A child younger than 12 has been hospitalised with COVID-19 in the ACT, as health authorities continue to manage a growing number of patients in care.
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A new mass vaccination hub on the northside will also increase the number of Pfizer vaccines the ACT government can administer each week, ahead of expected supply increases.
The ACT reported 21 new cases of coronavirus to 8pm on Thursday, including six people who were infectious in the community.
Two people have recovered from COVID-19 since the outbreak began, and there are now 11 people in hospital.
Vaccination coverage in the ACT continues to grow, with the territory again taking the lead on Friday for the highest rate of double-dose vaccinations in the population aged 16 and above.
Close to 40 per cent of Canberrans aged 16 and up have had both doses of a vaccine, while 63.11 per cent have had at least once dose.
About 90 per cent of Canberrans aged 30 to 39 have either had their first dose or are booked to do so.
Vaccine appointments will be shifted to a new mass vaccination hub at the AIS Arena, which will open on Friday, September 3 and have capacity for 24,000 doses of Pfizer a week.
The arena in Bruce will replace the Garran surge centre where thousands of Pfizer doses are administered weekly.
People who were booked in at the Garran site after September 3 were sent a text on Friday afternoon to alert them their appointment would be moved.
The bookings will be shifted to the same time and date at the new location.
The ACT adjusted its lockdown settings on Friday, including allowing click-and-collect services at non-essential businesses.
A decision on ending the lockdown, which is due to finish on Thursday, September 2, will be made by the ACT government next week.
But Chief Minister Andrew Barr again stressed the importance of vaccination as the path out from ongoing restrictions.
Mr Barr said the strong take up from people aged 30 to 39 gave him confidence the ACT was well-placed to go beyond the 70 and 80 per cent vaccination targets in the national reopening plan.
"I'm also pleased to see more and more people are taking the opportunity to get vaccinated now through a GP or pharmacist using the AstraZeneca vaccine," Mr Barr said.
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Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the pressure COVID-19 patients had so far put on the Canberra hospital system was "absolutely manageable".
"We have seen a reduction in the number of people presenting to emergency department but we've also seen an increase in the stringency with which those COVID-19 screening measures and support measures have to be put in place at our emergency departments. So we are continuing to see a bit of pressure there," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
Ms Stephen-Smith also apologised to Canberrans waiting to leave quarantine who had yet to receive a release notification from ACT Health.
About 7500 close and casual contacts have been released from quarantine in the past few days, after Canberra marked 14 days in lockdown.
Mr Barr said work was under way to change a system issue to streamline the release notification process.
"What's particularly important is the same name and date of birth is provided both in terms of the testing and then the declaration forms. If those two mismatch, that's where problems can emerge," he said.
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Chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said 14 of the linked cases announced on Friday were household contacts, and another case was a close contact.
Dr Coleman said she had yet to determine the level of risk the six cases potentially infectious in the community posed, but broader health restrictions would help lessen the potential impact.
The chief health officer was unable to provide an update on the total number of unlinked cases from the ACT outbreak, but said investigations were still ongoing and a fuller snapshot would be provided in the coming days.
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Kathryn Lewis
I am a breaking and general news reporter. Contact me with tips or story ideas at kathryn.lewis@canberratimes.com.au
I am a breaking and general news reporter. Contact me with tips or story ideas at kathryn.lewis@canberratimes.com.au
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
