Sydney records deadliest day of Covid-19 pandemic, more lockdowns announced

[SYDNEY] Australia's most populous city recorded its deadliest day of the Covid-19 pandemic on Monday, as hundreds of unarmed military personnel were deployed across Sydney in a desperate attempt to quell a "disturbing high"number of infections.

Sydney, which is in its eighth week of lockdown, is the epicentre of third Australia's Covid-19 wave that threatens to push the country's A$2 trillion (S$2 trillion) economy into its second recession in as many years.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said seven people had died from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the state's previous record day from earlier this month.

Ms Berejiklian said New South Wales has also detected 478 infections, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic begun.

"Our community transmission numbers are disturbingly high," Ms Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

"Every death is a person who has loved ones, who has died in tragic circumstances and our heartfelt condolences to all of those loved ones and families."

The toll was announced as 200 military personnel were deployed across Sydney to set up roadblocks to enforce restrictions of movement. Australia last month deployed 500 troops to help New South Wales.

LOCKDOWNS

With only 26 per cent of people above 16 years of age fully vaccinated, Australia is vulnerable to the highly infectious Delta variant that has steadily spread across the country.

While Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Darwin - which begun its curbs on Monday - are all in lockdown, cases have proved stubbornly difficult to suppress.

Canberra, the national capital, recorded 19 new cases, the biggest one-day rise in cases on Monday as it extended its lockdown for a further two weeks.

The outbreak and sluggish vaccine rollout has fuelled pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who must return to the polls before May 2022.

Mr Morrison said on Sunday Australia said on Sunday it had bought about 1 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine from Poland, which had moved quickly to buy excess supplies.

Mr Morrison declined to specify how much Australia had paid for the vaccines, which will be in addition to 40 million dose his government has ordered from Pfizer.

Mr Morrison said more than half of the doses from Poland would be rushed to inoculate 20- to 39-year-olds in the worst-affected suburbs of Sydney.

REUTERS