You could be forgiven for being confused about the state of the coronavirus pandemic in NSW right now.
It's been just over two weeks since almost all restrictions were scrapped, with masks now only mandatory on public transport, and in hospitals and aged-care facilities.
However, last week, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard expressed his concern over modelling that showed that cases across the state could double over the next month or so.
But then, on Friday, the national cabinet met and agreed that close contact rules should be relaxed, calling for a "transition to no longer requiring quarantining of all close contacts as soon as possible".
The national expert health panel, the AHPPC, has been asked to provide urgent advice about how each state or territory can manage the removal of isolation rules.
Over the weekend, NSW Health said its data showed that the weekly case numbers were increasing and amped up its messaging that recommended masks to be worn inside.
There were media reports also saying internal health documents showed officials were keen for a return to mandated masks - although politicians said this would be a last resort.
So are things getting better, or are they getting worse?
The answer, as always, is complicated - and as we've seen many times over the past two years, unpredictable.
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Right now, authorities are preparing for the BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron strain - which is believed to be much more transmissible but not more serious clinically - to become the dominant strain of the virus. It is expected to account for 90 per cent of cases by the end of the month.
At the same time, as winter approaches, they are preparing the health system for the flu season, which - with international borders open again - is likely to be more severe than in the past two years.
With deaths from COVID-19 still recorded every day, authorities say vaccinations will continue to play a big part in managing the virus and the flu.
In NSW, fewer than two thirds of eligible people have received their booster shot.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
