- Australia’s two largest states reported on Wednesday that new Covid-19 cases have increased sharply.
- New South Wales has recorded 110 new cases, which is higher than the 78 cases recorded in the city and surrounding areas the day before the lockdown nearly four weeks.
- There were 22 new cases in Victoria, up from 9 the day before, which is the largest increase since the outbreak this month.
Australia’s two largest states reported on Wednesday that new Covid-19 cases have increased sharply, which has dampened hopes of lifting the lockdown, and more than half of the country’s population is under a stay-at-home order.
New South Wales is the seat of Sydney, the country’s most populous city. New South Wales has recorded 110 new cases, up from 78 the previous day. The city and surrounding areas have been locked down for nearly four weeks to curb the deadly The outbreak of the delta virus.
Victoria recorded 22 new cases, compared with 9 the day before, which is the largest increase since the outbreak this month, even though the state is close to the second week of a statewide lockdown.
The Governor of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian said in a television press conference:
If we had not entered the lockdown a few weeks ago, today’s 110 number would undoubtedly be in the thousands.
“But we need to work harder, of course, all of us need to be vigilant,” she added.
Health leaders stated that their biggest concern is the number of people who were active in the community before receiving a coronavirus diagnosis, and this number should be close to zero before the lockdown is lifted.
Berejiklian said that the number jumped to 43 on Wednesday, double the previous day, and she won’t be able to determine until next week whether the city will lift the blockade before the July 30 target.
However, the Victorian authorities stated that 16 of its 22 new cases were in quarantine during the infection, while the exposure sites of the remaining 6 cases were “really low” due to lockdown restrictions.
The third state, South Australia, also entered the first day of a week-long lockdown on Wednesday and reported another case.
‘More Pfizer’
One and a half years after the pandemic, about 13 million Australians were under strict lockdown, which put pressure on the federal government. Due to the slow immunization program, the federal government’s polls fell to the lowest level in a year. Slightly more than 11% of the population has been vaccinated.
So far, the main vaccine in the government arsenal has been developed by AstraZeneca Plc. Due to the small risk of blood clotting, the country’s drug regulatory agency only recommends it for people over 60 years old, while the vaccine produced by Pfizer It has been recommended for people over 60 years old. Due to limited supply, it is limited to those over 40 years old.
New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazard said at a press conference: “We have done as much work as possible, but the problem is that we need more vaccines and we need more Pfizer.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison was criticized last year for saying that the vaccine launch was “not a race”. He defended the plan on local radio, but admitted that it was about two months later than planned.
Morrison told a radio station: “I know people are very frustrated… but this latest Delta variant has triggered a new curveball on this issue, and every country in the world is working hard to solve this problem.”
Nonetheless, Australia has outperformed many other advanced economies in keeping the number of Covid-19 relatively low, with just over 32,100 cases and 915 deaths.
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