Melbourne, Oct 3 (BNA): Australia reported more than 1,900 new delta coronavirus infections on Sunday, health data showed, as authorities struggled to stem the outbreak in the two most populous states and the spread of cases to new states.
Reuters reports that Victoria and New South Wales, which have been under lockdown for weeks, have reported 1,887 cases and 13 deaths.
The island state of Tasmania, which has not had a case in 58 days, reported a new local infection late Saturday, and there were new cases in South Australia over the weekend.
Queensland has been largely free of COVID-19 and has not reported any new infections, allowing the National Rugby League Grand Final to kick off in Brisbane on Sunday evening, despite crowds being reduced to 75% of capacity to 39,000 people.
Victoria and New South Wales are expected to open their doors once vaccination is reached, but authorities have warned that the number of cases is expected to rise and hospitals will come under pressure as Australia learns to live with COVID-19.
NSW expects to reach that target by the end of October or early November, with Victoria a few weeks away.
Prime Minister Victoria Daniel Andrews warned on Sunday that “this will be the most difficult and challenging of times for our nurses, ambulance workers and doctors”.
Australia is also set to gradually lift its 18-month ban on international travel from next month for some states when 80 per cent of people aged 16 or older will be vaccinated. As of Saturday, 56 percent of Australians were fully vaccinated nationally, and 80 percent had received at least one injection.
Australia closed its international borders in March 2020, only allowing a limited number of people to leave or for citizens and permanent residents abroad to return. All arriving passengers are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a hotel at their expense.
Despite new cases reaching daily record levels in recent months, Australia has shunned the large numbers of other developed nations, with infections totaling just over 110,000 since the start of the pandemic and 1,334 deaths.