South Korea has become the latest country to mandate testing for Chinese travellers, joining the United States, Italy, Japan, India and Taiwan.

They cite a lack of information from Beijing on possible variants and the wave of infections spreading throughout the country, with some analysts estimating thousands of people a day are dying with COVID-19 in China.

Health experts from across the globe have called on China to be more transparent about the unfolding outbreak.

Leading epidemiologist Professor Angela Webster said Australia needed to better understand the variants emerging in China.

“There could be new variants in China rapidly circulating and therefore potentially spreading to the rest of the world that we are unprepared for and we haven’t been able to learn much about before it happens,” she said.

She said PCR tests were used to sequence COVID-19 strains as Australia monitors the number of severe infections and hospitalisations to assess the impact the virus is having during the holidays.

“It may be we have to reinstate more routine testing here to ensure that any incoming variants aren’t completely different,” Prof Webster said.

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said the government needed to follow the health advice when it came to Chinese arrivals, with the chief medical officer not yet recommending extra measures for tourists.

“If that medical advice says we need to act, we need to be in a position to act and act quickly,” he said.

Tehan said there should be concern about rising infections in China as Australia is a popular tourist destination.

“What we have to make sure is that we are being fully advised of all the risks,” he said.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the government continued to monitor the situation and health advice.

“The health advice at the moment has said there shouldn’t be any changes,” she said.

The Royal Hobart Hospital has had to reallocate staff, call on casual and part-timers and ask staff to work overtime to address the “significant” demand for services and COVID-related absences straining resources.

Because of a major surge in demand for hospital and ambulance services in southern Tasmania, State Health Commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said the department would “reluctantly” have to keep recalling staff.

As cities and towns across Australia prepare to celebrate New Year’s Eve without COVID restrictions for the first time in three years, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged people to look after their health.

“Don’t relax. COVID is still around,” he said.

In the lead-up to Christmas, national COVID-19 cases and death rates were declining.

There was a four per cent drop in infections in the week to the Friday before Christmas, with an average of 15,314 daily cases reported.

-AAP