The Australian state of Victoria is exempting more workers from quarantine requirements for being close contacts.  The decision came amid pressure on supply chains and will apply to staff in emergency services, education, and transport.

Melbourne, January 15 (RHC)-- The Australian state of Victoria is exempting more workers from quarantine requirements for being close contacts.  The decision came amid pressure on supply chains and will apply to staff in emergency services, education, and transport.

Australia is reporting its biggest caseload since the pandemic began, logging more than 147,000 new cases on Thursday.

A total of 53 new deaths were also reported, but the death rate during the Omicron wave is lower than prior outbreaks in Australia.  More than 92 percent of people over the age of 16 are double-dosed in the country.

Net new hospital admissions and people admitted to intensive care are at their highest in the pandemic but authorities in Australia say the health systems can cope with the rising cases.