A senior citizen in wheelchair is pictured on a street in Canberra, Australia, Sept 7, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

SYDNEY — The Department of Health in Western Australia (WA) confirmed on Friday that the mask-wearing requirement would be strengthened across the state's public hospitals in response to rising COVID-19 cases.

According to a statement by WA Health, from next Nov 20, staff and patients must wear surgical masks in high-risk clinical areas, including hematology, oncology, organ transplant, and renal dialysis, and around vulnerable patients in critical care settings like intensive care units.

The Victorian Department of Health issued a warning in late October, reporting that the community transmission of COVID-19 is increasing statewide

The latest figures showed that in the week of Nov 6 to Nov 12, there were 531 COVID-19 cases reported in WA, 14 percent higher than the previous week.

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The state's Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson observed that COVID-19 cases had been rising since early September, primarily driven by the Omicron XBB variant EG 5.

"It's an expected part of the ongoing evolution of COVID-19 in the community as people's immunity wanes over time," he said.

Apart from WA, other Australian states were also on high alert for COVID-19 infections.

As Australia's most populated state, New South Wales recently saw a "moderate to high" spread of the disease, with the local health authority encouraging people to keep up to date with their vaccinations.

The Victorian Department of Health issued a warning in late October, reporting that the community transmission of COVID-19 is increasing statewide.

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"After a period of slow increases from July, recent weeks have seen increases to levels not observed since May," the department said.