A ninth person has died from coronavirus in Tasmania, lifting the national death toll to 77. The 79-year-old woman, who was from the northwest, died in the Launceston General Hospital, Premier Peter Gutwein said on Friday morning.
“To the woman’s family, friends, and loved ones – I’m sorry. I extend our condolences and sympathies to you all,” he said.
Mr Gutwein announced that tough retail restrictions in the state’s northwest, where an outbreak has shut two hospitals, would be extended for another week.
He also said testing for coronavirus would be ramped up in the area.
“We need to crush this virus,” Mr Gutwein said.
Anyone “who has even the slightest sniffle” should be tested, he added.
There have been 205 confirmed virus cases in Tasmania, with 130 of those in the northwest. For the first time this month, the state on Thursday recorded no new virus cases.
NSW on Friday also announced plans to ramp up its COVID-19 testing, with plans to check more than 8,000 people a day.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said anyone with symptoms, or is concerned they have COVID-19, should come forward and get tested.
“Anybody across the state, if you have symptoms, if you’re worried you have COVID-19, please come forward and get tested,” she told reporters in Sydney.
“We want to see the number of tests go up above 8,000 a day. As we consider easing restrictions, we need to have more tests.”
More than 7,300 tests were completed on Thursday with seven new cases of COVID-19 reported across the state. The total number of confirmed cases in NSW is 2,982.
It comes as the state’s COVID-19 death toll reached 34 after a fourth resident at Anglicare’s Newmarch House in Caddens died.
NSW Health confirmed the 79-year-old woman died early on Thursday morning.
Some 44 people at the western Sydney facility – 29 residents and 15 staff – have been infected with COVID-19.
Source: SBS