SYDNEY, Sept 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The COVID-19 outbreak, which began with just one case in Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, in mid-June, is continuing to gain momentum, as the cluster spreads relentlessly throughout the state of New South Wales (NSW).
NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, announced at her daily press conference today that, the state recorded 1,288 new locally acquired cases and seven deaths, in the 24 hours up to 8:00 p.m. local time, last night. All up, there are 23,586 local cases in this outbreak.
The state’s health system is also dealing with 957 COVID-19 hospitalised patients, including 160 in intensive care and 64 of whom require ventilation.
The premier warned once again that even deadlier weeks lay ahead for the besieged state.
“I’ve been commenting in the last few days that, we anticipate Oct will be the worst month for the number of people that lose their lives and also for the rate of people in hospital,” Berejiklian said.
“There’s always a lag between when people get diagnosed and when they’re likely to need intensive care or hospitalisation.”
The escalating toll is a terrible testament to the virulence of the Delta variant. Much of the state has been in lockdown for more than 11 weeks, during which time vaccination rates rose markedly, including 45,665 jabs in the 24 hours up to yesterday, yet the disease shows no sign of abating.
Berejiklian used her latest conference to praise the “outstanding” vaccine rollout efforts saying, NSW was expected to become the nation’s first state or territory to hit 70 percent first-dose vaccinations.
“I want to remind citizens that 70 percent double-dose will be different to what we’re experiencing today,” she said.
“70 percent double-dose vaccination will allow us to do the things we’ve all been missing; it allows us to interact with one another safely.”
She also repeated another message that has become a familiar refrain, saying “we have to accept living with COVID-19 is a reality, not an option.”
It is a message that probably resonates with a growing number of people in the neighbouring state of Victoria, which is facing its own crisis, recording 176 new locally acquired cases today, bringing its overall active cases to 1,029.
Ever since the pandemic struck last year, the Victorian government has repeatedly enforced strict lockdowns in hopes of eradicating the virus. Citizens of the state’s capital city, Melbourne, for instance, endured a series of lockdowns totaling well over 200 days, so far.
Yesterday, the state government announced, the present lockdown would be extended until 70 percent of residents had had their first vaccine dose.
That means, in terms of the present rate of the state’s vaccine rollout, the long-suffering Victorians can expect to remain housebound until about Sept 23.– NNN-AGENCIES