On Wednesday, Australia reported at least 44 COVID-19 deaths, including 23 in Victoria, 10 in New South Wales (NSW) and five in South Australia.
NSW reported 13,755 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday compared with 10,504 on Tuesday. There were 1,822 people with COVID-19 in hospitals, which is also the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalisations in the state in the past three months.
South Australia also reported a sharp increase in new infections and hospitalisations on Wednesday.
Check the latest COVID-19 trends for new cases, hospitalisations and deaths in Australia .
On Friday, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) could rule on the application from drug major Moderna for allowing its COVID-19 vaccines in children under five.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath warned of the increasing pressure on the state healthcare system. She said more than 2,000 health workers are off sick due to COVID-19 and flu.
Health Minister Mark Butler has supported the demand of state health ministers to extend antiviral COVID-19 medicines to wider groups. These antiviral treatments or oral pills reportedly prevent severe illness, hospitalisation and death in people with COVID-19.
Minister Butler told ABC Radio Adelaide that the eligibility criteria for receiving these drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) are too restrictive.
He said the government has approached the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, which is meeting this week, to broaden the eligibility criteria.
Victoria has extended the Pandemic Declaration for another three months. The Declaration allows state health minister to make pandemic orders.
The state government has allowed employers to collect the vaccination information of workers. The government said it will help employers to take appropriate measures to keep their workplaces and workforce safe from COVID-19.
Another COVID-19 outbreak has been reported at St Basil's residential aged care in Melbourne's Fawkner area. The outbreak was declared on 2 July, and 14 residents and one staff had tested positive for COVID-19.
On Monday, Worksafe Victoria charged the facility with nine breaches under the Occupational Health and Safety Act over a 2020 outbreak that saw the deaths of 45 residents from coronavirus-related complications.
A new subvariant BA.2.75, nicknamed "Centaurus", has been found in India and ten other countries. It is said to be a sub-lineage of BA.2, also known as the stealth variant of Omicron. The World Health Organization is yet to call BA.2.75 a variant of interest or concern, but said they are tracking it.
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