Here's a quick wrap of what's happening in COVID news across Australia.
You can jump to the COVID-19 stories you want to read by clicking below.
- National Cabinet amends new COVID-19 rules, further relaxes testing arrangements
- NSW records more than 21,000 new COVID cases, six deaths
- Victoria records 5,919 COVID cases, seven deaths
- Queensland records 3,118 COVID cases, one person in ICU
- South Australia records 2,093 COVID cases, two deaths
- Tasmania records 137 new COVID cases, one hospitalisation
- Northern Territory records 60 new cases, mandates masks indoors
- ACT records 462 new COVID cases
- Western Australia records one new local COVID case, four in hotel quarantine
- New Year's Eve revellers urged to be COVID-safe ahead of celebrations
- Cricketer Travis Head tests positive to COVID
- South Africa lifts curfew as it says COVID-19 fourth wave peaks
- Thousands message late Chinese COVID-19 whistleblower Dr Li Wengliang two years on
- Omicron continues to cause travel headaches across Europe
National cabinet changes isolation rules again
National cabinet has already amended its new COVID-19 rules, further relaxing testing arrangements by removing the requirement for confirmed cases in isolation to do a rapid antigen test on the sixth day after being exposed.
The change has been made less than 24 hours after the rules were announced following a snap national cabinet meeting on Thursday.
It means people who have had COVID-19 but do not have symptoms no longer have to return a negative test before they end their seven-day isolation period.
The federal government says confirmed cases with symptoms should remain in isolation, while anyone with symptoms should still have a PCR test.
People who have been sent into seven days of isolation because they have been deemed close contacts will still be required to return a negative rapid antigen test on day six.
The shift in policy was announced following consultation between Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, his state and territory counterparts, and the nation's leaders.
It follows criticism and complaints of price-gouging and limited supply of rapid acting tests, which are flying off supermarket shelves as coronavirus cases around the nation continue to rise exponentially.
NSW records more than 21,000 new COVID cases, six deaths
NSW's daily COVID-19 case tally has nearly doubled for the second time in three days, with 21,151 infections and six deaths recorded.
Hospitalisations have risen to 832, up from 746 in the previous reporting period.
There are now 69 patients in intensive case.
There were 148,410 COVID tests administered.
Victoria records 5,919 COVID cases, seven deaths
It is the fourth day in a row that Victoria has recorded a record daily increase, after 5,137 cases were reported on Thursday.
There are now 28,044 active cases of the virus, and 703 people have died in the current outbreak.
Hospitalisations have risen sharply in the past day, from 395 on Thursday to 428 today.
The figure includes 54 patients in intensive care, 21 of them on ventilators.
The health department says a further 43 patients are in ICU but their infections are no longer considered active.
Queensland records 3,118 COVID cases, one person in ICU
There are 11,697 active cases in Queensland, and one person is in intensive care — a fully vaccinated man in his 50s with the Delta variant.
South Australia records 2,093 COVID cases, two deaths
The new case record is a significant increase on yesterday's 1,374 cases.
Two aged care residents have died after contracting the virus.
Premier Steven Marshall says their deaths are under investigation.
They’re the seventh and eighth people to die in South Australia with COVID-19.
The state reported the death of a COVID-positive baby yesterday.
Forty-four people with COVID-19 are now in hospital. Four are in intensive care, while one is on a ventilator.
Tasmania records 137 new COVID cases, one hospitalisation
Tasmania has reported 137 new COVID-19 cases, and one new hospitalisation.
There are a total of four people in hospital with COVID, but one of those is being treated for an unrelated medical condition.
There are now 520 active cases in the island state, with nine new exposure sites listed over the past day — all either incoming flights or Spirit of Tasmania voyages.
Northern Territory records 60 new cases, mandates masks indoors
The Northern Territory has recorded 60 new cases of COVID-19, including 11 cases of community transmission.
The NT government has said all of the community spread cases — 10 of which were in Darwin, one in Katherine — were presumed to be the Omicron variant.
An indoor mask mandate will be introduced at 6pm ACST today to deal with the increasing case load.
There are 24 people in hospital and none in intensive care.
ACT records 462 new COVID cases
The ACT has recorded 462 new cases of COVID-19, its highest daily tally of the pandemic.
There are now 1,658 active cases of the virus in Canberra. Six people are in hospital, but no patients are in ICU.
There were 4,211 negative test results returned in the past 24 hours.
More than 98.5 per cent of Canberrans aged 12 and older have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Western Australia records one local COVID case
Western Australia has recorded one new local case of COVID-19.
The new case is a close contact of a recent case and is in hotel quarantine.
It takes the number of local cases related to this outbreak to 14.
On his Facebook page, Premier Mark McGowan said there were also four new cases recorded in WA overnight related to returned travellers and they were all in hotel quarantine.
New Year's Eve revellers urged to be COVID-safe ahead of celebrations
New Year's Eve revellers are being urged to take care as they farewell a challenging year, with crowds expected to gather across the country to celebrate the arrival of 2022.
Police will be on high alert during celebrations in Sydney, where people are being encouraged to be sensible, make bookings and to attend ticketed events to ensure they are being COVID-safe.
In Adelaide, celebrations will go ahead in the CBD, despite the Chief Public Health Officer telling South Australians to stay at home.
Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor says COVID-safe celebrations are for those who have "done the right thing" and planned ahead.
Cricketer Travis Head tests positive to COVID
Australian Test batter Travis Head has tested positive to COVID-19 following a routine PCR test.
Head is asymptomatic and will remain in Melbourne and isolate with his partner for seven days.
He will be unavailable for selection for the fourth Ashes Test, starting in Sydney on January 5.
South Africa lifts curfew as it says COVID-19 fourth wave peaks
South Africa has lifted its curfew on people's movement with immediate effect, believing the country has passed the peak of its fourth COVID-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant.
The country made the changes based on the trajectory of the pandemic, levels of vaccination and available capacity in the health sector, according to a press release issued by Mondli Gungubele, a minister in the presidency.
"All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave at a national level," the statement said.
South Africa, with close to 3.5 million infections and 91,000 deaths, has been the worst-hit country in Africa during the pandemic on both counts.
Thousands message late Chinese COVID-19 whistleblower Dr Li Wengliang two years on
Thousands of people left messages on the social media account of the late Chinese COVID-19 whistleblower Li Wenliang on the anniversary of the day he learned of possible pneumonia-causing virus cases in Wuhan and shared the information with fellow doctors.
On December 30, 2019, Dr Li — an ophthalmologist at a hospital in Wuhan where the Sars-CoV-2 virus outbreak was first detected — saw a medical report showing potential SARS coronavirus cases were confirmed in the city, he wrote in a post on his Weibo account on January 31, 2020.
In early January, after the information on "SARS cases" was shared in a WeChat group, Dr Li was reprimanded by the local police, according to the same Weibo post.
On January 12, Dr Li went to hospital, infected with the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.
He died on February 7, 2020.
Omicron continues to cause travel headaches across Europe
The massive surge of Omicron cases in Europe is continuing to cause travel chaos during the busy holiday season.
British rail operator Southern Rail says no trains will travel to or from London's Victoria Station until January 10, because of staff sickness or forced isolation.
Infections are also rising dramatically in Italy, and German authorities are now restricting travel to that country.
