The state’s health experts and government officials alike have cautioned against reading too much too soon into the apparent stabilisation of community transmission cases, but on September 20, the state recorded its first daily tally under 1,000 – 936 cases between September 18-19 – since August 27.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian conceded that she and her team were “feeling optimistic” but urged the people of NSW not to become complacent, adding: “We’re not ready to call it - I hope it’s behind us, but Delta is insidious.”
Since hitting a peak of 1,603 cases on September 11, the state’s daily cases have hovered around 1,200 and 1,350 cases per day. Case numbers are typically lower following a weekend, as testing rates are lower. On September 19, 99,782 tests were conducted in NSW compared to 120,954 on September 18.
While daily case tallies may be appearing to stabilise, Berejiklian warned that hospitalisations and death rates were likely to continue climbing, since there is a delay between patients being diagnosed and them developing serious illness. The premier has also urged the state to brace for hospitalisation numbers to peak in October when the state will begin unlocking, as per the ‘roadmap to freedom’.