“It’s an important moment where we are seeing, now, clear signs that this Omicron wave, at least xjmtzywin New South Wales, Victoria, and the ACT, has peaked,” he said.
“South Australia has also had some very promising signs as the Premier and the chief health officer have indicated, along with the health minister there.”
SA recorded 2009 new COVID cases yesterday, which Premier Steven Marshall described as “the lowest we’ve seen for a very long period of time” – however that came from a low day of testing, with 9756 PCR tests conducted and 4005 RAT kits administered, a 20.8 per cent testing decrease on the previous day.
The number of people in hospital remained steady however, with 294 cases hospitalised, 29 of whom were in intensive care and six on ventilators.
Meanwhile, concession card holders have become eligible for 10 free rapid antigen tests from pharmacies over a three-month period.
But Pharmacy Guild of Australia president Trent Twomey said widespread supply shortages meant many pharmacies would be unable to keep up.
The federal government sought to pin the blame on people and companies hoarding tests.
“It (the concession card rollout) is a staged program; it commences this week with more pharmacies participating as supply comes in,” Hunt said.
