Australia has started 2022 with a record number of new Covid-19 cases as an outbreak centred in the eastern states grew, and New South Wales eased its isolation rules for healthcare workers as the number of people hospitalised with the virus rose.

New South Wales, the most populous state, and Victoria both posted daily record case numbers of 22,577 and 7,442 respectively, health department figures showed.

There were four deaths due to Covid in New South Wales and nine in Victoria, taking the national death toll from the pandemic to more than 2,250, according to Reuters.

Including cases in Queensland, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, Saturday had already set a national record of 33,161 cases, topping Friday's 32,946, even before numbers from South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were released.