Covid Australia: Sydneysiders flock to beach to enjoy public holiday as coronavirus cases soar

4

View
comments

Sydneysiders have washed off Covid fears and flocked to packed beaches as NSW infections keep surging towards record levels.

NSW recorded 20,794 new cases on Monday, a jump of more than 2,500 within 24 hours as the state’s third highest daily infection tally, with neighbouring states the ACT, Victoria and Queensland reported record figures.

Hospital admissions in NSW also rose from 1,066 to 1,204 while ICU patients increased by 12 to 95.

But the grim figures didn’t stop thousands of carefree Sydneysiders shrugging off concerns and hitting the beach on Monday as many made the most of their last day of the Christmas-New Year break before they return to work on Tuesday. 

While the pictures show reasonably fully-packed beaches, there has been little to no transmission of Covid outside in Australia – particularly between strangers not talking directly to one another – meaning the sunbakers are likely to be safe from the virus. 

Even when talking directly to a friend, the chances of catching Covid are greatly reduced when outside or in a very well-ventilated space. 

It comes after government data revealed patients in NSW and Victoria are being admitted to hospital for other reasons are being included in the Covid figure.

The shock revelations sparked questions from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who will now seek a nationwide standard definition of Covid patients in hospital.

With Monday declared a New Year’s Day public holiday, hordes of Sydneysiders and tourists flocked to Bondi to get a dose of vitamin D with similar scenes along the city’s coast from Palm Beach and Manly in the north to Cronulla in the south.

But not all everyone was at Bondi to soak up the sunshine and swim in the ocean.

The beachside drive-through testing clinic was also busy as Omicron cases continue to soar. 

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have been basking under clear skies and temperatures in the mid to high 20s during the first three days of 2022, after heavy rainfall dampened the final weeks and months of 2021.

Both Victoria and Queensland recorded their highest ever daily Covid cases totals of 8,577 and 4,249 respectively on Monday. 

The ACT’s tally of 514 was also a record for the nation’s capital. 

The summer sunshine will remain along much of Australia’s east coast until midway through the week when it is quickly replaced by heavy thunderstorms and rain – which is set to last through the weekend.

All of the Gold Coast’s more than 40 beaches were closed due to dangerous swells on Monday, as ex-tropical Cyclone Seth continues to deliver strong winds and dangerous surf to parts of the coast despite being downgraded to a Category 1. 

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has demanded a standard definition of Covid hospitalisations across Australia.

Hundreds of patients counted in NSW‘s daily Covid hospitalisation tally are not in hospital because of the virus, with some simply testing positive in routine checks while being admitted for broken bones or labour pains. 

‘I make the point on hospitalisation, and this is one of the things we’re going to have to discuss this week, I’m heading down to Canberra today, with the premiers is this definition of hospitalisation,’ Mr Morrison told Nine’s Today on Monday.

‘There are people being counted as being in hospital for Covid. They didn’t go there for Covid. They went there for some other reason and that’s why they were admitted, and they’ve been tested when they’re there, and they’ve been found to have Covid.

‘So we need to get a standard definition on that because these are the key things we have to track now. The case numbers, I mean, there’ll come a time, and I suspect it shouldn’t be too far away, where reporting case numbers is really not the point. What matters is the impact on the hospital system.’

His comments come after NSW government data shows as many as 50 per cent of ‘Covid patients’ in the state’s hospitals on one particularly day were actually admitted for other reasons – such as a broken leg, labour pains or even mental health issues – and later tested positive to the virus during routine tests.

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard admitted that over two days during the week, up to half of those cases were in hospital for something else entirely – raising questions about how hospitalisation figures are reported.

‘A reasonable proportion of cases being classified as Covid hospitalisations are actually people with other reasons for admission,’ Mr Hazzard said.

‘Heart attacks, births, falls, none of that stops just because there is Covid. They come into hospital, they have a swab taken and it confirms Covid. 

‘This shows us its out in the community, but we aren’t necessarily seeing that as the primary reason for all of the admissions.’

Similar data is being recorded south of the border in Victoria, the state’s health minister Martin Foley told reporters on Monday.

Victoria has recorded 23,000 cases in the first three days of 2022 and has already exceeded its annual total in 2020.