Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
NSW recorded 681 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8:00pm on Thursday.
It is the highest number of new cases the state has ever recorded in a day.
There was also one COVID-19 death, bringing the state’s total fatalities in this Delta outbreak to 61.
The man was in his 80s and had underlying health conditions.
The COVID-19 lockdown affecting NSW’s regional areas has been extended until August 28.
It had been due to finish this weekend.
The Western Sydney suburbs of Merrylands, Guildford, Auburn, Granville, Lidcombe, Greenacre and Blacktown remain the highest concern for Health authorities.
However, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she could “see the light at the end of the tunnel” despite the high numbers of cases.
“The next few weeks will be hard, but no doubt that once we get those high vaccination rates life will feel much better, it will look much rosier,” she said.
“I appreciate what we are going through looks difficult but every state in Australia will need to come to terms with the fact that when you get to a certain level of vaccination and open up, Delta will creep in.
“We can’t pretend that we will have a zero cases around Australia with Delta.
“As the Doherty report says, once you get to 80 per cent double dose and you have to open up, everyone will have to learn to live with Delta.
“In New South Wales, we are learning that earlier than others.”
The outbreak in Western NSW remains a concern, with 25 new cases recorded in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday, bringing the total to the LHD to 167.
Twenty of the new infections were in Dubbo.
Since the 8:00pm reporting cut-off, three new cases were identified in Wilcannia — a small town about 200 kilometres from Broken Hill with a large Indigenous population.
“We are very concerned about the risk of community transmission in Wilcannia, and we call on anyone who has been in or near Wilcannia in recent days to please get tested,” NSW deputy chief health officer Marianne Gale said.
There were five cases in the Hunter New England Local Health District, bringing the total number of infections there to 150.
Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said that the numbers in the community remained “concerning” after 671 penalty infringement notices were issued.
“It is currently concerning when you think about the messaging you hear every day here and through the media about people staying at home and not leaving home unless it is for essential reasons,” he said.
A man from Bondi was arrested after breaching orders to travel to Sydney’s south west for the fourth time.
There were 135 cases in isolation throughout their infectious period and 28 were in isolation for part of their infectious period.
Fifty-nine cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 459 cases remains under investigation.
