ACT posts 189 COVID-19 cases, new record

Dominic Giannini | December 27, 2021

The ACT has recorded 189 new COVID-19 cases, a new daily high for the territory.

One person is in hospital but no one is in intensive care or requiring ventilation, according to the figures reported on Monday.

The cases come amid 4266 negative results being returned. 

The territory has moved to prioritise testing those who are close contacts, people who have symptoms of COVID-19, or returned international travellers, amid extremely high testing demand.

Its Garran and Mitchell clinics will only test those priority groups between 11:00am and 3:00pm on Monday after people taking tests to travel interstate caused long wait times at testing centres.

Fully vaccinated close contacts who need to take a test to exit quarantine will be able to leave on day seven if they receive a negative test result on or after day five, providing they don’t have any symptoms. 

Those who find out about their exposure on day four are able to delay their initial test until the fifth day or later.

The territory’s vaccination rate for its 12-plus population is 98.5 per cent.