NSW COVID cases grow, Victoria COVID cases grow, Omicron variant cases grow, The Ashes 2021 second test continues in Adelaide, Caroline Kennedy becomes Australian US ambassador

The final question to Prime Minister Scott Morrison at today’s press conference in Sydney was about NSW’s record 2213 COVID-19 cases and his feelings about the reintroduction of any restrictions.

“We can’t go back to lockdowns, we all know that,” he said.

Mr Morrison said the federal government’s “twin goals” remained balancing saving lives and protecting livelihoods.

“Yes, we must continue to listen carefully to the medical advice, and we are doing that each and every day, but we are in a different phase of the pandemic,” he said.

Mr Morrison noted 90 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over – or 89.91 per cent as of the figures reported yesterday – have had two vaccine doses, and more than 1 million Australians have had a booster shot.

“That number is growing every single day … [and] that arms us to be able to deal with these new challenges.

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“Case numbers are no longer the metric. Sure, they’re important, but the real measure is what does it mean for serious illness, ICU, hospitalisation, pressures on the hospital system and the health system.

“More information will become clear about the severity of illness relating to Omicron, but so far, there is nothing to suggest it’s certainly worse, and a lot to suggest that it is less [severe than other variants].”

The PM added that the Victorian health system had been able to “stand up strongly” with days of more than 1000 cases, adding that authorities were “taking proper precautions” in NSW, where visitor restrictions have been placed on healthcare facilities.

“What’s important is we keep our heads, we keep calm, we keep open, we keep healthy and we keep getting vaccinated.

“That is how we chart our way forward and that is the path that the Commonwealth government is certainly on, and seeking to encourage everybody along that path.”