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

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.

ICU staff caring for a COVID-19 patient at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Tuesday, July 13, 2021 Source: Supplied/St Vincent’s Hospital

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Daily case numbers in New South Wales have been doubling every two or three days and modelling suggests the state could see 25,000 cases a day by the end of next month.

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.