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New South Wales has recorded 1,331 new locally acquired Covid-19 infections and six more people with the virus have died.
The numbers were given by NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty via video livestream – the first time an update was given without questions from journalists since NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the end to daily Covid press conferences.
The latest figures, capturing the 24 hours up to 8pm Friday, mean that since the start of the pandemic, there have been 50,730 Covid cases in NSW and 284 deaths.
The latest fatalities include four women and two men from Sydney’s west and south-west. One was aged in their 40s, another in their 60s, two in their 70s and two in their 80s. Three of the deceased people had received one vaccination.
There are 1,219 Covid patients in hospital, with 233 in intensive care and 123 on ventilators. Of those in ICU, 173 are unvaccinated, 55 have received one dose and five were fully inoculated.
“We are continuing to see most cases acquired in south-west and western Sydney,” McAnulty said.
The latest case numbers include patients from regional NSW, with 75 in the Illawarra, 17 in western NSW including 10 in Dubbo, six in the far west including four at Broken Hill, and eight in southern NSW.
There are 30 new cases across the Hunter/New England district, including 16 in Lake Macquarie and seven in Newcastle.
On Saturday NSW stated that 50.6% of the eligible population aged more than 16 were fully vaccinated as of Friday. Across the state, 81.2% have received a first jab.
Several regional areas will spend this weekend back in lockdown.
The Glen Innes Severn council area, inland from Coffs Harbour, will be under a week-long lockdown from Saturday after a Covid-19 case was detected there.
As a result, Queensland has reinstated border restrictions with the region.
NSW Health has also detected fragments of the virus in the wastewater in Byron Bay, Wardell, Eden, Balranald treatment plant and Griffith.
The Hilltops local government area in the state’s south, which encompasses the town of Young, is also under seven-day restrictions.
Albury and Lismore were sent back into a week-long lockdown on Thursday.
In total, there have been almost 3.2 million vaccination doses administered in NSW.
“The more people who get vaccinated, the more protection they’re providing for their family, friends and community,” McAnulty said.
Of NSW’s total Covid-19 case count, more than 47,000 are considered to be “locally acquired”, with 3,452 coming from overseas and 99 from interstate.
The ACT added 15 locally acquired infections to its Covid-19 caseload on Saturday, with at least seven of them infectious in the community at least some of the time.
Health officials say seven of the cases have been linked to known outbreaks with the remainder under investigation.
The territory’s total cases for the current outbreak now stands at 601, with 364 having recovered while 237 remain active.
Australian Defence Force troops will meanwhile help patrol the ACT border in coming days in an attempt to stop people illegally coming into Canberra from NSW.
The ACT chief minister, Andrew Barr, says the ADF will be used for the first time along the border after multiple reports of Covid-19 coming into Canberra from interstate.
With Saturday marking the first day of the school holidays, there will also be additional police patrols at major entry points to the ACT.
ACT Health says more than 80% of Canberrans aged over 16 have received at least their first vaccine dose, making it the second jurisdiction after NSW to reach the milestone.
Health figures also showed more than 55% of over-16s in the ACT are fully vaccinated, which is the highest of any state or territory.
Just over 52% of ACT residents who are 12 and older had received two doses.
Queensland recorded one new locally acquired case of Covid-19 on Saturday. The state’s health minister, Yvette D’Ath, said the new case was linked to the existing cluster south of Brisbane and was in quarantine during their entire infectious period.
Queensland’s vaccination rate has just tipped over 40% for those receiving two jabs, marking the half way point of the state’s 80% target.