ANKARA (AA) – Australia’s COVID-19 infections hit a daily record on Thursday, topping 1,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Amid an ongoing wave of infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, authorities recorded 1,130 new cases over the past day, raising the country’s total count to 47,650, local broadcaster ABC News reported.
Three more fatalities moved up the nationwide death toll to 989.
The state of New South Wales (NSW) remains the epicenter of Australia’s new outbreak, accounting for 1,029 of the new cases.
Despite the worsening situation, NSW is moving ahead with a plan to ease restrictions for fully vaccinated people.
“People across NSW who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed more freedoms next month, as NSW hits the target of 6 million jabs,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
Under the new rules, fully vaccinated people can hold outdoor gatherings of up to five people, including children, within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of their homes.
Australia, a country of over 25 million, has now administered more than 18 million vaccine doses – over 11.3 million people have had at least one dose and nearly 6.7 million are fully vaccinated, according to latest data.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters that a record 335,420 doses were given across the country on Wednesday.
“Such records give us the hope that the national plan can take us to where we want to be. That means bringing the country together. It means being able to join with other Australians as we go through the balance of this year,” he said.
* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid