SA records two Covid deaths, 1289 cases as Marshall hit by AHA letter leak

The Omicron peak has passed, health authorities say, as the Premier denies any wrongdoing after a confidential email was leaked.

Another two people have died from Covid-19, SA authorities have announced as the number of cases continues to fall.

SA Health on Saturday revealed two infectious women in their 80s were the latest patients to die, bringing the total number of deaths to 127 people.

Another 1289 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, compared to 1363 reported on Friday.

A further 105 cases were identified after a reconfiguration of data.

There are 218 patients recovering in hospital, which is five fewer than the previous 24 hours. But one more person has been admitted to ICU, bringing that total to 16 including four people in induced comas while on ventilators.

Authorities say SA has passed the Omicron wave peak.

It comes after Premier Steven Marshall denied any wrongdoing after a leaked confidential email suggested South Australia could be “effectively restriction-free” before the March state election.

SA Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

The email, from Australian Hospitality Association boss Ian Horne to members of the state executive, was sent after a meeting with the Premier and states Mr Marshall was “very positive towards us” and “would welcome some positive industry comment and support if he is successful in persuading the Police Commissioner” to relax Covid restrictions.

“While speaking off the record, he emphasised his belief that ... SA had passed the peak and he could envisage (the state) being effectively restriction-free within a month to six weeks, with the exception of masks, which he indicated will be with us for some time,” the email said.

Responding to the fallout, Mr Horne said his words did not accurately reflect what happened at the meeting.

“This is a beat-up of grand proportions from what was a legitimate meeting between a significant industry and the leader of the state,” he said.

“With hindsight, perhaps I could have been a bit more disciplined in my language.”

Mr Horne said Mr Marshall never asked him for public support, but it was his “own interpretation” that if restrictions relax “we should celebrate and say so”.

However, the Opposition has alleged the exchange has revealed a “brazen attempt to politicise Covid-19 restrictions for (Mr Marshall’s) own political benefit”, and called on the Premier to resign.

“He has told South Australians for two years that decisions surrounding Covid-19 restrictions are based on health advice,” treasury spokesman Stephen Mullighan said.

Asked about the correspondence on Saturday, Mr Marshall said there was nothing said at the meeting that had not been said at repeated press conferences over the past two weeks.

“Labor can allege what they like, I was at the meeting,” he said.

“I did say that we would be changing the narrative.

“Earlier, around the end of last year, we were really trying to send a very strong message to reduce mobility and I said ‘now we’ve got to change that narrative to say, look — it is safe to go back to hospitality’.”

Meanwhile, Mr Marshall said an early glance at Saturday’s Covid numbers showed a further reduction in cases.

“We’ve been on a downward trajectory. We’re back down below 1300 today, that’s absolutely fantastic,” he said.

“But we cannot be complacent in South Australia. The reality is that this is still a highly transmissible disease.”

Information about the latest deaths and hospitalisations has not yet been released.

Originally published as SA records two Covid deaths, 1289 cases as Marshall hit by AHA letter leak