Data released by SA Health today showed 11,031 people received a PCR test in South Australia over the past week – a 28 per cent decrease on the previous week.

The number of new cases also dropped with 2053 new cases reported over the past week, down from 3261 the previous week.

There were 22 COVID-19 deaths reported in the past week, including three people aged under 70 years. This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in South Australia to 1224. As of Thursday, there were 102 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including five in ICU and one ventilated.

Nationally, COVID-19 cases are also on a downward trend, with average daily infections dropping for a third consecutive week.

The federal health department on Friday reported a 34.2 per cent decline in national cases, after similar drops in the first two weeks of January.

COVID-19 hospitalisations and intensive care admissions were also down in the week to January 17, with the latest data showing respective drops of 18.8 per cent and 20.6 per cent.

The downward trend is being experienced in every state and territory, with South Australia’s having the largest drop-off at 43.4 per cent.

Victoria’s average daily cases have decreased 38.3 per cent, with the state’s health department reporting 4912 new cases and 156 deaths on Friday.

“There continue to be positive signs the sustained peak of the November-December wave has passed,” Victoria’s chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said on Friday.

“Sadly, COVID-related deaths have increased again. An increase in reported deaths was expected following recent periods of high transmission in the community.”

In NSW and Victoria, health departments are reporting a mixed group of COVID-19 sub-variants are still circulating within the community.

NSW Health says the BR.2 variant is still the most common variant in the state, while the XBF strain accounts for 35 per cent of new Victorian infections.

The variant running rampant in the United States – dubbed XBB.1.5 – is almost non-existent in Victoria, despite earlier suggestions there were several cases.

Two cases of the XBB.1.5 strain have been detected in Victoria through genomic surveillance testing.

WEEKLY VIRUS DATA BY JURISDICTION

* Victoria: 4912 cases, 156 deaths

* NSW: 9062 cases, 131 deaths

* Northern Territory: 319 cases, no deaths

* South Australia: 2053 cases, 22 deaths

* ACT: 806 cases, no deaths

* Tasmania: 765 cases, three deaths

– with AAP