In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, an SA Health spokesperson confirmed that Spurrier had tested positive for COVID-19.

They said Spurrier was “pleased that she is fully up-to-date with her vaccinations, including the winter fourth dose, and is currently experiencing extremely mild symptoms”.

“Professor Spurrier will conduct her duties as chief public health officer from home until the conclusion of her isolation period,” the spokesperson said.

“She would like to emphasise the importance for everyone to seek COVID testing even with the most minimal symptoms and encourages mask wearing to prevent unknowingly passing on infection.”

It comes after new modelling discussed by the Emergency Management Council on Tuesday shows South Australia is on track to reach the peak of the current Omicron wave within days.

The modelling predicts “in excess of 400 hospitalisations” within the next couple of weeks, including people who are admitted because of their COVID infection, as well as those who are in hospital for other conditions but who incidentally have the virus.

South Australia yesterday reported 4172 new COVID cases – up from 4053 on Monday – but the number of people with COVID in hospital dropped to 282 from Monday’s record of 306.

Three people died after testing positive for the virus – a man in his 70s, a woman in her 40s and a woman in her 80s.

Health Minister Chris Picton said after reviewing the modelling, authorities decided to defer non-urgent overnight elective surgeries in metropolitan hospitals over the next four weeks.

He told reporters yesterday that SA Health estimated that it needed to find an additional 40 beds every day out of the elective surgery workload to make sure hospitals could cope once COVID hospitalisations peak over the next few weeks.

“That clearly points to the pressure on our health system, the pressure to make sure that we find available capacity in our health system for people who need admission for COVID,” he said.