The state of New South Wales (NSW) has broken the national record again for the most COVID-19 cases recorded in one day, at 3,057 in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on Dec. 20. Despite the record high numbers, ICU numbers remain low compared to Delta outbreak, at 39 in total, of which six were newly admitted. The peak number of patients admitted to ICU during the Delta lockdowns was 242. Two elderly people died, including one vaccinated man in his 80s and one unvaccinated woman in her 70s. Both had underlying health conditions. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has refused to reintroduce mask mandates and other rules, after nearly all restrictions were removed on Dec. 15. He said the government was taking a “balanced and proportionate” response, and using ICU numbers as the main metric. “There will always be new variants of this virus. The pandemic is not going away. …