CANBERRA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Australia's top health authority has flagged a move away from reporting the number of coronavirus deaths in the country every day.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Paul Kelly told a senate hearing on Wednesday that it was time for Australia to move towards reporting "excess deaths".
Rather than measuring the total number of COVID-19 deaths, as all Australian states and territories have done since the start of the pandemic, excess deaths measure the difference between the number of people expected to die over a period of time and the actual number.
"Although every death from COVID-19 is a sad event for family and friends and as a country, this is an outcome we should acknowledge," Kelly said.
According to Department of Health data, there had been 6,462 total coronavirus deaths and approximately 4.65 million confirmed cases in Australia as of Wednesday. The number of new cases reported in the previous 24 hours was 63,203.
On Thursday morning, Australia reported more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths, including 16 in New South Wales (NSW), the nation's most populous state.
John Frewen, the commander of the COVID-19 task force, said that complacency had slowed the uptake of coronavirus booster vaccines in Australia.
He said that under-40s were lagging behind ahead of an expected spike in cases in winter.
A new national advertising campaign will aim to encourage higher uptake.
"It's really about reminding that age cohort that their social life, their fitness routines, their businesses, all of those things are underpinned by the maximum possible take-up of vaccines, including boosters," Frewen said. ■