The ACT has recorded another daily high with 85 COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night as hospitalisations remain steady in the Territory.
The 85 new infections tops yesterday’s previous ACT record of 58 and brings the active COVID-19 cases in Canberra to 245.
2,326 total cases have been recorded in the ACT since the start of the outbreak in August.
In good news, the increase in cases is yet to result in additional hospitalisations as three people remain in hospital with active or cleared coronavirus cases. None are in intensive care or requiring ventilation.
There were 5,215 negative test results in the past 24 hours as testing numbers remain high with extra exposure sites and Canberrans preparing for the holidays.
The four major Canberra COVID testing facilities were all at capacity by 8am today.
Despite the testing surge, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said turnaround times for people to receive test results had not been impacted.
“People are doing a good job at coming forward,” she said on Thursday.
Ms Stephen-Smith mentioned there was no hard data for the number of people getting tested just to travel interstate, but said anecdotal evidence pointed to a 50-50 split.
The health minister said despite the surge for testing, more sites would not be established due to staffing levels.
“We didn’t have staff to stand up those extra locations, and we would get a more efficient use of staff if we put them into sites we’ve already got,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
As case numbers increase, ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said contact tracing measures would be changed.
Close contacts will now only be defined as a household contact of a positive case, or someone who has spent an extended period of time with a positive case.
Casual contacts will no longer need to fill out a declaration form for ACT health authorities, but will still need to get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
“This bring us into line with how NSW and Victoria are assessing close contacts and it means we are all identifying those who become cases,” Dr Coleman said.
“We won’t be collecting as much information from cases… the focus is on high-impact sites where it’s likely transmission has taken place.”
Dr Coleman said she was concerned about large-scale events coming up in Canberra, including New Year’s Eve fireworks and the annual car festival Summernats, due to coronavirus transmission risk.
However, she said there were COVID-safe measures in place to help prevent them becoming superspreader events and was assured by the efforts of organisers.
The large spike in infections comes as health authorities in Canberra move to change contact tracing measures and reintroduce restrictions for hospital visitors.
Visitors will be barred from seeing patients in ACT hospitals from Boxing Day, except for end-of-life care, birthing, or pediatric situations.
The current rules, a maximum of two visitors per patient per day, will remain in effect through Christmas.
More than 6000 bookings have already been made by parents to vaccinate their children aged between 5 and 11 once that program begins from January 10.
Vaccination rates in the ACT remain at 98.4 per cent of residents aged 12 and over, the highest rate of any jurisdiction in the country.
The news comes as NSW case numbers exploded to 5,715 today and one death, while Victoria reported 2,005 infections and ten deaths.
With AAP
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