Covid cases in OZ cross 1,000 for 1st time since Delta-driven spike
Australia’s new daily cases of Covid-19 topped 1,000 on Thursday for the first time since the global pandemic began, as two major hospitals in Sydney set up emergency outdoor tents to help deal with a rise in patients.
Sydney, the country’s largest city and the epicentre of the current outbreak, is struggling to stamp out a surge in the fastspreading Delta variant, with daily infections hitting record levels even after two months under lockdown.
New South Wales (NSW) state, where Sydney is the capital, reported 1,029 new locally acquired cases, exceeding the previous record of 919 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 969 were detected in greater Sydney, up from 838. The rapid rise in Covid-19 patients has forced Sydney’s Westmead and Blacktown hospitals, which service the city’s sprawling western suburbs, to erect tents to screen and swab patients to help manage capacity.
Meanwhile, Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday, more than a week after the domestic distributor received reports of contaminants in some vials.
Both Japan and Moderna said that no safety or efficacy issues had been identified and that the suspension was just a precaution. “Moderna confirms having been notified of cases of particulate matter being seen in drug product vials of its Covid-19 vaccine,” Moderna said.
“The company is investigating the reports and remains committed to working expeditiously with its partner, Takeda, and regulators to address this,” it added, referring to Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical, which distributes the vaccine in the country.