Australia expects more infections after reopening
>>MELBOURNE: Australia was bracing for more Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations, officials said yesterday, even as it moves toward gradually easing pandemic restrictions with the vast majority of its people getting vaccinated against the virus.
Sydney, in a lockdown for more than 100 days, is to ease some key restrictions for the fully vaccinated from tomorrow. More than 70% of people across New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, have been fully vaccinated.
“We know that as we open up, case numbers will increase,” said New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet. “But what has been key to keeping people safe is our high vaccination rate.”
Australia’s most populous state recorded 580 new infections yesterday, all of the Delta variant, and 11 deaths.
Neighbouring Victoria, its capital Melbourne in a lockdown since early August, reported a record 1,965 cases and five deaths. The state, home to around a quarter of Australia’s 25 million people, has inoculated around 57% of its population.
The federal government is completing a plan to bring in 2,000 nurses and doctors from overseas over the next six months to help with the expected higher demand, Health Minister Greg Hunt said.
“This will be a one-off boost,” Mr Hunt said.
Hospitals in Melbourne and Sydney have been under strain in recent weeks, with Ambulance Victoria, the state’s provider of pre-hospital emergency care, reporting four of its five busiest days ever.
Australia has recorded 125,000 Covid-19 infections and 1,421 related deaths.