A Covid-19 winter alert is in effect in Australia, as tens of thousands of people catch the virus.

As vaccination rates fall ahead of winter, millions of Australians are at danger of catching Covid-19 during the fifth wave of the coronavirus.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has warned those with symptoms to stay home

According to the most recent health statistics, 16.6 million Australians have not received a Covid-19 booster in more than six months, and instances have climbed by 28% in the last month.

The number of individuals being vaccinated has dropped by 10,000 each week over the last three weeks, which has health experts concerned about the next colder months.

In the week ending June 2, Australia recorded 37,448 new cases of the virus, with the bulk of those occurring in New South Wales and Victoria.Each day (through May 30), an average of 5517 new cases were reported across the country, a 6.2% decrease from the previous week.

NSW had the largest number of new cases in the previous week, with 13,480 persons contracting Covid-19 in the week preceding June 2.

In 2023, there were over 557,000 documented Covid cases across the country, with over 2,600 fatalities.

Australia recorded 37,448 new cases of the virus in the week until June 2, with the majority of those being recorded in NSW and Victoria.

New South Wales also had the most deaths and hospitalisations, with 64 people killed, 1459 hospitalised, and 34 in intensive care.

Dr Kerry Chant, NSW Chief Health Officer, stressed that persons with symptoms should stay at home to avoid spreading the virus.

"Please don't spread your germs around." "Please stay at home even if your rapid antigen tests are negative," she advised.

"Please just do those simple measures that we've put in place for the past few years and that we've learned so well as a community."

Thousands of individuals in Victoria have also caught the virus in the last week, with 8669 new cases reported, a 15% decline from the previous week's total of 10,642 cases.There are currently 464 Victorians in hospital with Covid-19, a 12% rise from the previous week.

The number of deaths in the state also increased, with 50 individuals dying after getting the virus - an average of seven deaths each day.

"This represents a nearly 18% increase when compared to the same period last month," a Victorian Health spokeswoman said.

As of May 30, Queensland has recorded 777 average daily cases, up from 757 the previous week.

The state also reported two deaths on May 15, as well as 321 hospitalised people, seven of whom are in intensive care units.

In the week ending June 2, South Australia reported 3728 new cases, including 36 new fatalities and 198 patients in hospital.

In Western Australia, there were 3767 new cases of the virus, down from 4486 the previous week.

There were also 15 fatalities and 231 hospitalisations.