New South Wales has recorded another national record of daily COVID-19 infections, with Premier Dominic Perrottet urging people to carefully consider their need for a PCR test as wait-times balloon.
NSW reported 6,394 new COVID-19 cases and zero deaths reported on Sunday as shoppers took to the streets for Boxing Day sales across Australia.
The state toppled the previous national daily case record of 6,288 infections, which it recorded on Saturday.
458 people are in hospital - up 70 patients from the 388 reported on the previous day.
There has been no change to the number of patients in the ICU since Saturday, with 52 patients in intensive care.
With COVID-19 testing clinics overwhelmed over Christmas, Mr Perrottet implored people to consider whether they really needed to get a PCR test.
"If you do not feel unwell, if you are not required to be tested and have not been directed so by NSW Health, or you are not travelling interstate and that is a requirement, there is no need to be tested," Mr Perrottet told reporters on Sunday.
"When the QR Code from Service NSW alert comes through ... monitor your symptoms.
"What we can't have are people sitting in testing queues which takes away from people who are unwell and who need that test because we want to get those tests back as quickly as possible."
Mr Perrottet encouraged people to take rapid antigen tests as an alternative and said he's been working with state premiers to move away from PCR testing for people travelling interstate.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard stressed that Omicron is believed to be a milder variant than Delta.
He said the government is expecting that "pretty well everybody" in the state will test positive for the Omicron variant "at some point".
"And if we're all going to get Omicron, the best way to face it is when we have full vaccination including our booster," he said.
Mr Hazzard said as well as long testing lines, hospital staff "are run off their feet" over the Christmas holidays.
"I would like everybody to think about whether or not you really need to call an ambulance, number one, and number two, [if you need to] go to hospital," Mr Hazzard said.
Mr Hazzard said NSW is now reporting up to 130,000 to 160,000 tests a day.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard. Source: AAP
"On the face of it, [that] sounds good but then we need to consider why are people being tested and why are we putting the stressors on our pathology system?"
He said the average wait time for PCR test results is now between 48 to 72 hours and in some instances, even longer.
"We know that rapid antigen tests may not have the same accuracy level but if it's going to be three or four days before you get the result, you're better off with the rapid antigen test," he said.
A second pandemic Christmas
Meanwhile, Victoria reported 1,608 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths on Sunday.
That's a significant decline in the 2,108 infections and six deaths posted on Saturday.
There are 374 people in hospital and 115 patients in ICU.
On Saturday, Victoria reported 361 people were in hospital, with 113 people in intensive care.
In Queensland, 714 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded - a slight decline in the previous day's numbers of 765 new infections.
South Australia had 774 new cases, while Western Australia reported one who tested positive while in quarantine and is not considered to have been contagious while in the community.
In the 10 days since opening its borders to all interstate travellers, Tasmania's COVID-19 case count has gone from zero to 160.
Tasmania has 44 new cases of COVID-19 as the state prepares for a number of new arrivals in connection with the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
On Christmas Day, coronavirus numbers across the country hit 9,993.
South Australia recorded 634 new cases with 12 patients in hospital, two of them in intensive care units.
Some 33 cases were diagnosed in Tasmania, while the Northern Territory reported 19 cases, 10 of which were interstate arrivals. Also among them is a healthcare worker at Darwin's biggest hospital.
Western Australia recorded two new local COVID-19 infections on Christmas Day, both linked to a French backpacker who arrived in the state from Queensland.
The cases bring the total number of community infections in WA to seven, after five cases were reported on Friday.
The country is battling its biggest, most widespread outbreak with the Omicron variant in every state and territory.
Mask-wearing is compulsory in place in most of them, as leaders try to limit the spread of the highly infectious variant over the festive season.
As infections continue to rise, the federal government announced the wait for booster shots will be reduced twice in January.
From 4 January, boosters will be brought forward to four months after the second dose - down from five months currently.
Then from 31 January, people can get boosters after three months.
About 7.5 million Australians will be eligible for their booster shot come 4 January. This will jump to 16 million at the end of the month once the time frame is dropped to three months.
Health Minister Greg Hunt praised Australians who have rolled up their sleeves for their third dose.
Additional reporting by AAP
