Australia is in the grip of a third wave of infections with the
Delta outbreak forcing officials to ditch their COVID-zero strategy
in favour of suppressing the virus.
They now aim to begin easing tough restrictions after reaching a
higher proportion of the population with double-dose vaccinations.
New South Wales (NSW), the epicentre of the country's worst
outbreak, reported 1,542 new daily local cases, topping the previous
high of 1,533 hit last week. Nine new deaths were registered.
"So far this trajectory is what has been predicted," NSW Premier
Gladys Berejiklian told a media briefing in Sydney, the state
capital, where cases are expected to hit a peak in the next week.
Berejiklian said the daily COVID-19 media briefing would be scrapped
from Monday and updates would be detailed in an online video, an
approach previously used when case numbers were low.
Rising cases in Sydney have increased the load for ambulance staff,
with the number of COVID-19 patients transported doubling in the
last two weeks to total almost 6,000, officials said. Some 1,156
people are hospitalised in the state, with 207 in intensive care, 89
of whom require ventilation.
[to top of second column] |
Despite cases lingering near
record levels, NSW authorities on Thursday said
Sydney's businesses could reopen https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-set-out-roadmap-easing-covid-19-curbs-even-cases-rise-2021-09-08
once 70% of the state's adult population is
fully vaccinated, a target due to be reached
around the middle of October. So far, 76% of
people above 16 in the state have had received
at least one dose, while 44% have been fully
vaccinated. Victoria state
logged 334 new cases, its biggest rise for this year, and one death.
Some restrictions in the capital Melbourne will be eased when 70% of
the adult population has received at least one vaccine dose,
expected around Sept. 23.
A four-stage national reopening plan unveiled by the federal
government in July aims to relax several tough curbs once the
country reaches a 70-80% immunisation target from 40% now. However,
some virus-free states have flagged they may delay easing curbs on
inter-state travel and other restrictions.
Australia's total infection numbers stand at around 70,000 cases,
including 1,076 deaths. Higher vaccinations have kept the death rate
at 0.41% in the Delta outbreak, data shows, below previous
outbreaks.
(Reporting by Renju Jose; editing by Jane Wardell and Lincoln
Feast.)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |