Sydney, Oct 19 (BNA): Cases of COVID-19 in Australia remained low on Tuesday as its largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, gradually moved towards normalcy amid an increase in vaccinations, after being rocked by a third wave of infections from a delta variant. .
Sydney and the national capital Canberra last week emerged from a months-long lockdown after exceeding their vaccination targets while Melbourne is on track to raise strict stay-at-home orders later this week as double-dose rates among the adult population top 70%, 80% and 90% According to Reuters.
Authorities in Queensland, which on Monday became the first COVID-free state to outline plans to reopen, urged the state’s 5 million residents to get vaccinated before state borders open a week before Christmas – as the double-dose vaccination rate is expected to reach 80% .
Queensland Premier Anastasia Plaszuk said the opening of the border should act as an “incentive” for residents to get vaccinated. Queensland has so far vaccinated only 57% of its population over 16, well below the national average of 68%.
Some states and territories have mandated the vaccination of frontline workers with offenders facing a fine of up to A$5,000 (US$3,718) in the remote Northern Territory.
Michael Gunner, the Territory’s Premier, on Monday criticized Texas Senator Ted Cruz for calling the Territory’s vaccine mandate a “Covid tyranny.”
“We don’t need your lectures, thanks my friend. You know nothing about us. And if you stand against a life-saving vaccine, you sure as hell don’t stand with Australia,” Gunner said in a tweet.
Texas has seen nearly 70,000 deaths from the virus, compared to just 1,558 in Australia and none in the remote Northern Territory.
A total of 1,749 new cases were reported in Victoria, mostly in Melbourne, down from 1,903 on Monday. Daily infections in New South Wales, home to Sydney, rose slightly to 273, still well below the epidemic’s peak in early September.
HF