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Sydney on brink of extending lockdown to control spiraling COVID-19 cases
CGTN
An empty George Street in Sydney, Australia, July 10, 2021. /CFP

An empty George Street in Sydney, Australia, July 10, 2021. /CFP

The prospect of an extended lockdown in Sydney loomed on Monday as Australian health officials reported yet another record daily rise in COVID-19 cases for the year, fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant.

New South Wales state reported 112 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, almost all of them in Sydney, despite the country's biggest city entering its third week of lockdown. Case numbers have been at record levels for at least three days.

There was, however, a glimmer of light as the number of newly-infected people who were out in the community while infectious dropped to 34 from 45 on Sunday.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the progress of that figure in coming days would determine whether Sydney's lockdown, due to end on Friday, would be extended.

"That's the number we need to get as close to zero as possible," Berejiklian said during her daily televised briefing, adding a majority of Monday's cases were family members or close friends of already infected persons.

Schools in Sydney, home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million population, are closed, public gatherings are limited to two people and residents may only leave home for essential business, including work and grocery shopping.

Medical staff perform COVID-19 testing at the Fairfield Showgrounds drive-through clinic in Sydney, Australia, July 10, 2021. /CFP

Medical staff perform COVID-19 testing at the Fairfield Showgrounds drive-through clinic in Sydney, Australia, July 10, 2021. /CFP

Vaccine criticisms

The Sydney outbreak has put Australia's sluggish vaccine rollout under the microscope. Only around 11 percent of Australia's adult population of just over 20.5 million have been fully vaccinated.

Critics have pointed to confusing public advice as well as vaccine shortages.

Official federal health guidance recommends the locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine be restricted to people aged over 60 because of blood clot concerns, while the imported Pfizer vaccine is currently limited to people aged 40 to 60 due to supply constraints.

However, New South Wales officials on Monday said the state's vaccination centers and pharmacies would be authorized to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone over 40. The federal government, meanwhile, has said anyone under 40 who wants to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine can do so following consultation with their doctor.

The federal government doubled its order for Pfizer shots in April to 40 million, enough for four-fifths of the population.

It has so far received around 4.4 million doses, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported. From next week, it will receive weekly shipments of around one million doses.

Source(s): Reuters

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