Victoria's Covid-19 hospitalisations have risen to 1206, up from 1173 reported on Wednesday, and a further 15 deaths were recorded in the state.
People queue for a Covid-19 PCR test in Melbourne, Australia on 8 January, 2022. Photo: Recep Sakar / Anadolu Agency via AFP
Of the patients in hospital, there are 122 in intensive care, 40 of whom are receiving ventilation.
The state has officially recorded 21,966 new Covid-19 infections, but the true number of new cases in the community could be much higher.
About half of the state's cases have been diagnosed using RATs, with yesterday's tally reported from 11,693 PCR results and 10,273 rapid testing kits.
Considering these figures, Premier Daniel Andrews said it was clear Covid-19 was prevalent in Victoria.
"This is in our community. This is right across the state, right across every state in our nation other than WA," Andrews said.
A further 166 million rapid antigen tests (RATs) have been ordered by the government.
Andrews said transportation issues as a result of the volcanic eruption in Tonga have hampered delivery of RATs recently, contributing to a shortage of kits around the state.
"We had a couple of flights this week that did not land - they did not take off and did not obviously arrive - on the basis of the ash cloud," Andrews said.
"So there are many and varied challenges as we continue to build to the stockpile."
Meanwhile, Australia's national cabinet will meet around noon to try to finalise a plan for students to return to school, as the Omicron wave continues to spread.
NSW reports 25 Covid-19 deaths, hospital admissions fall
New South Wales has reported a drop in the number of Covid-19 hospitalisations with the Omicron wave expected to peak this week.
The state recorded 25 Covid-19 deaths following two of the deadliest days for NSW since the pandemic began.
One person who died was in their 30s and although they had received three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, they had serious underlying health conditions.
Sixteen people had received at least two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, one person had received one dose and eight were not vaccinated.
The number of people with the virus in the state's hospitals has decreased to 2781 compared to 2863 in the previous reporting period.
ICU admissions were down slightly to 212, compared to the 217 reported yesterday, and 68 people require ventilation.
A total of 30,825 new cases were reported - 13,178 from rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 17,647 from a total of 73,259 PCR tests.
Out of the 13,000 RATs, 11,034 were positive tests from the previous seven days and NSW Health continues to warn that some people may be counted twice if they have reported more than one RAT or also had a PCR test.
Teenager among nine new Covid-19 deaths reported in Queensland
Queensland has recorded nine new Covid-19 deaths, including a teenager, with 16,812 new cases in the latest reporting period.
There are 850 people in hospital being treated for the virus, including 48 in an intensive care unit. Twenty people are on ventilators.
Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said an 18-year-old was among those who died in the latest reporting period.
He said the person had significant underlying medical problems.
A person in their 70s also died, as well as five in their 80s, one in their 90s and one over 100.
Three were unvaccinated, five had received two doses and just one had a booster shot.
Health authorities still expect the current wave of cases to peak at the end of the month and it is expected the Gold Coast will peak first, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said.
She said testing clinics on the Gold Coast were reporting that 70 percent of people coming forward to get tested were returning positive results.
The state government is considering moving the timeline for people to receive their booster shots forward.
From 31 January, people will only have to wait three months from their second dose to receive a booster shot as per Commonwealth guidelines, but D'Ath said she would like to see that happen sooner.
Tasmania records 927 new Covid-19 cases
Tasmania has recorded 927 new Covid-19 cases and one more patient in intensive care, for a total of three.
There are 31 patients with Covid-19 in hospital, a rise from yesterday's 29.
Fourteen hospital patients are being treated specifically for Covid-19 symptoms.
The state's total active cases have continued to drop - to 6127, from 6323 yesterday.
Of today's new cases, 634 were picked up by a rapid antigen test and 293 by a PCR swab.
-ABC
