South Australia records dip in new COVID-19 cases with 3070 infections

COVID-19 infections have dropped slightly in South Australia today, with 3070 new cases reported, down from 3493 yesterday.

There are now 123 patients in hospital with the virus – a slight reduction since yesterday – with 12 in the intensive care unit and one on a ventilator.

While the number of hospitalisations has increased in recent days, the amount of patients being treated in ICU has largely remained the same this week.

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SA Premier Steven Marshall said that the vast majority of the cases across the state are suspected to be the Omicron variant.

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He said that numbers will likely "bounce around" but the reduction in numbers was "good to see".

"Pleasingly, at the Women's and Children's Hospital, we still have no patients in ICU, in fact we have not had any patients in ICU at the Women and Children's Hospital," he said.

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Mr Marshall added there are now 308 SA Health staff that have contracted the virus and that authorities will be "monitoring that situation closely".

Close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases will be also now be given two free rapid antigen tests — one for day one and one for day six — by SA Health.

"People who are close contacts need to identify or be identified by SA Health, they will then be sent a QR code and they can then go and collect a SA Health rapid antigen test," Mr Marshall said.

"In fact, they'll receive two of them, one on day one, one on day six, and if they get a positive on day one, they will be deemed to be COVID-positive so no need for a corresponding PCR test.

"This will reduce the pressure on our PCR tests in South Australia."

Almost 20,000 South Australians turned out to get a jab yesterday, as the state ramps up its vaccine efforts.

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More than 92 per cent of the SA's eligible residents have now received one jab, while 88 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Asked whether the reduction in case numbers reflected the decrease in testing, Mr Marshall said "no".

"In fact, I think demand and supply are pretty much in equilibrium," he said.

The Premier said he believes "South Australia is weeks off the peak" of the Omicron outbreak, and that a final decision on return to school has not yet been decided upon.