Dr Kelly addressed media on Sunday as 891 new locally acquired infections were recorded around the country.
As both new infections and vaccinations soar in Australia, Dr Kelly said there were lessons to be learned from the UK and Israel – where outbreaks have surged but hospitalisations and deaths have been limited due to vaccination.
Dr Kelly said NSW was the state with the most Covid-19 hospitalisations but admissions were also beginning to climb in other states.
“They (rising numbers of cases) are starting present to hospital and intensive care are also increasing,” he said.
“Particularly in NSW but also in other jurisdictions. This is something we've (hospitals) been planning for, for 18 months, and we know that our hospitals, particularly our intensive care, are ready for this.”
Chief medical Officer Paul Kelly (right) says Covid-19 hospitalisations are climbing. NCA NewsWire / Gary RamageSource:News Corp Australia
Dr Kelly praised Australians for reaching 52 per cent of people (older than 16) having received at least one dose of the vaccine (10.8 million doses) while 30 per cent (6.2 million) of the same age group are fully vaccinated.
Those figures come after Australia gave out 196,000 doses of vaccinations on Saturday.
“1.1 million doses in four days, we're getting close to 2 million a week and it is close to what we are planning to do in the coming weeks,” he said.
“That is extraordinary, thank you have one involved.”
Dr Kelly said lessons could be learned from the UK and Israel and their experiences with vaccinations and opening up.
Israel has fully vaccinated 80 per cent of its adult population but the country registered 7600 new infections overnight.
Covid testing rates remain high. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel PockettSource:News Corp Australia
“(There are) lots of lessons; when the UK decided to open up, they did have an increase in cases but not an increase in any great extent in deaths or in hospitalisations or ICU except in some small pockets of the population, particularly in the Midlands, where they had lower than the national average vaccination rates,” he said.
“They have actually done what we are proposing to do at that around 80 per cent rate of vaccination.
“Israel similarly, they recently have seen an increase in cases but the death rates in hospitalisation rates have not increased the great extent.
“We‘ve absolutely looked at those (countries) every day and every week and are learning from their experiences.”