Delta spreads in Australia as NSW records 319, Victoria 29 and Queensland records 13 new cases

As NSW and VIC report ever increasing cases, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews blasted "fit and healthy" Australians who don't think they could get Covid-19, in a plea for people to stay at home.  Speaking at today’s press conference, he reminded Victorians that an onslaught of Covid-19 hospitalisations would also impact other patients in need of critical care.

In NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has been slammed in the absence of Premier Gladys Berejiklian at today’s  covid update press confrence.

Instead of giving priority to case numbers, deaths and effectiveness of lockdown, for almost 10 minutes, Mr Hazzard spoke about food stalls at a mass vaccination hub, Year 12 students getting jabs before their exams and locals telling him they haven’t yet been vaccinated.

NSW has reported another record day with 319 new COVID cases and five deaths. Canterbury-Bankstown LGA is causing the greatest concern for health authorities with rising case numbers and poor compliance in smaller workplaces and shops.

Armidale in the NSW Northern Tablelands has recorded two cases, sending the local government area into a week-long lockdown similar to Newcastle and Hunter region. Residents of Dubbo have also been placed on alert after sewage detections of the virus strain that causes COVID.

Victoria has recorded 29 new cases. All are linked to known cases but were not in quarantine during their infectious period. Contact tracers are scrambling to get on top of the outbreak and the exposure sites continue to grow, now reaching over 80.

Queensland has recorded 13 new cases in the past 24 hours. Twelve cases were isolated during their infectious period and one is under investigation. There are now 102 cases linked to the Delta outbreak. The government on Saturday said a decision about the lockdown in Queensland would not be made until Sunday.