Sydney faces further lockdown extension as Australia reports 77 new cases in NSW & first Covid-19 death this year

0
Sydney faces further lockdown extension as Australia reports 77 new cases in NSW & first Covid-19 death this year

New South Wales’ premier has warned residents to brace for a lockdown extension, as the state struggles to contain a growing outbreak of Covid-19. A woman in her 90s died as the state recorded another daily record of 77 cases.

“Tragically, we’ve seen one older person die and I want to extend my deepest condolences to their families and loved ones,” NSW State Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a daily press conference on Sunday.

The victim was a woman in her 90s, who apparently contracted the disease in her household and died at Liverpool Hospital on Saturday. It is the first officially reported coronavirus-related death in Australia in 2021.

The state recorded 77 new cases of the virus on Sunday, and Berejiklian said she “will be shocked” if the numbers in New South Wales don’t reach three-digit numbers tomorrow. The Greater Sydney area has been under a general stay-at-home order since June 26, with tighter restrictions introduced last week, and it was increasingly unlikely the lockdown will end any time soon

Since the outbreak was first detected on June 16, there have been 566 locally acquired cases reported in NSW. Some 52 are currently in hospital, with 15 of them in intensive care and five on ventilators. In total, since the beginning of the pandemic last year, Australia has recorded just over 31,000 infections nationwide and little over 900 deaths.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Comments are closed.