‘Peak by tomorrow’: Premier’s warning as SA records 5679 new Covid-19 cases, six deaths

There has been a major revelation about South Australia’s expected Covid peak after the state recorded more than 5000 new cases.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall says the state could reach its peak as “early as tomorrow” after another 5679 new cases were recorded.

Another six deaths were also recorded.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr Marshall urged people to treat the new cases with “caution” as part of them were a “catch-up” from test swabs being taken later in the day due to hot weather and responses from rapid antigen tests.

South Australian premier Steven Marshall has urged people to treat the new cases with “caution” as some of them are a “catch-up” due to hot weather delaying testing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

“The modelling provides the peak could be reached as early as tomorrow,” he said.

“I think we’re very close, I’ve said for several days it will occur in the third or fourth week.”

Of the new cases, some 246 people are in hospital, 20 are in intensive care. Eight people in ICU are on ventilators.

Mr Marshall said the state’s new restrictions in December last year were critical in helping South Australia prepare for its coming Omicron peak.

Modelling from the government predicts the state will record a median number of 5800 daily new cases from the end of January.

“We don’t want to leave one restriction in place for a single day longer than we need to … but if we didn’t take action, we’d be in a very different situation,” he said.

Commuter traffic on the corner of King William and Wakefield Street in Adelaide as SA attempts to slow the spread of Covid-19. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier.

“I know those restrictions are extraordinarily difficult for many people.

“We believe we’ve been able to chart the optimal course through Omicron and we will been able to get to this peak and over it in a short period of time.”

On Thursday, health authorities announced students would return to school on February 2 but classes would run in a “hybrid” model of face-to-face learning and online classes.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said assemblies and events where lots of children would come together would be postponed when school resumes.

Inter-school sports will also be delayed but children will be able to remove masks when they play.

In Western Australia, one new locally acquired case was recorded, a child who is a household contact of a previously announced case and has been in quarantine throughout their infectious period.

Also, contact tracers have tracked down the ride-share driver who unwittingly transported a Covid-positive man - who allegedly breached quarantine to go to Royal Perth Hospital’s testing clinic on Wednesday.

The driver returned a negative test result.