Pressure on the healthcare system as NSW records 34,994 and Victoria records 21,997 COVID-19 cases overnight.

NSW has recorded 34,994 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths as Premier Dominic Perrottet suggests elective surgery may be suspended to ease pressure on the healthcare system.  This marks a slight drop from the record 35,054 infections seen yesterday.

More than 31 per cent of the 111,231 people tested in the latest reporting period have returned positive results for the virus, down from 32 per cent on Wednesday.

Six more people with coronavirus have died and hospitalisations have increased again, with 1609 people being treated with the virus and 131 in intensive care.

That's 118 more people in hospital, and 12 more in the ICU than yesterday.

Victoria recorded 21,997  COVID-19 cases and There were another six deaths overnight.  There are now 631 patients being treated in hospital and 100 people in intensive care (51 active cases and 49 cleared), with 22 of those on ventilators. 

The Victorian Government says elective surgery will be paused across much of the state to help hospitals cope with increasing numbers of COVID patients. 

This pause will take effect today and applies to public and private hospitals in metropolitan Melbourne and major regional cities. 

New testing rules also introduced in bid to ease pressure on strained healthcare system. In response to the surge in cases and amid mounting demand for PCR and rapid antigen tests, a trend being mirrored in other states, National Cabinet has brought in sweeping changes to Australia's testing requirements.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced rapid antigen tests would start being used at COVID-19 testing sites to speed up results, officially scrapping the requirement of a positive PCR test.