covid_graphic_NSW.jpg

NSW has again recorded no new coronavirus deaths, as vaccination rates continue to climb and hospitalisation rates fall.

Some 182 new cases were reported on Saturday, 34 less than the number reported on Friday.

The number of people seriously ill with the virus continues to dwindle, with 191 people hospitalised with the virus, 28 of them in intensive care.

Meanwhile, the state is inching closer to the 95 percent mark for first dose vaccinations, with 94.3 percent of residents over 16 having stepped forward for at least one jab and 91.7 percent for two doses.

Of the 12 to 15-year-old age group, 74.9 percent are fully vaccinated and 80.9 percent have received at least one vaccine.

covid_vaccine.jpg

 

It comes as a senior government minister Victor Dominello suggested QR codes could soon be retired in lower-risk settings like coffee shops and shopping centres.

"If the vaccination rates maintain a high trajectory and we see lower case numbers, we can retire them in low-risk settings but as we've seen in Europe you might need to turn them back on," Mr. Dominello said.

He said, "A high-risk setting would be going into a retirement village or a nursing home where clearly there will be a need for check-ins for not just the immediate future but the foreseeable future."

The government is also considering requirements for close contacts of COVID-19 cases, to avoid schools opening and closing.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the crisis cabinet, now called the COVID Economic Recovery Committee, will review the issue next week.

"There will be positive cases in schools, but we don't want to close them for a substantial period of time," he said.

The Premier said, "I don't want kids sitting at home. I want them in the classroom."