Seven Australian cities have been placed under lockdown restrictions as authorities step in to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus.
Officials reported a slight increase in cases on Wednesday, reaching more than 200 cases.
Half Of Australia Locked
About half the population of Australia – more than 12 million people – are subject to home stays in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin, Townsville and the Gold Coast.
On Wednesday, the outskirts of Alice Springs re-entered lockdown norms immediately after a case emerged in South Australia.
Authorities fear that the virus may now spread to neighboring Indigenous communities that are already at high risk.
Increasing Pressure
Across the country on Wednesday, the state leaders said they were facing a “state of pressure” as new cases emerged.
Many leaders have called for immediate immunization as 5% of people are completely vaccinated so far which is a meagre figure.
Australia’s main vaccine, the AstraZeneca jab has been controversial.
Vaccine Rollout
The vaccine and medicine rollout policy confuses the communities in Australia.
If you wake up in Australia today, you will be forgiven for the confusion of the policies. There has been a slow release of immunization, a lack of supply, and all of it was coupled with general public having doubts about vaccination.
In a major change on Monday Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that anyone under the age of 40 who wants the AstraZeneca vaccine can have it after talking to their doctor.
What Did Scott Morrison Say?
That message was immediately rejected by the president of the Australian Medical Association, who said it was surprising and opposed to expert advice. Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) recommends AstraZeneca for over 60 years.
The Primers of various states have also accused the Prime Minister of misconduct while criticizing the shortcomings in supply of the Pfizer approach.
Delta has breached Australia’s defences faster than anticipated. It’s underlined how slow and at times shambolic the vaccine rollout has been.
Australia remains a popular destination in the world, with the low number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.
But the next few weeks will be crucial – and Covid’s national success of Australia is now at crucial crossroads – a make or break situation, essentially.
