The variety of Australians on ventilators with Covid has dropped over three weeks regardless of a surge in circumstances.
A complete of 51 Covid sufferers are at the moment ventilated, down from 54 on December 15, Well being Minister Greg Hunt stated on Monday.
The constructive information got here as former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth doubled down on his declare the pandemic will finish this yr as a result of Covid will grow to be a seasonal virus like flu.
'The pandemic will come to an finish in 2022 as a result of the virus will grow to be endemic, and that implies that Covid will flow into locally,' he instructed 2GB on Monday.
'It is circulating already within the japanese states so, to an extent, we're already there. It isn't a really handy time to be having very excessive case numbers however there by no means was a handy time.'
Dr Coatsworth had made the identical claims in an op-ed he wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday.
He acknowledged that vaccination jabs and the unfold of the gentle Omicron pressure will lastly make the world resistant to Covid.
'We'll reside our lives once more as a part of the extremely social and incurably optimistic human species that thrives on this planet,' he wrote.
'2022 would be the yr the pandemic ends. It may even be prior to we predict.'
Earlier Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated Australia would by no means want lockdowns once more as a result of the dominant Omicron variant is 75 per cent much less extreme than the Delta pressure.
Mr Hunt stated this helped clarify why Australia's hospital system was coping effectively with elevated circumstances which hit 32,216 on Sunday after a report 35,208 on Saturday.
'The truth that we now have a illness which proper around the globe is resulting in extra circumstances, however to vastly fewer extreme circumstances... is an immensely heartening growth,' he stated in a press convention on Monday.
'There are challenges in each section of this pandemic. However Australia has one of many highest vaccination charges on the earth and one of many lowest charges of dying and lack of life on the earth.'
There are at the moment 148 sufferers in ICU with Covid throughout the entire nation and Morrison is so assured within the hospital system that he has dominated out extra lockdowns.
Requested if Australia would wish a 'circuit-breaker' lockdown to cease the surge in circumstances, Mr Morrison instructed the In the present day Present: 'No. As a result of it isn't about numbers.
'I preserve making this level. This can be a completely different sort of variant which requires an evolution of our response.'
'The times of lockdown are gone. We're going ahead. We're not going again. That is not the way you handle this virus.
'There can be excessive case numbers however the severity is lots much less so that you focus in your hospital system.
'I feel you are seeing that. We have got 51 individuals on ventilators across the nation. 148 individuals in ICU.'
Mr Morrison stated the overwhelming majority of people that catch the Omicron pressure, which was found in November in South Africa, have a gentle sickness that may be managed at residence.
'In case you are in hospital in the intervening time, the first purpose for that's you were not vaccinated. The second purpose is you have acquired Delta, not Omicron.
'With Omicron, there may be solely a really small variety of circumstances which might be in hospital,' he stated.
'We're now coping with a really completely different virus. We have actually acquired to alter the way in which we give it some thought and that is why speaking about case numbers now could be actually not the purpose.'
On Monday NSW recorded 20,794 new circumstances with 1,204 in hospital and 4 deaths.
An extra 12 individuals had been admitted into ICU in hospitals throughout NSW in a single day - up from 83 sufferers the day earlier.
Sunday marked the primary time there have been greater than 1,000 Covid sufferers in NSW hospitals since October 2. Probably the most ever recorded was 1,268 on September 21.
Victoria recorded three deaths and eight,577 new infections on Monday - leaping from 1,999 simply seven days in the past and seven,172 circumstances on Sunday.
There are 491 sufferers in Victorian hospitals - up from 472 on Sunday - with 56 individuals in ICU and 24 on ventilators.
Monday's numbers come after it was revealed about half of sufferers counted in NSW's every day Covid hospitalisation tally should not in hospital due to the virus.
Some have merely testing constructive for Covid following routine checks after being admitted for damaged bones or labour pains.
