Fears over new highly contagious Covid-19 strain surging as states records increase in infections
Health experts have urged people to keep up to date with their Covid-19 vaccinations amid fears of a dangerous new strain as reported cases surge.
Omicron strain subvariant NB. 1.8.1 is already rising in Queensland, which has seen a sudden spike in the number of people infected with Covid-19.
A report by Queensland Health said 671 people in the state were diagnosed with the disease in the week ending May 25, which was an 18 per cent increase from the week prior.
There had been 15,693 notified cases of Covid-19 in the state since the beginning of this year according to the report, meaning an average of over 100 new cases per day.
There were 54 people in hospital with the disease in Queensland as of Sunday, and the health authority reported 3,388 hospitalised cases between January 1 and May 25.
University of South Australia biostatistics and epidemiology professor Adrian Esterman said the new strain was behind the rise in cases being observed.
'In the last four weeks, cases have gone up each week, and that is most certainly due to this new strain,' Mr Esterman told the Courier Mail.
'We have to be concerned about older people and those with impaired immune systems or other health conditions, they need to be keeping up to date with booster shots.'
AMA Queensland president Dr Nick Yim told the masthead evidence indicates the NB. 1.8.1 variant could potentially spread easier than previous strains.
'The emergence of NB. 1.8.1 is a timely reminder that Covid-19 is still circulating in our community and continues to evolve,' Dr Yim said.
With winter on the way and Covid-19 cases increasing, he urged people to 'protect yourself and those around you'.
'We are worried that some complacency has set in and urge all eligible Queenslanders to get their free booster as soon as possible,' Dr Yim said.
In New South Wales, Covid-19 increased to a 'moderate level of activity' last week and NSW Health outlined that vaccinations are 'especially important' at the moment.
NSW emergency department visits and admissions for people with Covid-19 have been increasing over the last three weeks, with a report published on Thursday said.
In the week ending May 24, the state has seen an increase of 29.2 per cent in notified Covid-19 cases and the rate of positive test results spike to 6.7 per cent.
In Victoria, the Department of Health's latest respiratory surveillance report said though Covid-19 activity had remained low, the state had seen a 43.8 per cent Covid-19 notifications in the second week of May.
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