South Australia’s surging COVID numbers have hit close to home for Premier Steven Marshall, who has placed himself in isolation after a family member tested positive for the virus.

Mr Marshall said he dined with his daughter on Thursday night and is now classified as a close contact.

“I have gone straight to get a PCR test at one of our many testing sites and will undertake my seven-day isolation period, as so many South Australians are also doing,” Mr Marshall said in a statement on Saturday.

“I have no symptoms and am feeling well. I will continue to chair the daily COVID Ready Committee meetings and continue to lead our pandemic response.”

Mr Marshall said he learned about his daughter’s positive result on Saturday.

Earlier the state reported 4274 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths, a 13 per cent rise on on the previous day and amid a 20 per cent rise in testing. Hospitalisations rose to 164, with 16 of those in intensive care.

About 80 per cent of ICU patients were unvaccinated, despite the unvaccinated making up only 7.3 per cent of the population.

Two more health workers tested positive. Some 608 health workers are either positive or in isolation due to being a close contact, from a workforce of 53,000.

‘Steadily increasing’

“That number is steadily increasing and something we’re very concerned about,” Mr Marshall told reporters earlier on Saturday.

Those COVID figures are expected to see a further increase when the state’s latest COVID situation report is released on Sunday.

The five deaths included a person aged in their 50s and another in their 60s.

Three cases were uncovered in remote Indigenous communities, including a person who had relocated from Adelaide.

But Mr Marshall said it was pleasing that 270 community members in Amata, in the APY Lands, had tested negative after two cases were reported there earlier. Another 30 results are expected soon.

Mr Marshall confirmed aged care and disability workers will join healthcare workers in needing a third vaccine dose to be considered fully vaccinated.

That mandate will apply from January 30.

He warned the government was considering applying the third-dose mandate to other workforces, including childcare.

-with AAP