Page 31 - Peter Collignon News Today

Victoria has recorded 1,143 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths overnight with the surge in cases raising fears that the reopening of the state could be delayed.

Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said illegal home gatherings last weekend had generated about 500 more cases on Thursday than authorities had expected.

The figure has slumped from 50 per cent just two weeks ago and is 19 points below the 63 per cent peak recorded in May, according to an Essential poll released on Tuesday.

Victoria has recorded 950 new Covid-19 cases and seven deaths as experts warn the state could see up to 3,000 infections a day in a matter of weeks.

Epidemiologists warn Victoria’s outbreak is now accelerating quickly and is set to overtake NSW unless vaccination uptake and lockdown compliance improve.

The death rate in the United Kingdom from COVID-19 is about half that of the Sydney outbreak.

The pandemic has reinforced countries’ peculiar currents of national identity. In Australia, it’s a collectivist urge, sometimes at the expense of personal liberty.

The threat of an uncontrolled outbreak goes beyond Myanmar, which is already beset with civil conflict, soaring poverty and food insecurity, as well as a plummeting economy.

The states and territories are charting their own course through the delta outbreaks, creating a patchwork of lockdown restrictions across the country.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to see families together again by Christmas but has explained that getting ...