SYDNEY, Aug 18 (NNN-XINHUA) – Australia’s New South Wales (NSW), epicentre of the country’s current outbreak, saw the largest daily increase of cases in the latest outbreak, while authorities predicted the household transmission could make it worse.
The state today recorded 633 new locally acquired cases, in the past 24 hours, a 40-percent increase from the 452 cases the previous day, and the source of infection for 475 cases is still under investigation.
The state also recorded three deaths, including a male in his 60s and two males in their late 70s.
NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, described the case numbers as a “huge increase” and warned that the data in the last few days is showing “we haven’t seen the worst of it.”
NSW chief health officer, Dr. Kerry Chant, explained that the growing household transmission was one of the reasons causing a significant jump in case numbers.
“Working in factories and cleaning and other things, going into workplaces, leading to transmission and then a seeding of another household and then what’s happening is they’re potentially going into multiple households,” Chant said.
To better control the spread of the virus in the south and west parts of Sydney, the worst-hit areas with most cases, residents aged 16 to 39, living in the 12 local government areas of concern, will be given priority access to the Pfizer vaccine at a number of NSW Health clinics from tomorrow, with the additional 530,000 doses provided by the federal government, over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
“We know there are several hundred thousand people in these LGAs, who are unvaccinated in this age group, and this is a great opportunity for them to come forward and get their jab,” NSW Health Deputy Secretary, Susan Pearce said.
Meanwhile, NSW stopped publishing every Sydney COVID-19 exposure site, due to high volume. The health authorities said, the locations where there have not been many transmissions, such as takeaway venues and supermarkets, won’t be published, as exposure sites mount and cases skyrocket.
The neighbouring state of Victoria recorded 24 new locally acquired cases today, with the links of four cases remaining mysterious.
The state of Queensland to the north of NSW will ease restrictions for some local government areas, including its capital city Brisbane from Friday afternoon, after the state recorded zero local cases today.
Under the eased restrictions, community sport will resume, with reduced spectators and in line with density requirements. Indoor and outdoor events and stadiums can have 75 percent ticketed and allocated seating capacity.– NNN-XINHUA
