Can Australia's health system cope with an Omicron COVID surge?

A Corona patient on a respiratory mask in an ICU (Jens Büttner - picture alliance via Getty).jpg

A Corona patient on a respiratory mask in an ICU Source: Getty

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The rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has raised questions about whether Australia's health system will cope with a rising caseload.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is pushing up daily case numbers to record highs and while there's no doubt it's highly transmissible, there's not enough data as yet on its severity.

With cases doubling every two to three days in New South Wales, Health Minister Brad Hazzard has warned infections could reach levels not seen so far in Australia.

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