On December 15, NSW health minister Brad Hazzard made headlines when he ominously said that forecast models had predicted the state could be recording 25,000 new cases every day by the end of January. At the time, the number seemed impossibly high, but just weeks later, on January 5, daily cases have already smashed through this prediction, with 35,054 cases recorded within 24 hours. The true number of infected people in NSW is likely to be significantly higher, as the figure only accounts for PCR tests and not for self-tests or asymptomatic cases.
The Omicron variant is surging across Australia with record numbers being reported in major cities, particularly on the East Coast. However, both state and federal authorities have ruled out reinstating lockdowns, despite the pressure the high number of cases is putting on the hospital system. At a press briefing on Jan 5, NSW premier Dominic Perrottet said the next few weeks would be “challenging,” acknowledging that queues for PCR tests have been hours long and supplies of self-administered Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) have been scarce, adding that NSW would be taking a delivery of more RATs in the week beginning January 10.
Access and cost of RATs has become a hot-button topic in Australia, as short supplies and price gouging have made self-testing particularly difficult for remote communities and low-income households. Perrottet said that securing fresh supplies was a priority for NSW. “We’ve obviously put a substantial order here in New South Wales for the antigen test and we want to make sure those who need access to rapid antigen tests get access to that now,” Perrottet said, adding: “There is no dollar fee that we will not put on the table to ensure, as we move through this next phase, rapid antigen tests are available to anybody right across the state who needs one.”