The latest Covid report - If you remain interested!

WA Health is reporting a total of 5,823 new Covid cases in the past week to 4pm 27 October 2022.

As of 4pm Thursday, there were 3,537 active cases in Western Australia.

As at 4pm Thursday, there were a total of 140 people with COVID-19 in hospital, with 8 in ICU.

This week’s report to 4pm Thursday includes 19 deaths, dating back to 13 September 2022, which were reported to WA Health in the last week, aged from 73 to 99 years.

Total PCR tests for the timeframe were 8,756.

Total positive PCR tests for the timeframe were 1,424. Total positive rapid antigen tests (RATs) in this period were 4,399.

WA has recorded 1,174,785 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

In the week of 17 October to 23 October 2022 there were:

• 5,263 COVID-19 cases reported
– 1,215 with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests o 4,048 with positive rapid antigen tests (RAT)
o- 742 were reinfections, as defined
• 51 new hospital admissions and 6 new admission directly into an intensive care unit
• 7 deaths reported, aged between 71 and 97 years old
• 8,454 COVID-19 PCR tests conducted

WA Health’s’ ‘Surveillance summary’ disclosed that –

* There was a 11% increase in PCR tests conducted in the current reporting week compared to the previous reporting week, with the proportion of positive PCR tests increasing over the course of the week with a 7-day average of 16.5%.

* Overall, case numbers increased by 9% compared to the previous week. Cases diagnosed by PCR increased by 16% and RAT increased by 7%. The increase in the proportion of positive PCR tests over the past week is likely the combined effect of both the reduced availability of open access PCR testing to the public and the increase in cases reported.

* Moving seven-day average case rates per 100,000 population increased at a marginal rate across most public health regions. The Pilbara region has the lowest case rate with 13 cases/100,000 population during the current reporting week. The 7-day case rate for the Perth metropolitan area (29 cases/100,000 population) is tracking approximately 32% higher than Western Australia Country Health Service (WACHS) regions combined (22 cases/100,000 population). The highest rates were observed in the 70+ years age group (38 cases/100,000 population), with rates reducing slightly in the 20 – 29 years age group (28 cases/100,000 population). Nationally, moving seven-day case rates appear to be tracking at a steady low level between 10 – 30 cases/100,000 people across all jurisdictions.

* The 7-day average of hospitalised cases increased by 10% from 157 in the last reporting week to 172 this week and intensive care unit cases increased from 3 in the last reporting week to 6 this week. New hospital admissions related to COVID-19 increased by 59% from 32 in the last reporting week to 51 this week, and direct intensive care unit admissions increased from one to six cases in the last reporting week.

* There was a 40% increase in deaths reported in the current reporting week with 7 deaths reported compared to the 5 in the previous reporting week.

* There were 174 cases in the Aboriginal population during the current reporting week, a 22% decrease in cases compared to the previous reporting week. Case rates in the Aboriginal population have declined below the non-Aboriginal population, with the 7-day average rate ratio reducing to 0.8 in the past week. No deaths were reported in the Aboriginal population during the reporting period.

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