The number of daily infections in the ACT has hit a two-month high with the highest number of new cases since January 19.
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The ACT has reported 1314 new infections in the latest reporting period as the two-dose vaccination rate edges toward 97 per cent.
There were 42 people in Canberra hospitals with COVID in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, including three people in intensive care and one under ventilation. Previously, there were 38 people in hospital and four in the ICU.
ACT now has 5760 active cases of coronavirus, up from the 5728 reported on Tuesday. Of the new cases 653 were reported through PCR tests and 661 via rapid tests.
Meanwhile, ACT schools continue to drive case numbers as 92 per cent of schools experienced COVID-19 infections in the past week.
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COVID-19 information obscured
Documents released to The Canberra Times have revealed that during January's Omicron wave decision makers within ACT Health did not want Canberrans to see the kind of detail about vaccine status and underlying health conditions regularly provided in other states.
They withheld information because of unspecified privacy reasons, but said publicly it was because they didn't "routinely collect that data".
- with Lucy Bladen
School RAT changes
Rapid antigen tests are set to be provided as needed or in response to COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, rather than as mass handouts.
The ACT government will make some changes to the way rapid antigen tests are distributed to school communities for the remainder of term one.
Early childhood staff will also have continued access to rapid tests, under the same distribution arrangements.
Plea for third dose uptake
The total number of people over five who are double vaccinated has hit 96.7 per cent.
Health authorities have made a fresh plea to Canberrans to come forward for their booster shot, saying the third-dose rate was not as high as it should be.
A total of 72 per cent of people aged 16 and over have received their booster, and 79.8 per cent of children aged five to 11 are vaccinated with a single dose.
Around Australia
NSW has recorded 24,115 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths in the 24 hours to 4pm.
There are 1162 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 44 in ICU.
Hospitalisation numbers are down on the previous day, when 1177 patients were being cared for, however ICU numbers are up to 41 in care.
Of the new cases, 15,439 came from positive rapid antigen tests while 8676 came from PCR testing.
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