Despite a lockdown that has lasted for ten weeks, the Australian state of New South Wales continues to report record CoV figures. Today, authorities in the east coast region recorded 1,431 new cases and 12 deaths – more than at any time since the pandemic began. The Sydney metropolitan area has been particularly hard hit. It is likely that the peak of the most severe wave so far will be reached in the next 14 days, said Regional Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian.
At the same time, restrictions in parts of the most populous state were eased slightly: citizens are now allowed to play outdoor sports for more than an hour a day again. More than 36 percent of New South Wales’ approximately eight million residents are now fully vaccinated, according to authorities. There will be no major relaxation of the lockdown until 70 percent of the population has received two doses of the vaccine. This is expected to be the case in October.
Australia, a country with a population of 25 million, has long been successful in the fight against the virus thanks to strict rules, closed external borders and its isolated island location. Experts blame the rising numbers mainly on the delta variant and the sluggish start to the vaccination campaign. In total, more than 56,000 cases have been confirmed nationwide so far. About 1,000 people have died in connection with Covid-19.
- source: ORF.at/agencies/picture:pixabay.com
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