There were 141 COVID-19 cases reported, down from 163 a day earlier. The outbreak, which began in June, is being driven by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, and has now infected 2,081 people in New South Wales. "Let me be clear - there's not an alternative to the lockdown in New South Wales to get this under control. The state reported two deaths overnight, including a woman in her 30s with no pre-existing conditions. Australia's Victoria state reported 11 locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Sunday, down from 12 a day earlier, raising hopes the state will end a hard lockdown imposed 10 days ago.

Source: The Star July 25, 2021 05:03 UTC