Australia: On Monday, the Australian state of New South Wales reported over 6,000 new COVID-19 cases and confirmed its first death from the omicron strain.  A man in his 80s who was infected at an aged care facility in western Sydney was identified as the fatal case. He was fully immunised, yet he suffered from underlying health issues.

On Monday, New South Wales, the country's most populated state, reported 6,324 new infections, down 70 from the previous day's high. There were 524 patients in hospitals, with 55 of them in critical condition.

New rules went into effect in New South Wales on Monday, requiring "check-ins" with QR codes in hospitality facilities and limiting the number of people per 2 square metres (22 square feet) in pubs and restaurants. Because of staff shortages, state health minister Brad Hazzard said the state government is considering eliminating the requirement for health workers to isolate after being exposed to COVID-19.

On Monday, the state of Victoria recorded 1,999 new cases, with three deaths.  Victoria has proceeded to random genome testing for the omicron variant to better understand its spread, according to state COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar.

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