New virus infections driven by Omicron soar in Australia

Health care workers administer Covid-19 tests at a drive-through clinic in Sydney (AAP via AP)

New coronavirus infections have soared again in Australia to a record of more than 32,000, just days after surpassing 10,000 for the first time.

Experts say the explosion is being driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant and a recent relaxation of restrictions in Sydney and other areas.