Delta variant wreaks havoc in Australia
Melbourne became the latest city to impose a lockdown and authorities expect cases will rise further, with low vaccine supply and take up making it difficult to curb infections.
Australia's hope of returning to "Covid zero" suffers a fresh blow as Sydney reports another record number of new infections and authorities warned residents to brace for worse to come.
For a second straight day, New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday said Australia's most populous state hit a new peak with 291 cases detected.
"At least 50 of those were infectious in the community," Berejiklian said, foreshadowing more cases to come, despite a lockdown that is now in its sixth week.
"I'm expecting higher case numbers in the next few days, and I just want everybody to be prepared for that," she said.
Roughly 60 percent of Australia's 25 million residents are currently in lockdown, as the country tries to curb the spread of a virulent Delta variant outbreak.
Melbourne became the latest major city to shutter late Thursday, after Victoria state premier Dan Andrews issued stay-at-home orders for the sixth time in this pandemic.
"Australia's Queensland state on Monday extended a COVID-19 lockdown in Brisbane, while soldiers began patrolling Sydney to enforce stay-at-home rules."
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 2, 2021
The military - under police command - patrolling streets after 13 new COVID cases:https://t.co/t0Iqi2HcQD
Sluggish vaccination campaign
"To be really frank, we don't have enough people that have been vaccinated and, therefore, this is the only option available to us," he said.
Barely 20 percent of Australians have been fully vaccinated, due to an acute lack of supply and pockets of vaccine hesitancy.
With cases rising and lockdowns seemingly able to slow, but not stop the spread, there are growing questions about whether Australia can return to the "Covid zero" status it enjoyed for much of the last 18 months.
"Given where numbers are, given the experience of Delta overseas, we now have to live with Delta one way or another, and that is pretty obvious," said Berejiklian.
She said returning to zero cases would be "a challenge" but "that has to be our aspiration, we have to try to get down as low as we can.
READ MORE: Doctors study severity of Delta strain amid concerns over transmission
As Melbourne, Australia enters into its sixth lockdown, demonstrators fill the streets of the city to protest against the lockdown measures.
— Marie Oakes (@TheMarieOakes) August 5, 2021
The three most populated cities in Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne) are currently under lockdown. pic.twitter.com/W2GL0aGyUh
Meanwhile, there are signs that Australians are tiring of on-again-off-again restrictions that have marked pandemic life, although compliance with lockdown rules is still widespread.
"I'm not saying we're doing super well but we're keeping our heads above water," Melbourne market trader Linda told the AFP news agency on Friday.
"I'm starting to feel like today it's starting to hit me harder than any other lockdown. Hang on, I haven't seen my family for such a long time."
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