CANBERRA, Aug 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Australia reported a new record number of 894 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases this morning, as outbreaks in the nation’s two populous states continue to grow. It marks the second time in three days that the country has reported a new record number of infections.
As of yesterday, about 51 percent of Australians aged 16 and over, had received at least one vaccine dose and about 29 percent were fully vaccinated.
The vast majority of today’s new cases, 825 of them, were in New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s most populous state, with Sydney as the capital city. It was also the most cases reported by any of Australia’s states or territories, during the pandemic.
Victoria, the second-most populous state, where Melbourne is the capital city, reported a further 61 new cases, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded another eight.
About half the Australian population in NSW, Victoria and ACT, is still in lockdown today.
It takes the number of active cases in the ACT, past 100 for the first time, with 102 now, linked to an outbreak in Canberra, as the nation’s capital entered its second week of lockdown.
ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, said, the region’s lockdown, which entered its ninth full day, appeared to be working with none of the new cases, while they were in the community.
“The lockdown has significantly reduced the risk around new exposure sites, but there will still be some,” he told reporters today.
As of yesterday afternoon, there had been 42,228 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of locally acquired cases in the previous 24 hours was 706, according to the latest figures, updated last night, from the Department of Health.– NNN-AGENCIES
