Covid cases spike to over 5000 in South Australia

Covid cases in SA have spiked to 5054 daily cases – with the peak still expected a week from now.

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Covid cases have spiked to an alarming high of 5054 cases – with the peak still not expected for another week.

The record was on April 7 when it hit 6091 cases.

The health system faces enormous pressure, with 354 people with the infection now in isolation in hospital – 12 in intensive care – which Health Minister Chris Picton likened to taking the entire Queen Elizabeth Hospital out of the system.

The peak is expected to see up to 6000 cases a day and 400 people in hospital each day.

SA Health is scrambling to find beds including cancelling non-urgent overnight elective surgery in metropolitan hospitals to free up 40 beds a day, and finding places for 120 NDIS clients who are medically cleared for discharge.

South Australia has recorded a record high 5054 Covid cases today. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Latest figures show there were seven deaths overnight.

Four women in their 90s, one in her 80s and one in her 70s, and a man in his 80s who had the infection have died bringing the SA death toll of people who had the disease to 603.

There are now a record 30,525 active cases in SA, and 672,144 cases have been recorded in SA.

Meanwhile, chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier, who is currently in isolation with Covid, has warned people with even the mildest of symptoms to get tested.

“I’ve had very mild symptoms and I have to say I wanted to tell the listeners this, I was in two minds about having a PCR test because it was just like the most mild scratchy throat and I get that a lot because I talk a lot,” she said.

“But I’m really, really pleased I went and got that test done.”