Coronavirus: Australia reaches ‘peak’ Omicron; Indonesia reopens islands to Singaporean tourists

Australian health chiefs say the spread of Covid-19 is slowing, but caution that ‘the peak does not mean the end’ as deaths continue to surge

Elsewhere, Thailand is ramping up the roll-out of fourth vaccine shots; and India has extended restrictions on election campaigns amid a virus surge

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Protesters are seen with their children at an anti-vaccination rally in Sydney. Photo: dpa

Published: 3:49pm, 24 Jan 2022Updated: 3:56pm, 24 Jan 2022

Australia recorded another surge of Covid-19 deaths on Monday as an outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant peaked, and authorities warned numbers could rise further when schools return from end-of-year holidays next week.

The world’s No. 13 economy is trying to strike a balance between reopening after two years of movement restrictions and coping with the highest numbers of deaths and cases of the pandemic.

Authorities say a roll-out of a vaccine booster will reduce deaths, and point to a stabilisation in hospitalisation numbers as a sign the flare-up has reached its worst.

People queue at the main entrance of a hospital in Sydney. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty Images via NZME

The country on Monday reported 58 deaths, most of them in its three most populous states – New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland – in line with the previous day’s count but still among the highest of the pandemic.

The total number of new cases, 40,681, was well below peaks nearly three times that amount earlier this month.

“Our assessment indicates that the spread of Covid virus is slowing, our situation is stabilising and while we expect to see an uptick in transmissions associated with schools going back this could be mitigated by the actions of you as individuals,” New South Wales Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant told a news conference. “Getting those boosters will help us,” she added.