MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s Victoria state reported a record 1,438 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, the highest number for any state since the start of the pandemic last year, and also reported five new deaths.
The case count marked a record one-day jump from 950 cases the previous day, even as the state capital Melbourne remained in an extended lockdown while Victoria races to vaccinate the population.
Victoria has been in a hard lockdown since Aug. 5 and state authorities have said they expect 80% of the adult population to be fully inoculated by early November.
Total cases in Australia stand at around 104,000 and deaths at 1,283, well below other rich nations.
(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
