SYDNEY (Reuters) – The second-most populous state in Australia, Victoria, reported the deadliest day of the COVID-19 outbreak on Sunday, with 17 people dying, when police planned a planned anti-mask rally in the capital Melbourne lost.
FILE PHOTO: Federation Square is seen without people after Melbourne, Australia, returned to a three-three lock stage as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), 23 July 2020. REUTERS / Sandra Sanders
Victoria, at the center of a second wave of infections in Australia, reported 394 cases of the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours, compared to a daily average of 400-500 in the past week. The new deaths bring the total of the state to 210.
The southeastern state, with Melbourne-concentrated infections, accounts for a lion’s share of the national number of more than 21,000 and 295 deaths.
In an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, Victoria imposed night shifts, restricting the daily movements of people and instructing them to close large parts of the economy.
These measures have helped, although the situation remains challenging as cases with unknown sources of infection continue to increase, said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews.
The state reported 174 such “mystery” cases in the past 24 hours, up from 130 on Saturday and bringing the total to 2,758.
“Even large numbers in known contained outbreaks are, to some extent, less important than the smaller number of cases where we simply cannot find the circumstance or the point of origin,” Andrews told reporters.
“Those are the ones that are incredibly challenging from a contained point of view.”
Victoria’s coronavirus reproduction rate is approximately 1, which means that each infected person transmits the virus to at least one other person.
‘We need to bring this down so that every third or fourth person who has it infects someone else. That’s where we’ll get the numbers half and half and more manageable again, “Andrews said.” That will essentially take time. ”
Earlier in the day, Victorian police launched a planned anti-mask rally called “Freedom Day Celebration” in Melbourne, arresting seven people and imposing 27 fines.
Neighboring New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, registered 10 infections on Sunday, with authorities ordering students at two state schools to self-isolate after reporting COVID-19 cases.
The remaining six states and territories reported zero new cases on Sunday.
Report by Swati Pandey; Edited by William Mallard and Michael Perry
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