The ACT has recorded 1123 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday.
This comes after infections jumped to 1311 on Thursday, the highest number of infections in almost two months.
There were 37 people in hospital to 8pm Thursday. Four of them are in intensive care and one is being ventilated. A day earlier, the number of hospital admissions was 39, with four in intensive care.
The new infections were made up of 620 PCR tests and 503 rapid tests.
The total number of cases recorded since the pandemic began over two years ago is at 64,219.
The new cases reported on Friday brought the total number of active cases in the ACT to 5289, up from the 4894 reported on Thursday.
Vaccination rates continue to increase
The total number of people over five who are double vaccinated now comes in at 95.5 per cent.
A total of 71.2 per cent of people aged 16 and over have received their booster, and 79.5 per cent of children aged five to 11 are vaccinated with a single dose.
Labs gear up for Omicron BA.2 spike
Pathology labs are also gearing up to handle a larger number of samples, as more people are forced to present for a test amid a spike in community infections.
A new and more contagious sub-lineage strain of Omicron is expected to become the dominant strain in the territory, health authorities have warned.
The strain is likely to fuel a rise in case numbers within Canberra over the coming weeks but hospitalisations are expected to remain steady.
Early evidence has indicated the strain, named the BA.2 sub-lineage, was not more severe than earlier variants.
Meanwhile, education authorities are continuing to brace for a growing number of COVID-19 cases in schools before the end of the term with the possibility of a return to remote learning not ruled out.
- For available appointments, call the ACT COVID-19 vaccination booking line on (02) 5124 7700.
Around Australia
NSW has recorded 20,050 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths in the 24 hours to 4pm.
There are 1060 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 32 in ICU.
Hospitalisation numbers are down on yesterday, when 1036 patients were being cared for with 34 in ICU.
Of the new cases, 12,355 came from positive rapid antigen tests while 7695 came from PCR testing.
Victoria has recorded nine deaths and 9036 new infections in the 24 hours to midnight Thursday. There were 199 hospitalisations across the state, including 23 in ICU and five on ventilators.
