New South Wales has recorded 1116 new community cases of Covid-19 and four more deaths from the virus.
Health workers taking swab samples from residents at a Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic in Sydney on 28 July, 2021. Photo: AFP or/ Saeed Khan
The deaths were four women who were not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions. One was in her 50s, one was in her 60s, one was in her 70s and the other was in her 80s.
More than 148,000 people vaccinated in last day and the state will likely reach 70 percent double dose vaccinated figure earlier than expected.
There are now 917 Covid cases being cared for in NSW hospitals with 150 people in intensive care, 66 of whom require ventilation.
Of the 150 in ICU, 127 patients are not vaccinated.
"I know that people will not believe me when I say this, but we have done very well to keep the case numbers where they are, given our population, given the spread," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
Berejiklian said modelling suggested cases would continue to increase.
Yesterday New South Wales reported 1164 new community cases of Covid-19 and three deaths.
Victoria records 120 new Covid-19 cases, two deaths
Victoria has recorded 120 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, 64 of which have been linked to existing outbreaks.
It is the first time the state's daily cases have been in the triple digits since 110 cases were detected on 2 September last year at the tail of the Victoria's devastating second wave.
There were also two deaths that were reported late yesterday and included in today's numbers.
Health authorities say they will provide more information about the quarantine status of the cases later today.
Victoria processed 56,501 test results on Tuesday, when 33,455 doses of vaccine were delivered at state-run sites.
Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has announced that the vast majority of the state's restrictions would stay in place until 70 percent of Victorians have received at least one dose of vaccine.
Authorities had expressed optimism about the outbreak's stability, but Andrews said in the last two days, a deterioration had led to changed public health advice.
"We will not see these case numbers go down," he said.
"They are going to go up. The question is, by how many and how fast."
ACT records 23 new cases
The ACT has recorded 23 new cases of Covid-19, 14 of them linked to other known cases of the virus.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said 11 of the new cases were in the community for some of their infectious periods.
But he said the lockdown provided a measure of protection.
"The lockdown and the significantly reduced interaction between people helps reduce the risk that those people pose," he said.
Thirteen people are in hospital with Covid-19, four of those in intensive care.
None of the people in hospital are fully vaccinated and Deputy Chief Health Officer Vanessa Johnston said nine of the 13 had pre-existing health conditions.
Yesterday, Barr extended the territory's lockdown until 17 September, but with some eased restrictions to come into place from Thursday evening.
- ABC