New South Wales Record Lowest Daily Cases, Victoria Even Record COVID-19 Infections

The Prime Minister of the State of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian. (Twitter/@GladysB)

JAKARTA - The Australian state of New South Wales on Monday reported its lowest rise in daily COVID-19 cases, along with an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations, followed by an easing of some lockdown restrictions.

New South Wales Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian said 935 new cases had been detected in her state, the lowest daily tally since Aug. 27, and down from 1,083 on Sunday. Meanwhile, four new cases have been reported.

"We are feeling more positive than we have in weeks but I don't want any of us to sit and think the worst is behind us," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney, warning of more deaths in the days ahead. , citing Reuters September 20.

"Because we have seen the accumulation of so many cases, we know that October will be very challenging for our hospital system," said PM Berejiklian.

Nearly half of Australia's 25 million population is under strict lockdown, after the Delta variant spread rapidly in Sydney and Melbourne, forcing it to abandon its COVID zero target and turn to increased vaccinations to ease restrictions.

As its COVID-19 vaccination programme, New South Wales noted that 53 per cent of its adult population had received full vaccinations, followed by an easing of some restrictions starting today. The time limit for outdoor practice has also been lifted, while those who are fully vaccinated can gather outside in groups of five.

In contrast to Sydney, the State of Victoria recorded its biggest daily increase this year, with 567 cases reported and one new death. Yesterday, Victoria targeted 70 percent of its population to have been vaccinated, which is expected to be reached on October 26, before reopening.

So far, 44 percent of people in the state have received a full range of COVID-19 vaccinations, below the national average of 47 percent.

For information, to date, Australia has recorded a total of 87,134 cases of COVID-19 infection, with 1,167 deaths and 63,378 patients recovering since the pandemic began, according to Worldometers.