Daily COVID-19 Update 31 August 2021: NSW and Victoria

NSW records over 1000 cases of COVID-19 for the fourth consecutive day, meanwhile Victoria secures 125,000 new doses of Pfizer. Source: Getty Images

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The latest news on the current Delta strain outbreak affecting regional NSW and Victoria's Indigenous communities.

NSW records over 1000 new cases for fourth consecutive day
Western NSW records a second consecutive record-breaking day with 54 cases
Dan Andrews announces he will on reveal thresholds for restrictions to be eased on Wednesday

NSW

New South Wales recorded 1164 new cases of community transmission to 8pm last night, the fourth consecutive day with over 1000 cases recorded. The state also recorded a further three deaths overnight, bringing the state total over 150, to 152.

The Western New South Wales Local Health District has seen a second consecutive record-breaking day with 54 new cases reported in the district — 32 in Dubbo, 8 in Bourke, 5 in Bathurst, 5 in Wellington, 1 in Brewarrina, 1 in Mudgee, 1 in Narromine and 1 in Parkes. This brings the total number of active cases to 615, 471 of which are in Dubbo.

The Western New South Wales Local Health District CEO Scott MacLachlan has said that the approximately 4400 COVID tests taken yesterday were only half of what he would hope to be seeing daily, fearing that complacency around testing could be resulting in unnecessary and avoidable spreading of the virus.

Addressing those residents who’ve voiced concerns about waiting times for test results being too long, up to five days, MacLachlan has assured people that those processes have improved, and that results are now coming back within 48 hours, and often within 24 hours.

For up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 vaccination clinic times and dates in the district, as well as locations for testing,

visit the Western New South Wales Local Health District website.

The Far West Local Health District has seen 4 new cases overnight, all of which were in Wilcannia. This brings the total number of cases in the district to 83, almost doubling in the last week.

In an interview with NITV’s Sarah Collard, Barkindji Elder and lifelong Wilcannia resident David Clark

has urged the local Indigenous community to get vaccinated, recalling being dragged by his parents to the doctor for a needle when diseases would come through the town as a kid.

For information regarding COVID-19 testing clinics in the Far West, please see

this Facebook post from the Far West Local Health District Facebook page

, and check out the rest of the page for any news that may come regarding vaccinations.

Victoria

In Victoria there have been 76 new cases recorded overnight, bringing the total active cases to 841. 9 of the 76 new cases are linked to the ongoing outbreak in Shepparton.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced today that an additional 500,000 Pfizer doses will soon be arriving in Australia from Singapore, with Victorian Premier Dan Andrews telling in a press conference that 25% of those would be coming to Victoria. This is in addition to what he’s described as an ample supply of AstraZeneca available in the state already.

Andrews has also said he'll reveal on Wednesday the thresholds the state needs to meet to ease lockdown restrictions.

Quarantine, travel, testing clinics and pandemic disaster payment

Quarantine and testing requirements are managed and enforced by state and territory governments:

NSW

and

VIC

and

ACT

and

and

QLD

and

and

TAS

and

and

If you want to travel overseas, you may be able to apply online for an exemption.

Click here

for more information about the conditions to leave Australia. There are temporary measures for international flights that are regularly reviewed by the government and updated on the

Smart Traveller

website.