By RNZ Auckland’s biggest vaccination centre is reopening today, as thousands of New Zealanders become eligible for their booster dose this week.The gap between the second dose and the time New Zealanders will be eligible for…

A day after reporting its highest average daily Covid-19 case number, the US shattered the record on Thursday, with an average of 355,990 infections reported every day in the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University.

As the latest surge sweeps across the US, pushing cases and hospitalisations to unprecedented levels and altering daily life again, experts warn a turning point could be weeks away.

"Given the size of our country – and the diversity of vaccination versus not vaccination — that it likely will be more than a couple of weeks (until Covid-19 cases peak) … probably by the end of January," Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, told CNBC.

READ MORE: NSW COVID-19 case numbers rise again

Roughly 62 per cent of the country is fully vaccinated, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only about 33 per cent of fully vaccinated adults have gotten boosters, which experts say are critical to protect against severe illness from the variants.

The Omicron variant – the most contagious strain – is rapidly spreading across the world, with Australia and several European countries reporting their highest-ever case counts.

In the US, states are seeing their highest case and hospitalisation numbers ever. Some governors are calling in the National Guard.

New York reported more than 76,500 new cases Thursday, the governor's office said, breaking its single-day record. Hospitalisations hit about 8,000, an 8% spike from the day before. Hospitalizations have risen almost 20 per cent since Monday.

"Get vaccinated, get boosted, mask up and avoid large indoor public gatherings when possible," said Gov. Kathy Hochul, later announcing she was extending the mandate for businesses to have a masking or vaccine requirement to February 1.

Arkansas also set a case record, as more than 4970 residents tested positive in a day, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday. Maryland, reporting more than 10,870 new cases Wednesday, beat a state record that was set days earlier and reported its highest hospitalisation rate this week.

New Jersey, meanwhile, identified more than 28,000 new Covid-19 cases via PCR testing, Governor Phil Murphy said Thursday, "roughly quadruple from just two weeks ago, and four times as many cases than during the height of last winter's surge."

The number of positive cases is likely higher due to at-home testing, he added.

He said that as of Thursday evening, 3864 Covid-19 patients were being treated across the state, "more than double in just two weeks," the governor said, adding 70% of hospitalized Covid-19 patients are unvaccinated.

"Our hospitals right now are at roughly the same numbers they were on the worst day of last winter's surge," Murphy said. "The problem is that right now we don't see any sign of let up."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is deploying 1,250 National Guard troops, he said on the day the state reported its highest hospitalization number. Georgia also deployed 200 troops in the same week that six major health systems saw 100 per cent to 200 per cent increases in hospitalizations, Gov. Brian Kemp said. New York is doubling its National Guard deployment to 100 and is preparing for 80 Guardsmen to undergo emergency medical training next month, Hochul said.

Things will get worse before they get better, one expert said.

"We know that over the next five to six weeks we're going to continue to see transmission of this virus throughout this country, much like a viral blizzard," said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. "With that, we are going to see a perfect storm in our health care settings."

Child Covid-19 hospital admissions reach record-high

With more virus spreading in the country, more children are getting sick and being hospitalised than at any other point in the pandemic.

An average of 378 children were admitted to hospitals on any given day over the week ending December 28, according to the CDC and US Department of Health and Human Services.

That's a 66 per cent jump from the previous week and an all-time record, beating the one set at the end of August and early September, when an average of 342 children were admitted.

The vast majority of children admitted to hospitals are unvaccinated, said Dr Lee Savio Beers, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Where I work and practice here in DC at Children's National, about half of our hospitalizations … are children under 5," Savio Beers said.

The number of children facing severe conditions is relatively low, but combine those with the "gigantic numbers of cases" and the percentage of unvaccinated Americans, "and I'm really worried that we're going to be in for a tidal wave of admissions, particularly for kids in the coming weeks," said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

By RNZ Auckland’s mayor Phil Goff hopes residents will be able to continue enjoying their freedom this year, but urges everyone to keep safe from Covid-19.The country’s largest city spent two spells in lockdown last year, but…

Authorities are considering charges against a man attacked by a tiger after entering an unauthorised area after hours at a Naples, Florida, zoo, leaving a deputy no choice but to kill the critically-endangered cat.

Zoo officials' thoughts are with the badly injured man – identified as 26-year-old River Rosenquist of Naples – who is facing an arduous healing process, said Jack Mulvena, president and CEO of Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. He noted that Rosenquist, who worked for a commercial cleaning vendor, repeatedly told a 911 dispatcher, "I'm sorry," as he pleaded for help.

"Our thoughts and well wishes are with River Rosenquist and his family and his doctors in what is going to be a very difficult recovery," Mulvena said. "It was a bad mistake, a bad decision, but we only wish him well in the recovery and I want to say that from the heart."

Mulvena praised the Collier County deputy who killed the tiger. Following the incident, the zoo CEO met with his weapons team, which would've been dispatched had the attack occurred during zoo hours. Its members told him they would've taken the same course of action as the deputy, he said.

"Their deputy tried to distract the tiger first, as you saw from the footage, and faced a very difficult decision – and we support that decision," Mulvena said.

The jarring 911 call

The cleaning company for which Rosenquist works typically cleans the zoo hospital, commissary, gift shop and two bathrooms, Mulvena said. Third-party employees are not supposed to enter certain areas in the zoo.

"Their job is very specific, and they're not to be in any areas that they're not supposed to be in," he said.

Mulvena is not sure why Rosenquist climbed over the visitor barrier designed to separate zoo patrons from Eko, the eight-year-old Malayan tiger, he said.

"We suspect it was to pet or to feed, but we don't know for certain. Only River knows that," Mulvena said.

The 911 call begins with Rosenquist screaming, "Help me! I'm at Naples Zoo! I'm being attacked by a tiger please, please, please!"

The dispatcher tries for about 9 minutes to calm Rosenquist as he gutturally wails, pleading over and over for help. Between his screams, he explains he is just outside the cage and the tiger has his hand and is going to rip off his arm.

"I'm going to die! Please help!" Rosenquist says.

"They're coming to you," the dispatcher replies, assuring him deputies are en route.

"Please help! I don't have much longer!" Rosenquist says, adding, "You've got to shoot it! You've got to shoot it! It's ripping my arm off! Please!"

The man apologises profusely between his pleas for help. He doesn't have much breath, he says. The deputy arrives and within a minute, a gunshot is heard and the call ends.

State and federal charges possible?

According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, Eko retreated to the back of his enclosure after being shot. Deputies launched a drone and found the tiger unresponsive.

A zoo veterinarian tranquilized Eko for safe measure and entered the cage, where he found the tiger dead.

"Our deputy did everything he could do in that situation and he ultimately made the only possible decision he could in order to save this man's life," Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said. "This was a tragic encounter at our world-class zoo facility."

Mulvena said the CCSO, too, is world class, lauding the deputy's "exceptional" response time.

The sheriff's office is working with state and federal prosecutors to investigate the incident, and "the investigation will determine whether criminal charges will be filed," a CCSO statement said. The zoo is conducting its own investigation. Mulvena declined to comment on the possibility of charges, saying, "Honestly, our focus right now is on our staff."

While the zoo planned to open Friday with Eko's enclosure empty, Mulvena wanted to give his staff space to grieve, he said. Losing Eko is like losing a family member, and grief counselors will be on hand. Zookeepers were emotional Friday and won't be holding any of the talks they typically deliver to visitors, he said.

Zoo staff are planning graphics for the enclosure, directing visitors to the zoo website and an explanation of what happened, Mulvena said. They also want to establish a conservation fund to protect Malayan tigers in the wild.

Eko arrived at the zoo in December of 2019. Malayan tigers are typically found on the Malay Peninsula and in the southern tip of Thailand, according to the zoo's website. They're critically endangered and face threats including poaching and habitat loss, the zoo site said.

A scrub fire at Waiharara is continuing burn, and people in the Far North are reminded to stay away from the beach over the New Year holidays.Fire crews are currently dealing with a resurgence of the backing fire that had flared…

As Australia ushered in the new year, New South Wales ambulance workers last night grappled with a record-breaking number of calls.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Kay Armstrong told Today last night saw a mix of New Year "mischief" as well as coronavirus-related calls.

The state has today clocked a new daily record, with 22,577 new COVID-19 infections and five coronavirus-related deaths. Hospitalisations have risen to 901, with 79 people in ICU.

READ MORE: NSW COVID-19 cases surge past 20,000 again as hospitalisations rise

Ms Armstrong has implored residents in the state to save Triple 0 calls for emergencies, saying staff are struggling with fatigue and "relentless" calls.

"It was the first time we have had this many calls in 126 years, so it was certainly busy," she said.

"We have lots of exhausted paramedics out there at the moment, especially now it is summertime.

"The biggest challenges at the moment are the relentless calls and the demands on our crews. They are not having any breaks. They are wearing their PPE into every job which on a day like today is very hot. It is very dehydrating. They are changing their outfits up to 10 times a day.

"That is so demanding on them alone let alone going into homes where COVID is all around them."

READ MORE: What happens if I test positive to a rapid antigen test on day six?

Ms Armstrong said emergency crews are receiving calls for matters such as PCR tests.

"We need to remember to save 000 for emergency calls," she said.

"We are still getting calls unnecessary. If you can't breathe, if you have chest pain, you are having a stroke, you have had a car accident, they are all reasons for calling 000.

"If you want a result for an individual test, don't call us for those things. If you have mild symptoms and you can treat yourself at home please do so or read Health Direct or the GPs."

READ MORE: Police officers forced out of Queensland cafe during COVID-19 checks

How to manage COVID-19 at home

Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Canberra Health Services Professor Sanjaya Senanayake said a COVID-positive result should be treated like a cold until symptoms deteriorate.

"You have to weigh that request being assessed in hospital versed the fact that the hospitals are stretched at the moment," Professor Senanayake told Today.

"If you are young and you have no chronic health conditions, particularly if you are vaccinated, this is likely to be a mild infection like a mild cold or flu.

"Keep your fluids up, make sure you eat well and take paracetamol if you have fevers and rest a lot."

Professor Senanayake went on to describe the symptoms that should prompt a call for help.

"If you are starting to get entractable fevers, you are becoming more short of breath, you find that you are getting fairly moderate or severe vomiting or diarrhoea and you can't keep your fluids up.

"If you find you are feeling dizzy or faint when you stand up, they are signs that you should be contacting someone," he said.

Professor Senanayake said it's important coronavirus-positive patients stay calm, and if feeling anxious to call their state hotline for advice.

"If you are getting very stressed, anxious or stressed about being isolated and worried about having COVID please call someone," he said.

"If you are stressed at any time, there is in every state and territory a number to call, someone to speak to."

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