Australia’s New South Wales records first omicron death

Australia’s most populated state on Monday recorded its first COVID-19 death from the omicron variant, The Associated Press reported.

New South Wales reported that the victim was a man in his 80s who experienced a breakthrough case after contracting the new variant at an elderly care facility in western Sydney. The fully vaccinated man had an underlying health condition.

The news of the omicron-related death comes as the Australian state reported 6,324 new COVID-19 infections and 524 hospitalizations, including 55 in intensive care, the AP notes.

Australia recorded its first omicron cases at the end of November in New South Wales. The two cases came from passengers who traveled to Australia from South Africa, where the variant was first detected.

New South Wales has since taken steps to curb the spread of the variant, including imposing more restrictive measures such as capacity limits in bars and restaurants. Additionally, the state will now require QR code “check-ins” at hospitality venues, according to the AP.

Australia earlier this week imposed heightened restrictions nationwide as the country experiences record-breaking daily infections. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Australia has reported 273,000 infections and 2,173 deaths.