SYDNEY: Australia recorded another surge of COVID-19 deaths on Monday as an outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant peaked, and authorities warned numbers could rise further when schools return from end-of-year holidays next week.
Authorities say a roll-out of a vaccine booster will reduce deaths, and point to a stabilisation in hospitalisation numbers as a sign the flare-up has reached its worst. The total number of new cases, 37,754, was well below peaks three times that amount earlier this month, although four other states and territories were yet to report figures.
More than nine in 10 Australians aged over 12 have had two doses of coronavirus vaccine - a statistic health experts say has kept the country's death rate relatively low - but far fewer have had a third dose which is seen as a guard against Omicron.