SA records five deaths, 4,274 COVID cases

South Australia has reported five deaths from COVID-19 and a new daily record of 4,274 cases.

Premier Steven Marshall said the deaths included one person in their 50s, one in their 60s, one in their 70s and two in their 90s.

“We obviously are very sad with this number that we need to report today and our condolences are with their family and friends on this very sad day,” he said.

There are 164 patients in hospital, up from 144 yesterday, while there are still 16 people in ICU and two people on ventilators.

Mr Marshall said the number of people in hospital was still well within the state’s capacity.

The total number of patients in hospital includes people who have been admitted for other medical reasons but have also tested positive for COVID.

That number includes women who have been admitted to give birth.

Mr Marshall said 80 per cent of patients in ICU were not vaccinated.

“My strong message again to South Australians is we’ve got to get ourselves vaccinated,” he said.

“We’ve got to make sure people have had not just the two doses but, when they’re eligible, the three doses.”

A further two SA Health staff have tested positive to COVID, taking the total number of positive staff members to 358.

The total number of staff affected, including those furloughed due to being a close contact, is 608.

“We want to manage it as closely as we possibly can.”

There were 24,784 PCR tests undertaken yesterday, but the government said waiting times at testing stations have reduced significantly.

SA Health RATs ready from Thursday

Mr Marshall said SA Health would begin distributing free rapid antigen tests (RATs) for close contacts from Thursday next week.

“As of next week, when people are identified as a close contact, or self-identify as a close contact, they will get in touch with SA Health,” he said.

“SA Health will then get down the details and get them a QR code. They will then take that QR code to a number of sites we’re currently setting up across metropolitan and country SA, and collect two rapid antigen tests that are self-administered.

“They’ll then be required to enter that information into the SA Pathology site so that we can track that information.

“It they do get a positive result, this will negate the requirement for them to go and get a PCR test.”

Responding to concerns around the level of unreported infections in other states, particularly New South Wales and Victoria, Mr Marshall said he believed South Australia’s COVID-19 statistics were reflective of the true nature of the outbreak.

“I’m of the opinion that we have a very low level of under-ascertainment in South Australia, I think we are capturing that data,” he said.

“I think in South Australia it certainly occurs to me that we are out of whack when we look at those statistics in terms of the number of cases and hospital and ICU admissions.”

More cases in remote Aboriginal communities

Earlier this week, two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Amata, a community in the state’s remote APY Lands — the first during the pandemic.

The Premier said about 300 people in that community had already been tested, with all 270 results returned so far coming back negative.

“We are hopeful that we got to this just in time,” he said.

But the Premier did confirm more cases had been recorded in other Aboriginal communities.

He said one had been recorded in a person from Indulkana on the APY Lands, while two cases had been confirmed in Koonibba on the state’s Far West Coast,

“They’ve been brought to Adelaide and we’re testing the Indulkana community,” he said.

Mr Marshall said the state government was “strongly considering” whether to make booster shots mandatory for more industries, after a direction issues yesterday bringing in the requirement for those working in the aged care and disability sectors.

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