Australian PM defends lockdown strategy as daily cases hit record

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Australia will stick to its lockdown strategy against the coronavirus until at least 70% of its population is fully vaccinated, but after that it will have to start living with the virus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Sunday’s 914 cases of the highly infectious Delta variant surpassed the previous high of 894 a day earlier.

Victoria, in its sixth lockdown since the start of the pandemic, recorded 65 locally acquired cases on Sunday, taking the tally in its current outbreak to 440 active cases. But in a departure from the zero-COVID strategy adopted since the pandemic began, Morrison said it was highly unlikely for Australia to reach zero cases before curbs can be eased. New South Wales saw 830 new infections on Sunday, despite stepped-up efforts, and the Australian Capital Territory, home to the capital, Canberra, had 19. Nationwide, the tally of active cases stands at nearly 12,000. Just about 30 percent of Australians older than 16 have been fully vaccinated, health ministry data showed on Saturday. This is mainly because the Pfizer vaccine is in short supply and the AstraZeneca vaccine provokes public unease. The pace has picked up recently, as supplies increase and Delta spreads. A News poll this month for The Australian newspaper showed that 11 percent of respondents would flatly refuse vaccination.

Lockdowns are a key element of the federal government’s strategy to rein in outbreaks until the 70 percent level is reached, with borders being re-opened gradually when the figure climbs to 80 percent. But the stringent restrictions are taxing the patience of many. Police arrested hundreds of people on Saturday during anti-lockdown demonstrations in Sydney and Melbourne, the capitals of the two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, which are under a strict lockdown.