Premier: Delta mission impossible

NSW reported 1116 new local coronavirus cases yesterday, as Premier Gladys Berejiklian says it is ‘‘impossible to eliminate the Delta strain’’.

There were 148,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the state to 8pm on Tuesday.

‘‘Another huge day and a day we’re deeply grateful for; it’s really assisting us in getting to that 70 per cent double-dose figure sooner than we had anticipated,’’ Berejiklian said.

The premier said the figure could be reached ‘‘as early as midOctober’’, urging her national cabinet colleagues to also accept they would need to reopen with ongoing cases.

‘‘It’s impossible to eliminate the Delta strain,’’ she said. ‘‘NSW has proved successful until this point in time of getting rid of other strains of Covid but the Delta strain is a game-changer and every state in Australia, sooner or later, is going to have to live with Delta.’’

Four women have died from the virus in NSW since Tuesday’s update: a woman in her 50s from south-west Sydney who died at Liverpool Hospital, a woman in her 60s from western Sydney who died at Concord Hospital, a woman in her 70s from south-west Sydney who also died at Liverpool Hospital and a woman in her 80s from south-west Sydney who died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The women were not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said NSW Health had opened a motorhome Special Health Accommodation for the regional community of Wilcannia.

‘‘We know over the past few days with increased cases we’ve had an issue around accommodation and the ability to isolate individuals,’’ he said.

In appearances on breakfast television yesterday morning, the premier flagged some of the freedoms she expected fully vaccinated people would have when 70 per cent of the state were double-dosed.

‘‘Whether it’s having a meal at your favourite cafe or restaurant, whether it’s attending a public event, whether it’s having a drink: if you’re fully vaccinated, and the state has hit its 70 per cent doubledose target, please expect to do all those things we’ve been missing for too long,’’ she said.

Berejiklian said that, at 80 per cent, she expected international travel to resume in line with the national cabinet plan, and she ‘‘suspected’’ Victoria would join NSW in reopening in this way.

‘‘Victoria’s path is not different to what NSW went through a month or two ago and I would hope the two largest states would lead the way,’’ she said, adding that state and territory leaders who ‘‘still think you can live in a fantasy zero-Covid land’’ must expect cases when the country opens up.

She said she has had regular conversations with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is just as keen to welcome Australians home.

Morrison wants to see states and territories use home quarantine to allow international travel once vaccination targets are met.

‘‘That’s our first priority,’’ Berejiklian said. ‘‘It doesn’t matter where Aussies live, if we can bring them through Sydney Airport safely, we will do that.’’

‘‘. . . state and territory leaders who ‘‘still think you can live in a fantasy zeroCovid land’’ must expect cases when the country opens up. Gladys Berejiklian