East Coast of Australia Continues COVID Battle

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The East Coast states of New South Wales, and Queensland, Australia, are continuing to face an escalating battle against COVID-19, more specifically, the Delta strain.

Millions are under strict lockdown and the government is urging the whole of Australia to get tested and vaccinated.

Most recently, Sydney has recorded a whopping 239 new local cases of the Delta strain, matching the daily record number in the current outbreak.

AS of the moment, all residents are expected to stay home in lockdown until August 28th. The could potentially change if cases continue to rise. The complete number of cases recorded, beginning in mid-June, has totaled 3,427.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said, "I think what is important to know is that there is no roadmap for the Delta variant."

"The challenge for us is getting as many people vaccinated in August as possible so by the time the 28th of August comes around, we have options as to how we can ease restrictions."

Only 18% of adults are fully vaccinated in Australia. Brad Hazzard, NSW Health Minister has said that 70% of the state's population could be fully vaccinated within four months.

The most recent for Queensland was nine new local cases, the biggest daily spike in almost a year. Over 3 million residents are now in a three-day lockdown.

Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young has said, "It is vital to get tested, anyone with symptoms at all, it doesn't matter where you are, because I don't know where this virus is at the moment."

Australia's epidemic is largely under control with just over 34,000 cases and 924 deaths. The slow vaccination drive could mean months before the country reopens its borders.