Australia’s third wave of COVID-19 infections is threatening to eclipse the daily tally of last year’s second wave and is reaching into younger age groups.
The military has been called in to speed up vaccinations for vulnerable Indigenous communities in western NSW, where cases are growing.
NSW smashed its daily infection high with 633 new cases on Wednesday. Three deaths were also reported.
With 24 new cases in Melbourne and 22 in Canberra, there were 679 local infections nationwide on Wednesday, just 19 short of the worst day during last year’s second wave.
As well, the average age of infection is trending lower, and has dipped into the teens in the ACT.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says her state hasn’t seen the worst of the outbreak that has since spread to other states and territories, and New Zealand.
But federal officials say Australia’s case numbers will soon fall.
“We’re really expecting to see and anticipating that we will see a decrease in those numbers shortly,” newly appointed federal deputy chief health officer Sonya Bennett said in Canberra.
“The restrictions recently across Australia are yet to take effect.”
Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this articleÂ
Prime Minister Scott Morrison insists that rapid mass vaccination of those aged 16 and up will work and is sticking with the current priority age groups.
Just under half of eligible Australians have had a first dose of the vaccine and 27.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Despite rising outbreaks in schools, health officials are standing by the current focus on adults.
“Obviously the biggest protection we can provide to the children of Australia, and it’s essential that we are protecting all children, not just those aged 12 and above, but all children, is by preventing them from being infected with COVID-19,” federal deputy chief health officer Michael Kidd said.
Over the last seven days 1.7 million doses have been administered.
He said two-thirds of people working in aged care have now had at least one dose of a vaccine, with 46 per cent fully vaccinated.
“We have been offering the vaccine widely and now we are seeing very rapid uptake of the vaccine amongst that workforce,” he said.
“Much of the previously reported hesitancy is melting away amongst people working in residential aged care.”
Labor has warned military units dispatched to boost coronavirus vaccination rates in western NSW Indigenous communities will fail without trusted Aboriginal elders working alongside them.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro expects cases in western NSW Indigenous communities to spike.
“It is already in those communities and this is what is concerning us,” Mr Barilaro said.
Victoria is launching a new “only a test can tell” campaign to boost testing numbers with Sydney’s Delta outbreak becoming more entrenched.
Health Minister Martin Foley is warning that people who think they’ve just got a cold could be unwittingly spreading the infection.
West Australians in NSW are being warned the window to return home on compassionate grounds will soon close.
