South Australia records further 3070 new cases of Covid-19

South Australia has recorded another 3070 cases of Covid-19 overnight as the Premier revealed new details about rapid antigen tests.

South Australia has recorded 3070 new cases of Covid-19 overnight as more details were revealed about how rapid antigen tests would be used.

Premier Steven Marshall told reporters on Thursday that 123 people were in hospital, which was slightly down on the previous day.

Twelve people are in intensive care and one of them is on a ventilator.

More than 19,000 tests were conducted on Wednesday.

Mr Marshall said the lab processing time was now down to about 11.4 hours, which was a three-hour reduction.

“That lab time is extraordinarily quick at the moment,” Mr Marshall said.

The Premier also outlined more details about how SA would use the rapid antigen tests.

He said close contacts would be sent a QR code to get two SA Health rapid antigen tests — the first for day one and the other for day six.

“If they get a positive on the day one, they will be deemed to be Covid positive. No need for a corresponding PCR test,” Mr Marshall said.

“This will reduce the pressure on our PCR tests in SA. It’s about 95 per cent accurate.”

It means close contacts cannot use tests collected from supermarkets or pharmacies.

The Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic at Adelaide Airport was busy on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dean Martin

The Premier said it was important to collect relevant data to monitor the pandemic in the state. The numbers will be publicly reported too.

He said there was greater confidence in the quality of the SA Health tests than others.

“We know where we’ve purchased them from,” Mr Marshall said.

The system would be in place “within the next seven days”, he added.

Mr Marshall said while he would love to see children back to school for face-to-face learning on day one of term 1, it was still too early to say whether that could happen.

“We haven‘t reached the peak of Omicron,” he said.

“I think we’re weeks off the peak and we need to get that data in before we can say emphatically that all students will be back day one, term 1.”

Mr Marshall said “all scenarios” had been mapped out, noting children aged five to 11 would not have an opportunity to be fully vaccinated before the school year began.

He said he would like them to get at least one jab before school started.