Six-week reporting period (6 December 2021 - 16 January 2022) The case data provided in this report includes confirmed cases reported to the National Interoperable Disease Surveillance System (NINDSS), which does not include cases that are positive on rapid antigen tests (RAT) only. Therefore, case numbers, particularly in recent weeks, will under-represent the incidence of disease in the community. Trends - In the last six weeks, there were over 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported in Australia, with fortnightly new cases increasing considerably over this period. In the most recent fortnight, a total of 800,642 confirmed cases were notified (an average of 57,189 cases per day), compared to 203,270 in the previous fortnight (14,519 cases per day), and 33,083 cases (2,363 cases per day) in the two weeks prior to that. Local cases - More than 99% (1,036,067/1,036,995) of COVID-19 cases reported over the six-week period were locally acquired (including cases under initial investigation and those missing a source of acquisition). In 2021, Victoria had the highest notification rate for locally-acquired cases with 2,431 notifications per 100,000 population, followed by New South Wales with a rate of 2,015 notifications per 100,000 population. In all jurisdictions, the notification rate for locally-acquired cases has been higher in 2022 to date than in the entirety of 2021. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons - During the reporting period, there were 20,322 new cases notified in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with fortnightly new cases increasing over the six-week period. Since the beginning of 2021, there have been 29,169 confirmed cases of COVID-19 notified in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including 31 deaths, representing 2% (29,169/1,226,505) of all confirmed cases. Of the locally-acquired cases notified in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from 1 January 2021 to date, 41% (11,974/29,148) resided in a regional or remote area. Overseas-acquired cases - There were 928 overseas-acquired cases this reporting period, with the largest number of such cases reported in New South Wales (39%; 364/928), followed by Victoria (31%; 292/928). Age group - Over the six-week reporting period, there was a shift in the age groups of cases. In the fortnight ending 19 December 2021, the highest notification rate was in children aged 5-11 years (225 per 100,000 population), while in the most recent fortnight (fortnight ending 16 January 2022), the highest notification rate was in adults aged 18-29 years (6,526 per 100,000 population). Severity - For 6-26 December 2021, the national notification rate of cases with severe illness (defined as cases admitted to ICU or died) was relatively stable at approximately 0.4 per 100,000 population. However, in the most recent severity reporting week (week ending 2 January 2022), the rate of severe illness has more than doubled to 0.9 per 100,000 nationally, associated with an increase in the overall case notification rate to 903 per 100,000 in the same period. The current rate of severe illness remains lower than during the peak of the Delta outbreak, when the rate of severe illness reached 1.2 per 100,000 population. Given the delay between illness onset and severe illness, cases with an onset in the last two weeks were excluded from the analysis on severity. During the six-week reporting period, 398 new COVID-19-associated deaths were notified. Vaccinations - As at 16 January 2022, a total of 45,954,013 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in Australia. Nationally, 19,597,960 people aged 16 years or over (95%) had received at least one dose, including 19,082,286 people aged 16 years or over (92.5%) who were fully vaccinated. Among people aged 12-15 years, 1,012,626 people (81.4%) had received at least one dose, including 933,566 (75%) who were fully vaccinated. Among people aged 5-11 years, 295,106 (12.9%) had received at least one dose. Testing - There has been an overall increase in PCR testing rates since early December 2021. In the last two weeks of the reporting period, PCR testing rates have decreased slightly, which is likely the result of an increased uptake of rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 diagnosis. Over the six-week period, while PCR testing rates remained high, the percent positivity increased considerably across all jurisdictions, with the percent positivity reaching above 20% for all jurisdictions except Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia during the week ending 9 January 2022. Virology - On 26 November 2021, a new variant, B.1.1.529 (Omicron) was designated as a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) by the WHO. In the six-week reporting period, the number of cases identified as Omicron in Australia has increased considerably. AusTrakka actively monitors and reports on VOCs and has so far identified 30,411 samples of Delta (B.1.617.2); 5,402 samples of Omicron (B.1.1.529); 515 samples of Alpha (B.1.1.7); 84 samples of Beta (B.1.351); and six samples of Gamma (P.1) in Australia. While the significant rise in case numbers nationally has resulted in a drop in the overall proportion of cases that were sequenced during this reporting period (1.1%), the overall number of cases sequenced per week remains similar to, or higher than, previous reporting periods. Nationally, SARS- CoV-2 strains from 4% of COVID-19 cases have been sequenced during the pandemic. International situation - According to the WHO, cumulative global COVID-19 cases stood at more than 325 million, with over 5.5 million deaths reported globally, as of 16 January 2022. In Australia's near region, the South East Asia and Western Pacific Regions reported over 4.6 million newly-confirmed cases and over 15,000 deaths in the four-week period to 16 January 2022.
