Tasmania appears to have past the peak of its Omicron outbreak since cases started emerging when borders opened on December 15, director of Public Health Mark Veitch says, but he has remained cautious about the future.
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Tasmania's new case numbers have seen a steady decline since a peak around January 12, to remain in the 600s. A third COVID death was reported on Tuesday morning - a 79-year-old woman in the Launceston General Hospital.
Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said Tasmania had passed its peak, although community transmission was continuing.
"I think the trends we're seeing in the recent days, is likely to reflect a reduction in community transmission from levels we saw earlier this month," he said.
"It's very hard to interpret where were at in terms of our plateau. I think we're past the peak of the initial entry of Omicron into the Tasmanian population."
Dr Veitch expected cases to remain between 600 and 700 for a few days, and for the reduction in daily case numbers to be "slower" from now on.
"It's always risky to bank a house on what's going to happen with infectious diseases," he said.
Public Health claims it expected Tasmania to see a "short and sharp" peak when Omicron started to spread in the community.
Dr Veitch said given that it was the first time COVID had been allowed to transmit throughout Tasmania, it was still difficult to predict what it would look like in the weeks and months to come, and whether another wave would occur.
But he said if a second wave occurred in Tasmania, he was hopeful of having booster vaccinations widespread throughout the community which would lessen the severity.
Dr Veitch also said the first Omicron wave would "alter the population's immunity" ahead of potential future waves.
Close contact exemptions for businesses to expand
From noon Friday, the number of businesses eligible for exemptions under close contact rules will be expanded to include health, welfare, critical pharmacy work, vets, end-of-life care, dental, education, childcare, telecommunications and some broadcast media.
Premier Peter Gutwein said 128 businesses and 686 workers had been approved under current arrangements, while 11 businesses had been refused due to not being "critical or essential".
"If you do return to work... you need to be critical, you need to be essential, in the main businesses that have been applying have been," he said.
Workers must wear appropriate PPE and only travel to and from work, avoiding social settings.
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