April 1

Australia's peak public health body has warned that the nation's spike in coronavirus cases will likely peak in mid-April.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) on Thursday night published an update on Australia's preparedness for an expected surge in COVID-19 cases in winter.

It revealed that the number of new cases reported every day in Australia increased by more than 76 percent between March 11 and March 23 while hospitalizations rose by nearly 25 percent.

It attributed the increase to the emergence of the more transmissible Omicron BA.2 sub-variant and waning protection from vaccines and previous infections.

"These trends are aligned with the experience reported internationally. We also note forecasting which suggests this current wave will peak around mid-April in many jurisdictions," it said in a statement.

Australia on Friday reported more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases and 16 deaths, taking the pandemic death toll past 6,000.

The AHPPC also on Thursday flagged removing quarantine requirements for all close contacts of COVID-19 cases, instead recommending mitigation measures such as frequent rapid testing, mask wearing and avoiding high-risk settings.

Nicola Spurrier, South Australia's Chief Public Health Officer and a member of the AHPPC, said the committee was "keen" for a uniform approach across all states and territories.

"At some point nationwide, we'd like to move to a place of not requiring quarantine for close contacts," she told reporters.

"We'll be watching very closely but not just in South Australia; we do want to move on this as a nation."

xinhua