New South Wales, Australia’s largest state, has reported a record 1,218 new infections. That is almost 200 more than the previous record, which was set yesterday. The infections have increased locally, because the state has been in lockdown for weeks since the delta variant started to strike in mid-June. There are now 813 people in hospital in New South Wales, 126 of whom are in intensive care. New South Wales has more than 8 million inhabitants.
“Out of everyone who is now in intensive care, only one person has been fully vaccinated,” said state prime minister Berejiklian. “That’s important to keep in mind.” In the state, about 35 percent of adults are now fully vaccinated, about half the number the prime minister says is needed to reopen society.
The neighboring state of Victoria reported 92 new infections, the highest number in almost a year. The state with about 6.5 million inhabitants planned to lift the lockdown next Thursday, but according to Prime Minister Andrews, that moment comes too soon. “We had nearly 100 new cases today, many of which we don’t know how they contracted. It’s not safe to reopen our community sometime in the next few days.” It is not yet known how long the lockdown will last.
–
