Australia surpasses 1 million Covid-19 cases amid Omicron surge

Melbourne, Australia, Jan 10 (EFE).- Australia on Monday surpassed 1 million Covid-19 cases, with more than half of them recorded in the past week due to a surge in the Omicron variant.

New South Wales and Victoria, which together account for more than half of the 25 million residents of the country, are the states most affected by the current wave and on Monday recorded 55,000 infections, while Queensland registered more than 9,500 and the Capital Territory nearly 1,000.

A month ago, Australia registered fewer than 2,000 cases a day, but since the end of the year, Omicron infections have accelerated, with 100,000 cases on Saturday alone.

However, the number of deaths remains low, with 22 on Sunday, and although registering an increase in admissions, hospitals are not overwhelmed, thanks in part to 92 percent of the target population being fully vaccinated.

The authorities have also accelerated the administration of booster doses since the beginning of the year.

However, the high number of cases is affecting the food distribution chain, because many workers and transporters have had to undergo periods of isolation, and many supermarkets display empty shelves.

The surge in infections has led some regional governments to reimpose light restrictions. EFE

wat-nc/tw