SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, recorded as many as 14 new coronavirus cases on Monday. The growing cluster at a pub frequented by trailer drivers is stoking the fears of a second national wave.
The new cases were reported after neighbouring Victoria last week enforced a lockdown on its 5 million residents following a surge in the number of cases.
With strict measures, Australia was able to avoid the high number of casualties. It recorded less than 10,000 coronavirus cases, a sixth of the daily cases seen in the US in recent days.
Authorities are worried about community transmission. Eight of the 14 cases in New South Wales are community transmission. The rest are those who returned from abroad or returnees from Victoria.
Most of the community transmission cases were people who paid a visit to a pub in southwest Sydney, taking the cluster to 13.
“The concern is that this hotel is used by freight drivers who are transporting essential supplies across the country,” Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“They are not being tested.”
On Monday, Victoria reported 177 new coronavirus cases. The eighth consecutive day of triple digit cases. But it is down from 273 cases the previous day.
“It may not be our peak yet,” Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters in Melbourne. “I would like to see a week of decreasing numbers.”
At the University of Queensland, scientists have begun trials of a potential shot.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field