'Australia, a "Model Country for Quarantine," Also Sees a Surge in Cases... First Omicron Death Reported'

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The first death caused by the COVID-19 variant 'Omicron' has occurred in Australia.

On the 27th (local time), according to foreign media including Australia's ABC News, the New South Wales (NSW) health authorities confirmed that one of the three COVID-19 infected individuals who died the previous day was infected with Omicron.

The NSW health authorities stated, "The deceased had completed the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine but had underlying health conditions."

The deceased was a man in his 80s residing in a nursing home in Parramatta City near Sydney. He reportedly died after being hospitalized following infection with COVID-19.

This is the first reported death from Omicron in Australia. Since two passengers arriving from the southern region of Africa tested positive for Omicron on the 27th of last month, the number of Omicron infections has been steadily increasing in Australia.

Recently, the number of COVID-19 infections in Australia has also been rapidly rising. In NSW, the most populous state in Australia, despite a decrease in testing due to the Christmas holiday, 6,324 confirmed cases were reported within 24 hours before 8 PM on the 26th. Additionally, Victoria reported 1,999 new cases within 24 hours before the 27th. As of the 26th, the total daily new confirmed cases across Australia reached 9,957.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.