NSW authorities on steep increase in COVID cases

The omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly through Australia. The state with the most cases, New South Wales, reported more than 21,000 COVID cases and six deaths on Friday.

The Premier of New South Wales said at a briefing that the health system is in a strong position despite more than 2,000 healthcare workers being in isolation.

He credited the high vaccination rate for its resilience. The New South Wales Health Minister also urged people to get vaccinated, even though the state already has a double-dose vaccination rate of 93.6% for people ages 16 and above.