SA Covid updates for January 30 2022: Two dead, 1633 new cases

Premier Steven Marshall has announced two deaths and 1633 new Covid cases on Sunday, as he warned the figures could rise amongst youngsters as school starts to return this week.

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Premier Steven Marshall has announced the deaths of two more South Australians with Covid and 1633 new cases on Sunday.

The two deaths were males in their 80s.

There are 289 people in hospital, and 20,569 active cases, as Mr Marshall said it was a “good day”, with a “continuing downward trajectory in positive cases”.

Mr Marshall said there were 11,489 Covid tests conducted on Saturday and urged people to use PCR tests if they had any symptoms, as there were no queues.

He said the state’s Covid authorities would be watching the figures closely this week, as students start to return to school, workers to their officers and an easing of hospitality restrictions allow more people to go out.

“If we see a massive increase in mobility, we’re likely to change that (downward) trajectory. But all things being even we should still continue to see numbers coming down,” he said.

Mr Marshall said SA should brace to see the number of infections in lower age groups grow as school returns.

“It will be face-to-face for about 40 per cent of our students and online learning for about 60 per cent (from Wednesday),” he said.

“We might see a change in the median age (of Covid cases) as schools go back, we envisage it could actually lower here in South Australia marginally.

“But the models tell us there will be no second peak in South Australia coming from the changes we’ve put in place.”

Meanwhile, authorities could give the final tick of approval for booster jabs for 16 and 17 year olds as early as today.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the adult booster shot for the teens last week and now it just needs the final endorsement from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

“We’re hopeful that could come through today, tomorrow or certainly in the next couple of days and that means that we’ll be able to get the boosters in the arms of those 16 and 17 year olds before they get back to school,” Mr Marshall said.

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 UPDATE

A $50m financial support and stimulus package for South Australian businesses has been unveiled by the state government as the state recorded five more Covid deaths.

Premier Steven Marshall and Treasurer Rob Lucas released the details of the latest round of financial support as they announced 1740 new Covid cases and five deaths.

The deaths were a man in his 50s, a man in his 60s, two men in their 70s and a man in his 80s.

Despite feedback from local business owners that Friday’s easing of restrictions was “too little too late”, Premier Steven Marshall today announced that cash grants of $22,000, more Great State vouchers and CBD dining incentives would spearhead the latest government package.

Mr Marshall said the entirely state-government-funded package aimed to help businesses bounce back from the current hardships.

Read more here

Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 UPDATE

Premier Steven Marshall says five people over the age of 80 have died, and while the infection rate flattens, 50 per cent density rules in restaurants, pubs and cafes will be restored from midnight tonight.

There were 1846 new cases reported – the lowest number yet this year – with 1336 from PCR tests and 510 from RATs. The seven-day average is 2047 new cases.

SA currently has 24,612 active Covid cases while 2969 people have recovered.

There are 285 people in hospital with Covid; ICU cases have fallen to 24 with four on ventilators. Mr Marshall said there 19,748 vaccinations on Thursday.

“We are past the peak in SA – a few weeks ago we were bobbing around 6000 new cases a day, now down to around 2000,” Mr Marshall said.

There are 475 SA Health staff on furlough, 321 of whom are Covid positive.

Mr Marshall said hospitality density restrictions would now be boosted to 50 per cent for both indoor and outdoor seated dining and drinking, up from 25 per cent.

He said the easing of restrictions had been planned for mid-February but had been brought forward in three steps from 12:01am on Saturday, including:

INCREASING density to 50 per cent

RESTORATION of paediatric elective surgery

EASING of requirements for QR codes – they are now not required for retail settings, unless the owner chose.

QR codes are still required for gyms and hospitality, and settings like aged care and hospitals.

Mr Marshall said it was safe to go out and it was now time for people to “make those bookings” with hospitality businesses.

Elective surgery for children will also resume from 12.01 Saturday. Mr Marshall said the “fitness sector” was one sector which was under consideration for the fortnightly easing of restrictions.

He said the government had looked at all the modelling and was prompted it would not produce a second wave or overload hospitals.

The Premier defended the state’s continued use of QR codes despite easing requirements, saying they could still prove useful for contract tracing.

“QR codes are being kept because they do declare transmission sites from time to time to be able to send a message as quickly as possible, so the QR codes are still useful,” he said.

“It could be an asymptomatic positive case and we need to get them tested.”

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said South Australians could hold their heads high over the effectiveness of the state’s restrictions, despite critics arguing they are too conservative.

He said QR codes remained useful but their applications were being changed.

Mr Stevens said he fully supported the use of QR codes as a contact mechanism but the way we SA managed them now meant that not everyone would be contacted about positive cases.

Mr Stevens said South Australia’s goal was to not create a second wave and see a sensible, consistent reduction in infection rates.

Despite the easing of hospitality restrictions, Mr Stevens said they were still considered high risk settings.

He said wedding dance bans had not been reconsidered yet.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27 UPDATE

SA Health has announced 13 deaths from Covid, taking South Australia’s total death toll to 100.

In a release on Thursday, SA Health said the reported deaths were of: a man in his 50s, a man in his 70s, two men in their 80s, two men in their 90s, two women in their 60s, two women in their 70s, one woman in her 80s and two in their 90s.
At a press conference earlier on Thursday, Premier Steven Marshall says the state had recorded 1953 new Covid cases in the 24 hours to midnight.

“These numbers do bob around but this is significantly below the seven day average now,” Mr Marshall said.

“I think we are definitely past our peak now here in South Australia.”

The state has 25,735 active cases at present.

There are 288 people in hospital, with 27 in ICU and five on ventilation, which Mr Marshall said was “well within our total capacity”.