Sydney's Covid Outbreak A "National Emergency" As Cases Spike

Just 12 percent of Australians have been fully vaccinated, thanks to problems with supplies of Pfizer jabs and scepticism about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Sydney's fast-growing coronavirus outbreak has become a "national emergency," state leaders said Friday, as Australia's largest city reported another record number of new infections. Admitting a month-long lockdown had so far failed to stop a Delta-variant outbreak, the state of New South Wales pleaded for Canberra to urgently send more vaccines and resources. Declaring the outbreak a national emergency could pave the way for more federal government involvement in stemming the crisis. "We have an obligation on behalf of the nation to contain the virus," said New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian. "There is no doubt that the numbers are not going in the right direction."