Australia recently confirmed its first death from the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, amid another spike in daily infections. However, authorities have abstained from implementing new restrictions claiming that hospitalization rates continue to remain low.

The death of the man, who was in his 80s and had many health issues, was a dark turning point for Australia, which had to hold back in some areas of its staged reopening after around two years of stop-start lockdowns, due to the new outbreak.

Health experts state that the Omicron variant, which appears to be more contagious but less virulent as compared to previous strains, started spreading in the country just as the government eased restrictions on many domestic borders and permitted Australians to return from overseas without quarantine, resulting in the pandemic's highest case numbers.

The officials provided no further information about the Omicron death other than the fact that the man had contracted the virus in an aged care facility and passed away in a Sydney hospital.

The man was one of six coronavirus deaths registered in Australia’s most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria the day before, which together account for more than half of the 25 million population of the country.

New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland reported a total of 9,107 new cases on 27^th December, putting the country on the way to another wave of infections. The five other states and territories are yet to provide daily case count information.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stated that although there is a rise in case numbers, there are no repercussions on the state’s hospital systems.

In the face of rising case numbers, Australian authorities have so far desisted from imposing new lockdown measures but have put certain restrictions in place. NSW, for instance, has made it mandatory to check into public events via QR codes again, and many states have reinstated mask mandates in indoor public spaces.

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