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Australian Covid outbreak: country wakes up to chaos amid incoming surge
Australian residents are on high alert after a number of Covid outbreaks across the nation, with authorities warning the worst is yet to come
The Australian Federal Cabinet’s national security committee is expected to meet today to discuss the recent national Covid outbreak.
On Sunday, authorities recorded 37 new locally acquired Covid-19 infections in four separate jurisdictions.
Australia has largely been able to successfully manage the virus, but these recent outbreaks have authorities concerned.
Greater Darwin has entered a 48-hour lockdown
In Western Australia, residents in Perth and some surrounding regions are now subject to tougher restrictions.
New South Wales hits breaking point
Meanwhile, the situation in New South Wales is at breaking point after the Bondi cluster rose to 110 cases over the weekend. 19 of the cases were not in isolation while they were infectious.
“I also do want to foreshadow that given how contagious this strain of the virus is, we do anticipate that in the next few days case numbers are likely to increase even beyond what we’ve seen,” said State Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour have started a two-week lockdown as a result.
Other states enact tougher border restrictions to prevent further spread
The states of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania have all enacted tougher border restrictions with neighbouring regions.
Meanwhile, the Australian Capital Territory is enforcing mask-wearing for the first time since the pandemic began.
The Northern Territory recently recorded four local cases linked back to a miner who flew in from Queensland
Can mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines help manage the Australian Covid outbreak?
This comes as Australia fails to quickly vaccinate the population. Some experts have suggested that mixing different types of Covid vaccines might be a potential solution.
Dr John Hart says people can receive the AstraZeneca vaccine as the first dose, then Pfizer or Moderna as the second dose.
“Many countries around the world, like Australia, have recommended that people in younger age groups don’t receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark and Norway are among the countries that are advising mixed vaccination schedules.