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, January 20, 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.
You can jump to the COVID-19 information you want to read by clicking below.
- New South Wales
- Victoria
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Australian Capital Territory
- Tasmania
- Western Australia
News you may have missed
- As wait times and the financial pressures of COVID-19 increase, more people across Australia are delaying seeing the dentist.
- Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned after days of rumours he was about to be sacked as part of a major anti-corruption drive relating to deals done as part of the countries pandemic response that has seen several ministers fired.
- Plus, catch up on this analysis from Emily Clark on how New Zealand's post-COVID reality forced Jacinda Ardern to step down.
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New South Wales
There have been 9,062 new COVID-19 cases recorded, down from 14,053 last week.
NSW has recorded 131 deaths, although not all COVID-19 fatalities occurred during the reporting period.
There are 1,236 people in hospital, 31 of those are in intensive care.
Victoria
In Victoria, there are 4,912 new COVID-19 cases, last week there were 7,908.
There have been 156 deaths reported, but with a delay on reporting deaths, not all fatalities occurred in the past week.
The state has 341 people in hospital with COVID-19, 16 of those are in intensive care.
Northern Territory
There have been 319 new COVID-19 cases recorded in the latest reporting period, down from 355 last week.
There are 24 people in hospital with COVID-19.
No deaths have been reported this week.
Queensland
Queensland has recorded 9,386 new cases in the last week, up from 8,635 cases last week.
There have been 77 deaths, but not all COVID fatalities occurred during the reporting period.
There are 437 cases in hospital.
South Australia
There have been 2,053 new cases recorded this week, down from 3,216 last week.
South Australia has 102 people hospitalised with COVID-19. Five of those are in intensive care.
There have been 22 deaths recorded in this reporting period.
Australian Capital Territory
ACT has recorded 806 cases this week, down from 1,012 last week.
There are 32 active cases in hospital.
No deaths have been reported in the latest period.
Tasmania
Tasmania has recorded 765 new COVID-19 cases, down from 1925 last week.
There are 44 patients in hospital.
Three people have died in the latest reporting period.
Western Australia
WA has reported 3,690 new cases in the past week, down from 6,675.
There are 216 people with COVID-19 in hospital, with three in intensive care.
This week’s report includes 21 deaths.
One thing to know: ATAGI is considering a fifth COVID-19 vaccine dose
Winter is months away but the federal government says it's getting prepared to ensure Australia is in the best position when it comes to COVID-19.
This includes seeking advice from the Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on a fifth vaccine dose.
It's currently available in Australia for adults who are severely immunocompromised, but ATAGI is considering whether to approve it for more people.
However, before we get to the fifth dose, let's look at how many Australians have already been boosted and how many doses authorities are recommending.
Queensland's COVID-19 protocols downgraded from amber to green, so what's changed?
Under the amber protocols, masks were recommended in health settings, on public transport and indoors settings where social distancing was impossible.
Switching to green means the mask recommendations have lifted, but they may still be requested in some healthcare settings and in aged care.
One more thing: Rural China is ill-equipped to handle COVID-19's spread and Xi Jinping is 'worried'
Experts are warning of a deadly COVID-19 spread to rural areas of China, where medical resources are limited and the population is aging, as millions of people begin travelling home as part of the final Lunar New Year travel rush.
Speaking publicly ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush, even China's President Xi Jinping expressed his concern.
"I am most worried about the rural areas and farmers. Medical facilities are relatively weak in rural areas, thus prevention is difficult and the task is arduous," Mr Xi said earlier this week.
