Victoria’s Covid cases DROP with 16,016 new infections and 20 deaths while NSW records 20,148 cases

Victoria’s Covid infections have dropped with 16,016 new cases and 20 deaths announced on Saturday while NSW’s cases have climbed by 20,148 and 30 deaths.

Both states have recorded lower infections than the previous day, with NSW suffering 25,168 infections on Friday and Victoria recording 18,167 cases.

In NSW hospitalisations have risen to 2,762 a slight jump from the 2,743 receiving care on Friday. ICU rates have dipped from 209 to 204.

In Victoria there are 1,029 residents in hospital, a drop from 1,096 on Friday. There are 120 Victorians in intensive care, one fewer than the previous day.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet confirmed that half of those in intensive care are unvaccinated. 

The new infections come after NSW’s Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed the ‘underlying health conditions’ that are most likely to account for the deaths of young and middle-aged people with Covid. 

In NSW hospitalisations have risen to 2,762 a slight jump from the 2,743 receiving care on Friday

Dr Chant on Friday said the State Coroner had reviewed the deaths of 28 people – all of them younger than 65 – who had died while infected with the virus between January 15 and 21.  

Of the 28, 24 had health issues that ranged from asthma and obesity to life-threatening illnesses including heart disease and diabetes.

Ten had significant heart or valvular disease, six had chronic lung disease, six had kidney disease, two had significant rheumatological diseases and three had autoimmune diseases.

However, a considerable number of patients were living with less commonly fatal conditions – with six suffering from obesity, two living with asthma and seven with diabetes. 

Dr Chant revealed half the victims were vaccinated, but 13 were not and one person had received only their first dose.

Infections have dropped in both NSW and Victoria and hospitalisations are remaining steady (pictured health workers in NSW)

Despite Friday being the state’s deadliest day of the pandemic with 46 lives lost, Mr Perrottet said NSW was ‘tracking better than our best case scenario’ in terms of those in hospital and ICU. 

‘In respect of our intensive-care capacity, we currently have 209 people with COVID in our intensive-care units,’ he said.

‘That is once again tracking better than our best case scenario from the modelling that we released two weeks ago … that was at a height where we were expecting 270 on our best case scenario and 600 on our worst-case scenario.’  

A health worker is seen handing out rapid antigen tests in Melbourne this week