SYDNEY • Victoria's Covid-19 cases surged to record levels yesterday, with the Australian state's officials blaming illegal home gatherings to watch a key sporting event for the spike, amid a hard lockdown for nearly two months to combat the spread of the Delta variant.
The authorities estimated that nearly a third of yesterday's 1,438 new infections could be traced back to watch parties last weekend to catch the Australian Rules football grand final on television.
"Many of these cases were completely avoidable," state Premier Daniel Andrews said during a media briefing.
"I'm not trying to blame anyone, I'm simply trying to explain because a lot of people will be scratching their heads - how could it have gone up by so much, so fast?"
Officials admitted that the 50 per cent jump from Wednesday's 950 cases is a "major setback" in managing the flare-up, as they race to vaccinate the state's 5.5 million adult population.
Half of its population above 16 have received their first dose, below the national average of 53 per cent, as officials halved the intervals between Pfizer shots in state-run vaccine hubs to three weeks after an increase in supplies.
Australia's largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital Canberra are in a weeks-long lockdown to combat a third wave of infections fuelled by the fast-moving Delta variant.
The authorities have ditched a Covid-zero strategy and are looking at a higher vaccination rate as their exit strategy from lockdowns.
A total of 941 new cases were reported in New South Wales yesterday, the majority in state capital Sydney, while Queensland recorded six and the Australian Capital Territory 31 infections.
The record infections in Victoria come as the federal government yesterday decided to phase out emergency financial support for businesses which had been hit by the lockdowns, in line with its plan to end support to virus-impacted employees.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the temporary payments will stop once 80 per cent of the adult population in states and territories are fully vaccinated.
The federal government's decision to wind down support payments, shared equally between states and Canberra, will put pressure on virus-free states to keep their economies open and avoid lockdowns to fight future outbreaks.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been pressing all states and territories to begin living with the virus once their rates for full inoculations reach 70 per cent to 80 per cent, but Queensland and Western Australia, largely virus-free, have flagged that they may delay their reopening.
Despite the latest Delta outbreaks, total cases in Australia stand at around 105,000 and deaths at 1,291 - well below other comparable nations. It recorded 11 new deaths yesterday.
REUTERS
