Covid-19: Most hospitalised Covid-19 patients in NSW still have Delta

New figures show that despite Omicron being the dominant Covid variant across NSW, most of the state’s hospitalised cases are suffering from Delta.

Genomic sequencing of NSW’s sickest Covid-19 patients has found that 74 per cent of them have the Delta strain despite Omicron rapidly becoming the dominant variant in the state.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that detailed analysis of patients in ICU since December 16 confirms earlier suspicions from health officials that it was Delta and not Omicron putting patients in intensive care.

“Among patients in NSW ICUs where the variant is known, since December 16 around 74 per cent of patients are known to have the Delta variant,” a NSW Health spokesman said. “Importantly, more than 62 per cent of those patients with the Delta variant were not vaccinated or had one dose of ­vaccine.”

Breakdown of ICU patients since December 16

- People in intensive care: 95

- Number of those on ventilators: 25

- ICU patients with the Delta strain: 74 per cent

- ICU patients with Delta who are partially or completely unvaccinated: 62 per cent

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the presence of Delta was a sobering wake-up call for the unvaccinated.

“The big message which should be very clear to the unvaccinated is that three-quarters of people suffering Delta in our ICUs are unvaccinated,” he told the Telegraph.

“The fact that we still have three-quarters of people in ICU who are very sick with Delta shows us that Delta is still around.

“These are simple scientific facts that show us that vaccines work,” Mr Hazzard added. He also raised concerns that while adult vaccinations had hit 95 per cent, the immunisation rate for 12 to 15-year-olds had “barely moved in the past few weeks”.

He said he expected Omicron may start showing up in intensive care presentations as the strain becomes more widespread, with NSW recording another 20,794 cases on Monday, with 95 cases currently in ICU.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says there has been a drop in Covid patients on ventilators. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ David Crosling

“In the next few weeks as Omicron moves through the community like the tsunami that has gone through the rest of the world, it may be that we see more Omicron-positive people in ICU as well,” Mr Hazzard said.

Another promising statistic came from federal Health Minister Greg Hunt who reported a nationwide drop in Covid-19 patients using ventilators.

“There are 51 Australians, as of last night, who are currently on ventilation for Covid-19. This is actually down from 54 patients nationwide on December 15,” he said. The comments support early suggestions from Mr Hazzard who told the Telegraph there was a decline in “invasive intubation” among NSW Covid patients now as compared to the second wave.

The breakdown of the state’s ICU presentations came as Prime Minister Scott Morrison flagged his desire for a nationwide definition of Covid hospitalisation after the Telegraph revealed that pregnant women and people with broken bones were being counted as Covid hospitalisations in NSW.

Mr Morrison will push for the definition at Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting.

“There are people being counted as being in hospital for Covid. They didn’t go there for Covid. They went there for some other reason and that’s why they were admitted, and they’ve been tested when they’re there and they’ve been found to have Covid,” he said. “So we need to get a standard definition on that because these are the key things we have to track now.”