NSW records 6184 new cases of Covid-19, 14 deaths

NSW has recorded another drop in Covid-19 infections after the premier defended his decision to open up in December.

NSW recorded 6184 new cases of Covid-19 and 14 deaths on Monday after Premier Dominic Perrottet defended his approach to the pandemic.

Monday’s update from NSW Health is another dropin infections after the state recorded 6686 cases on Sunday and 8183 on Saturday.

Hospitalisations are also dropping with 1649 patients now in hospital, with 100 in ICU.

Addressing reporters on Sunday, the Premier said his decisions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic may not have been popular, but they “have been right”.

“Ultimately, when you’re in a pandemic, you’re going to make decisions from time to time that are unpopular,” Mr Perrottet said.

“Our job here as a government is to take our state through and we’re doing that.”

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has defended his approach to the pandemic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Mr Perrottet’s comments come after the Liberal Party took a hit at by-elections across the state on Saturday night,

“When you look at the hospitalisations and ICU presentations, I think things are certainly heading in the right direction,” he said.

“And I think that‘s on the success of everybody in our state standing tall facing into the virus – we’re going to get through it.

“We can’t hide away, we’ve got to get through.”

While the Premier said it was important for him to not “follow the populist approach”, opening up in December was still the right thing to do.

“It’s brought its challenges,” he conceded.

“We had a highly furloughed workforce with a highly transmissible variant. We didn‘t just see that in New South Wales. We saw that around the country.

“But it‘s still the right approach and I know that brings concerns in the short term, but it’s the right approach in the long term.”

Originally published as NSW records 6184 new cases of Covid-19, 14 deaths