COVID-19: Australia sees worrying jump in Delta variant cases despite lockdown

Australia has witnessed a steep rise in new COVID-19 cases of delta variant on July 21, Wednesday, in the two largest states of the country. New South Wales and Victoria have reported nearly 130 cases while the country was looking forward to lifting lockdown restrictions. As many as 78 cases were reported on July 20, Tuesday. According to reports from the government, the cases reported are that of Delta Variant of the SARS-COV-2 category. 

78 cases in the second week of the four-week lockdown

Victoria state has recorded 22 new cases of the COVID-19 delta variant, while New South Wales logged 110, from 78 cases recorded the previous day. The cases were reported on the second week of the four-week statewide lockdown. Calling the lockdown a successful move, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said had it not been for the lockdown, the cases would have "undoubtedly" been "thousands and thousands." During her televised conference, she urged the citizens and the government to be "on guard" for the days to come. New South Wales was looking at scrapping lockdown restrictions from July 30.

However, the infection cases jumped to 43 on Wednesday in New South Wales, which was double than the previous day, informed Berejiklian. Cases in Victoria, however, were relatively low due to lockdown restrictions, mentioned Victorian authorities. The state reported 22 new delta variant cases, out of which 16 of them were reportedly in quarantine during their infection period. The remaining 6 cases exhibited "reasonably low" symptoms. Lastly, South Australia also reported one additional case during its first week-long lockdown on Wednesday. Still, Australia has fared better than many other developed economies in keeping COVID-19 numbers relatively low, with just over 32,100 cases and 915 deaths in the island continent. 

Sluggish immunization program

A sluggish immunization program has kept over 13 million Australians under hard lockdown even after a year and a half into the pandemic. According to reports, only 11 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated so far in the country due to lack of dosage and age limitations.

AstraZeneca Plc developed a vaccine that has been the government's arsenal in the fight against the novel virus. Nevertheless, it has been recommended for use only for people aged over 60 by the country's drug regulator due to a remote risk of blood clotting. Meanwhile, a vaccine made by Pfizer Inc has been restricted to over 40s due to limited supply.

Lack of procurement has remained the biggest cause of concern in the Australian vaccination program. According to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazard, the authorities have "done as much as is humanly possible." Hazard, during his press conference, requested more Pfizer-sanctioned vaccines to meet the current requirements. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, has also been heavily criticised for calling the vaccine rollout "not a race" last year. Furthermore, he went on to defend the laid-back program during his address at a local radio station. However, he acknowledged that the administration was about two months behind the plan.

(Input from several agencies)