Live: Millions of Australians now eligible for COVID booster shots as Omicron cases continue to rise

By Simon Smale

NT: Delta or Omicron?

Mr Gunner says it takes “about three days” to do genomic sequencing of cases, so that’s only carried out when necessary. 

“We’re presuming all arrivals are Omicron, and we’re presuming people entering our hospital system are Delta. 

“Having said that, you don’t treat anyone differently if they’ve got Delta or Omicron. 

“So in terms of the care you get in the hospital system, there’s no difference in how you treat somebody.”

NT: What’s the point of border rules given cases are rising everywhere?

Mr Gunner says “speed is the issue”.

“We’ve got to know early and treat quickly.”

He says because the rate of positivity is much higher in states like NSW than the NT, interstate arrivals do pose more of a threat. 

The NT’s new RAT test rule will take effect immediately

So if you’re in a line for a PCR test purely so you can head to the NT, you can get on out of there.

And it’s not a BYO rapid antigen test, either. 

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner says the Territory government will “sort it out”. 

If you’re coming into the Territory by road, you’ll be directed to a collection point where you’ll be able to pick up your RAT test – so maybe take that into account when you’re planning your trip. 

NT: Reminder, unvaccinated arrivals still need to quarantine

That’ll be a 14-day stint for interstate and international arrivals. 

NT: Arrivals will have to log RAT test results 

Once people come into the Territory, they’ll be given at RAT test (yep, even if they come by road)

They’ll have two hours to conduct that test and will need to log that result via an online declaration form and carry on with their trip if it’s a negative result. 

If it’s positive, they’ll have to isolate. 

NT records 75 new cases

There are 24 people in hospital, but none are in intensive care. 

Almost 50 of the new cases are linked to interstate and international travel, 21 are close contacts of existing cases, three are community transmission and seven remain under investigation.

The spread across the Northern Territory’s major centres as well as the remote community of Gunbalanya near Kakadu, Darwin’s Robertson Barracks and two remote minesites which have activated their COVID management plans.

NT: ‘New Year, new you, new shot’

That was Mr Gunner telling Territorians to go and get their booster shot. 

NT scraps PCR testing requirement for interstate arrivals

On arrival, people will be provided a rapid antigen test. 

Mr Gunner says this is because of the intense demand on testing sites around the country. 

“So if you’re ina. queue down south dring to get a PCR test, leave. 

“We’ll sort it out when you get here.”

NT: It’s too early to tell how successful the mask mandate has been

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner says the mandate hasn’t shown in case numbers yet, 

“But we know masks help slow the spread of COVID,” he says. 

Where to watch the NT press conference 

Well hi!

Right, I’m out for the day.

Thanks for being with me on a big day of COVID news.

The blog aint going anywhere, so I will hand over duties to Dannielle Maguire.

Four private testing clinics shutting will not impact overall testing

Mr Marshall says he will not comment on a private company’s decisions, but says Clinpath has done “an outstanding job”.

He says private laboratories in South Australia “do a proportionally small amount of the overall testing” and that SA Pathology can pick up the slack.

“In terms of the numbers and what we’ve seen in South Australia over recent days is that we certainly have the highest testing rate per capita in the country,” he says.

“We have actually got the shortest turn around time for those.

“If there is any pathology service in Australia which is capable of picking up the slack it is SA Pathology.”

Watch the South Australia press conference here

South Australia records 3,246 new cases

There are 102 people in hospital, with 12 in intensive care and one on a ventilator.

There are 128 people with COVID-19 in South Australian prisons, up from 90 yesterday.

More than 20,000 people were tested in the state in the last 24 hours.

NT prepared for more case numbers

The Northern Territory has moved to a new 24-hour reporting period for COVID-19 cases.

From today, 8pm the day before the government’s daily COVID case update, will now become the reporting period cut off time.

NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles says the change is due to larger case numbers and the extra work load for contact tracers.

“Our laboratories are working around the clock and we get COVID results through the night but we have a batch that runs usually and we can get those results for 8pm and then that means that our Centre for Disease Control can do some initial contact tracing work and the aim is to get the statement out efficiently in the morning”.          

Ms Fyles also responded to previous modelling done by the Doherty Institute that suggested the NT could deal with 100 COVID cases, saying that number is irrelevant.

The Territory is nearing that prediction having recorded 58 cases yesterday and 95 on Sunday.

Ms Fyles says the modelling was based on the Delta variant and not Omicron which is behaving differently.

She says either way the Territory is prepared.

“We’ve got significant scenario planning and resources that we can put into place if we start to see multiple cases in multiple locations in the Territory and you have already had some examples of that across the Territory,” she said. 

“Then in terms of the hospitalisations there is different redundancies we would put in place within our hospital settings”.

NSW Opposition slams NSW Health’s handling of increased case numbers

The New South Wales Opposition says the State Government has failed to plan for rising coronavirus case numbers.

It comes as 23,131 new infections were recorded, the highest the state has seen since the pandemic began. 

Labor Leader, Chris Minns, says he’s concerned with how the public health system will cope, as hospitalisation rates reach a record of 1,344.

“We need to make sure the resourcing is in place to deal with those admissions,” he said.

“And, as the Chief Health Officer said, the number of COVID cases in the community is far higher than what’s being reported.”