Australia

Melbourne cases hit record despite two months of lockdown

September 30, 2021 5:30 pm

[Source: News.com.au]

Melbourne’s COVID-19 cases surged to record levels on Thursday with officials blaming illegal home gatherings to watch a key sporting event for the spike.

A hard lockdown to combat the spread of the Delta variant neared two months.

Authorities in Victoria, home to Melbourne, estimated nearly a third of Thursday’s 1,438 new infections could be traced back to home parties last weekend to watch the Australian Rules Football Grand Final on television.

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“Many of these cases were completely avoidable … I’m not trying to blame anyone, I’m simply trying to explain because a lot of people will be scratching their heads – how could it have gone up by so much, so fast,” state Premier Daniel Andrews said during a media briefing.

Officials admitted Thursday’s numbers, a 50% jump to Wednesday’s 950 cases, is a “major setback” in managing the flare-up, as they race to vaccinate the state’s 5.5 million adult population.

Half of the state’s population above 16 have received their first dose, below the national average of 53%, as officials halved the intervals between Pfizer shots in state-run vaccine hubs to three weeks after supplies rose.

Australia’s largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital Canberra are in a weeks-long lockdown to combat a third wave of infections fuelled by the fast-moving Delta variant. Authorities have ditched a COVID-zero strategy and are looking at higher vaccination as their exit strategy from lockdowns.

A total of 941 new cases were reported in New South Wales on Thursday, the majority in state capital Sydney, while Queensland recorded six and the Australian Capital Territory 31 infections.