 cases of COVID-19 were reported across Australia representing a 16 per cent dip from the previous week.
The number of hospitalised COVID-19 cases has also decreased by an average of 14.5 per cent compared to the previous week.
The downward trend has also extended to residential aged care homes where the number of cases has also dropped.
In NSW, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant says "all indicators (are) showing that we may be approaching the bottom of this wave".
Meanwhile, the TGA has come out strongly defending the current RATs in the Australian market after James Cook University researchers published a study arguing there was a "wildly varying accuracy" among different brands.
"The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is aware of recent media reports that are critical of the performance of several COVID-19 rapid antigen tests on the Australian market... The TGA disagrees with these assertions," it said.
"This means consumers can be assured that if used correctly, RATs continue to be an important part of detecting and managing COVID-19 infections".
WEEKLY VIRUS DATA BY JURISDICTION:
* NSW: 6,567 cases, 88 deaths
* Victoria: 3,056 cases, 70 deaths
* NT: 166 cases, no deaths
