NSW reports staggering 21,151 cases and Victoria records 5,919 cases today

NSW reported a staggering 21,151 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and six deaths, as changes to close contacts and testing for international arrivals took effect and the Premier said people should expect case numbers to keep rising. Today's figure is the highest number of daily cases recorded in any Australian jurisdiction.

Hospitalisations have risen to 763, up from 746 in the previous reporting period, with 69 patients in intensive care.

Victoria has also seen yet another surge in COVID-19 transmissions today, recording a 5919 new local cases, as officials express concern over New Year's Eve parties. Seven more people died with the virus, and 428 are in hospital and 100 people are in ICU.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant warned on Wednesday saying that "there is probably more disease in the community than the numbers reflect" as testing laboratories clear backlogs.

Victorian Chief Health Officer John Gerrard warned on Thursday that the number of infections could be in the "tens of thousands" in the coming weeks.

After yesterday's emergency national cabinet meeting, most states signed off on a new definition of close contact. Under the changes set to come into effect in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT on Friday morning, isolation periods for COVID-positive cases and close contacts will be slashed.

The definition of “close contact” has been streamlined to cover only household or intimate contacts who spent more than four hours with a positive case.

In all of those jurisdictions, except for South Australia, close contacts and confirmed COVID-19 cases will now only need to isolate for seven days, if a rapid antigen test taken on day six comes back negative.