- As the country fights the new coronavirus, the states of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia are facing a surge in Covid-19 cases.
- Millions of Australians are under strict lockdown, and the authorities have urged more citizens to test and get vaccinated.
- This is the government’s attempt to control the coronavirus outbreak caused by the Delta variant.
On Sunday, New South Wales and Queensland on the east coast of Australia faced escalating battles with Covid-19 Delta variants. Millions of people were under strict lockdown. Authorities urged more testing and vaccinations to control the epidemic.
Sydney and its surrounding areas have reported 239 new locally infected cases of highly infectious delta virus under a five-week stay-at-home order, which is in line with the daily record number of the current outbreak reported on Thursday.
The city’s 5 million residents and residents of the nearby regional center spanning 200 kilometers of coastline will stay at home until August 28. In the epidemic that began in mid-June, the total number of cases has reached 3427.
The Governor of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian said:
I think it is important to know that there is no road map for the Delta variant. Our challenge is to get as many people as possible to get vaccinated in August, so when August 28 arrives, we can choose how to relax the restrictions.
Vaccination efforts in Australia are progressing slowly, so far only 18% of adults have been fully vaccinated. New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard stated that 70% of the state’s population can be fully vaccinated in about four months.
In neighboring Queensland, there were 9 new cases of Covid-19, which was the largest single-day surge in the past year. On Saturday, more than 3 million residents were put under emergency lockdown for three days.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Janet Young said: “(Being tested) is of utmost importance. Anyone with any symptoms, no matter where you are, does not matter, because I don’t currently know where the virus is.”
Australia has managed to contain its epidemic to a large extent, with a total of more than 34,000 cases and 924 deaths. But the slow vaccination campaign means that it may take months for the country to reopen its borders.
We want to hear your opinion on the news. Subscribe to news 24 Be part of the dialogue in the comment section of this article.
