Australia’s NSW sees new record number of virus cases

dpa Sydney The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) reported its highest number of daily coronavirus infections on Wednesday, despite lockdowns in pl...

dpa SydneyThe Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) reported its highest number of daily coronavirus infections on Wednesday, despite lockdowns in place in Sydney and other parts of the state.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 633 new locally transmitted cases were recorded in 24 hours to Tuesday evening and three more Covid-19-related deaths were also confirmed, bringing the number of lives lost since the beginning of the pandemic to 116.At least 92 of the new cases were infectious in community, though the isolation status of the great majority of cases was still under investigation, according to health authorities.Greater Sydney has been subjected to stay-at-home orders for over seven weeks, with other areas in the state joining the capital in lockdown as the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc.The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), home to the capital Canberra, entered a snap lockdown after recording its first Covid-19 case in the community in more than a year on last week.On Wednesday the territory recorded 22 new infections, bringing the total of active cases to 67. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said that, since the beginning of lockdown nearly 25,000 tests were carried out, equivalent to about 6 per cent of the territory’s population.About 12,500 people, just under 3 per cent of the ACT’s population, were in quarantine, Barr added.Victoria meanwhile recorded 24 new locally acquired cases. The lockdown in state capital Melbourne, its sixth, which was imposed at the beginning of the month on Monday was extended until at least September 2.Australia, with its 25 million inhabitants, was very successful in the fight against the pandemic for a long time because of extremely strict measures, including by keeping its international border closed with few exceptions since March 2020.However, a large proportion of the population is back in lockdown due to the spread of the Delta variant and a slow roll-out of vaccinations. So far, about 27 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated, and almost half of over-16s have had at least one jab.