Australian State Leader Resists Growing Calls for Mask Mandates Against Omicron

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet speaks to the media during a press conference outside the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 19, 2021. AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

The state of New South Wales (NSW) has broken the national record again for the most COVID-19 cases recorded in one day, at 3,057 in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on Dec. 20.

Despite the record high numbers, ICU numbers remain low compared to Delta outbreak, at 39 in total, of which six were newly admitted. The peak number of patients admitted to ICU during the Delta lockdowns was 242.