NSW records 1,288 COVID-19 cases as first vaccine rate hits 70 per cent

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Thursday 70 per cent of NSW residents have now had at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian addresses media during a press conference in Sydney, Wednesday, September 1, 2021.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian addresses media during a press conference in Sydney, Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Source: AAP

NSW recorded 1,288 new local COVID-19 cases and seven deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.

The majority of cases continue to arise in western and southwestern Sydney, with 445 of the new infections from the Western Sydney Local Health District, and 387 from the South Western Sydney LHD.

All seven new deaths were of people in their 50s to 80s. All occurred in hospitals.

The state's death toll since 16 June, when the Delta outbreak began, is now 107.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday morning NSW had now seen 70 per cent of residents get their first vaccine dose.
"It has been a difficult couple of months and the fact that people have heard the messages we have been giving and coming forward to get vaccinated and hitting that 70 per cent first dose is an outstanding achievement," she told reporters in Sydney.

She said as a result of this everyone who lives in a local government area of concern will be able to exercise for an unlimited amount of time from 5am on Friday.

The curfews there, however, will remain in place.

NSW Health said it administered 45,665 COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the western NSW town of Dubbo remains the epicentre of the state's regional COVID-19 outbreak.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said 18 of the 23 new cases in the Western LHD were in Dubbo, which is "the heart and centre" of the virus.

More than two-thirds of COVID-19 cases in the region are in the Indigenous community.
There were also four more cases in Orange and one in Brewarrina. In the far west, there were five new cases - four in Wilcannia and one in Broken Hill.

There are also concerns about the Illawarra region, where numbers are rising with 22 new cases - 15 in the Wollongong local government area and seven in the Shellharbour LGA.

“I call out to those communities to get tested,” Mr Barilaro said.

With AAP.

SBS is providing live translations of daily New South Wales and Victoria COVID-19 press conferences in various languages. 


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2 min read
Published 2 September 2021 11:10am
Updated 2 September 2021 12:23pm
By SBS News
Source: SBS



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