Territoriansaged 18 and over are now eligible for their booster shot just four months after second dose

Territorians aged 18 and over are now eligible for their booster shot just four months after receiving their second dose of the Covid vaccine.

UPDATE TUESDAY: TERRITORIANS aged 18 and over are now eligible for their booster shot just four months after receiving their second dose of the Covid vaccine.

The interval between the second vaccine and the booster has been reduced from five months.

Over 20,000 Territorians have already received their booster shot which is encouraged as it decreases the risk of getting seriously ill and going to hospital and transmitting the virus.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner called 2022 the year of the booster encouraging all eligible Territorians to get their booster as soon as possible.

“2021 was the year of getting vaxxed, and 2022 is the year of getting boosted,” Mr Gunner said.

“Thousands of Territorians will today become eligible to receive their booster - if that’s you, book in to boost up and add another layer of protection against Covid-19.”

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said that the booster shot was the best possible protection against the Omicron variant which is already spreading through the Territory.

“The Omicron variant is spreading through the Territory and the evidence shows booster shots offer the best possible protection to yourself, your community and your loved ones,” she said.

“I urge every Territorian who has not yet received their first two doses to book their appointment as soon as possible.

“Over 20,000 Territorians have already received their third dose and we want to see that number continue to climb in January and beyond.”

You can book to get your booster dose at an NT Vaccination Centre, participating GP Clinics, Respiratory Clinics, Pharmacies and Aboriginal Health Clinics.

UPDATE 6PM: THE NT government has announced changes to its Covid reporting regimen in signs the system is beginning to struggle with the number of daily cases.

It comes after the government announced it would not provide a Covid briefing the day after a record breaking spike in cases on Sunday.

A government spokesman advised media on Monday morning that Chief Minister Michael Gunner would not be holding a press conference outlining the latest daily case numbers.

He said a statement would be provided instead of a briefing. A statement from SecureNT released on Monday afternoon revealed there were 58 new Covid cases reported in the previous 12 hours under the new reporting regimen.

Territory wide there have been 5400 Covid tests since Thursday.

It said the Territory had moved to a new 24-hour reporting period, where 8pm on the night before the issue of the daily media release will be the cut off. Previously 8am on the day media releases were issued was the cut off.

“The change has been made due to larger case numbers and the extra work this has created for contact tracing and case validation,” the statement said.

SecureNT said many of the mystery cases were suspected of being community transmissions. There were two new cases in Alice Springs, both were known close contacts of interstate travellers.

There are two mystery cases in Tennant Creek, with the source still under investigation.

Katherine recorded seven new cases, six were known close contacts of cases from the Warlpiri camp and the Binjari community.

The seventh case was a Katherine Hospital healthcare worker discovered by routine work screening who likely acquired their infection from a patient at the hospital.

The remaining 47 cases are in Darwin.

There were no new cases reported in either Jabiru or Nhulunbuy.

There are currently 21 Covid patients in hospital but only four are classified as acute admissions.

There are 13 patients in Alice Springs Hospital, four in Tennant Creek Hospital and four in Royal Darwin Hospital.

There are no patients in the intensive care unit.

Opposition health spokesman Bill Yan said the Chief Minister should stump up and talk the Covid numbers through with Territorians instead of going into hiding.

“Yet again this incompetent Gunner Government has failed Territorians by not giving a press conference to update us,” Mr Yan said.

“This is despite a spike in cases throughout the Territory yesterday. Territorians are being neglected at a time of when they are most at risk.

“The Gunner Government has allowed multiple code yellow bed shortages in our largest hospital, has closed remote health clinics and bungled the vaccine rollout.”

UPDATE 2.30PM: A KATHERINE health worker is suspected to have caught Covid from a patient as the Territory records 58 new cases in just 12 hours.

Secure NT said the 58 new cases were recorded during a switched to a new 24-hour reporting period, which meant only cases confirmed between 8am to 8pm on Sunday were counted.

“The change has been made due to larger case numbers and the extra work this has created for contact tracing and case validation,” Secure NT said.

Of the 58 cases, 20 were interstate or international arrivals and 17 were known close contacts.

There were two cases of community transmission, and 19 mystery cases where the source had not yet been identified.

Secure NT said many of the mystery cases were suspected of being community transmissions. There were two new cases in Alice Springs, both were known close contacts of interstate travellers.

There are two mystery cases in Tennant Creek, with the source still under investigation.

Katherine recorded seven new cases, six were known close contacts of cases from the Warlpiri camp and Binjari community.

The seventh case was a Katherine Hospital healthcare worker discovered by routine work screening who likely acquired their infection from a patient at the hospital.

There were no new cases reported in either Jabiru or Nhulunbuy.

There are currently 21 people with COVID-19 in hospital, but only four are classified as acute hospital admissions.

There are 13 patients in Alice Springs Hospital, four patients in Tennant Creek Hospital and four patients in Royal Darwin Hospital.

There are no patients in the intensive care unit.

Secure NT said new public exposure sites would be updated to the website.

Health authorities have advised all Territorians and visitors to get tested if they showed any symptoms, including a cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, change in taste or smell and a sore throat.

On Sunday 2135 tests were processed.

EARLIER 1PM: THE Territory government has announced it will not provide a Covid briefing the day after a record breaking spike in cases.

A government spokesman said Chief Minister Michael Gunner would not be available for a press conference outlining the latest case numbers on Monday.

He said a statement would be provided instead of a briefing.

Secure NT has also not updated its figures to outline the latest Covid figures, but active cases are expected to reach over 400 across the Territory.

The NT Government was asked why there would be no press conference, but has not received a response.

On Sunday 95 cases were detected overnight, a new record for the Territory.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said cases were likely to rise further after the New Year’s celebrations.

Ms Fyles said the spike in cases had led to discussions over harsher suppression measures.

“Our chief health officer is comfortable with the mask mandate that’s in place but we’re not ruling out into the future that we wouldn’t put in place further public health measures to keep the community safe,” Ms Fyles said yesterday.

Yet despite the grim outlook on Sunday, the government said it would not provide an update on Monday.