Delta Variant Creates New Challenge For Australia

Australia is  fighting  to control a Delta variant-fueled outbreak that threatens to upend Australia’s earlier success in controlling the pandemic as the Prime Minister is defending his government’s slow vaccine rollout is responsible for more than 12 million Australians being in lockdown.  

Greater Sydney is in its 3^rd week of at least a five-week lockdown, while Melburnians are at least another one week at the minimum confined to their homes. South Australia was also plunged into at least a one week  lockdown on Tuesday.

NSW has recorded 110 locally transmitted Covid-19 during the latest reporting period.  It is a concern for health officials that 43 of those cases were out in the community while infectious.

Corona Virus cases have spiked in Victoria with 22 new local infections detected on day one of the state's seven-day lockdown extension. Sixteen of the 22 cases were in quarantine for their entire infectious period

South Australia has recorded a new case of COVID–19 overnight – taking the current cluster to six. Premier Steven Marshall said in some ways the single new case was a good sign, given the number of tests carried out yesterday. But he has also urged caution given the virus's 14-day incubation period.

Australia had initially managed to almost clamp down on the local spread of Covid-19 by using a mix of contact tracing, movement curbs, and strict quarantine measures for incoming travelers. However, at the start of the latest outbreak in Sydney, NSW NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was hesitant to impose a strict lockdown , but she received support from the federal government led by Prime Minister Scott Morison.