Daily Coronavirus infections in Australia’s Sydney have dropped for a third consecutive day on 7th September yet lingered close to the record levels. The development comes as the outbreak prodded a spike in vaccination rates across the severely hit western sub-urban areas.

The authorities have guaranteed inhabitants in Sydney more freedom once vaccination rates reach 80%, especially after the recent lockdown failed to subdue the Delta variant.

Officials claimed that over 80% of grown-ups in the three most COVID-influenced local regions in Sydney’s West have had somewhere around one dose at least, which is 74% higher than the entire state and 63% than that of the nation.

Around 1,220 new cases were identified in New South Wales, which is down from 1281 a day before, with eight new cases of death registered. Meanwhile, over half of Australia's 25 million population have encountered lockdowns after the spread of the Delta variant in Sydney and Melbourne.

The federal government of Australia has introduced a four-stage guide in July regarding more freedom once inoculation rates reach 80%. However, some virus-free states said they may not abide by the plan considering the rising number of cases in Melbourne and Sydney.

Around 38% of Australia's grown-up populace has been completely inoculated, which is comparatively less than in numerous other comparable nations. However, experts cite that the country has taken care of the pandemic much better, with records of around 64,600 cases as well as 1052 deaths in total.

Although New South Wales has moved ahead with continuous vaccination drives, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews blamed the federal government for mismanaging the outbreak in Sydney.

Australia has also signed a “vaccine swap deal” with Britain and Singapore, wherein the country is looking to return an equivalent number of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to the two nations later this year. Around one million Moderna vaccines are also expected to arrive in Australia soon.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/covid-19-vaccination-rates-surge-in-sydneys-hard-hit-suburbs-as-cases-dip