Australia could see first week of no local COVID-19 transmissions
14 November, 2020
Australia's three most populous states on Saturday recorded at least weekly with no local transmissions of the new coronavirus, boding well for the country's recovery from the pandemic after a flare-up marred an extraordinary early response.
Victoria, the epicenter of the resurgence of the virus in recent months, recorded its 15th consecutive day of no new infections and no related deaths, fourteen days following the state emerged in one of the world's longest and strictest lockdowns.
The second-most populous state's deputy chief health officer, Allen Cheng, told a news conference that the run of zero cases was "about as good as it can get".
Neighboring New South Wales, the most populous state, saw a week without local transmissions, while Queensland has already established no new community infections for just two months. Both states saw a handful of new cases in managed quarantine among travelers from overseas.
This latest data may mean Australia can record its first week of no local transmissions because the start of pandemic as the rest of the country hasn't seen any cases for weeks or months.
Australia's swift closure of borders and strict, economically costly measures kept the pandemic largely from spreading, but a resurgence in July in Victoria sent the state right into a harsh 111-day lockdown that ended in late October.
Victorians still must wear masks and public gatherings are limited, but more easing is expected in weekly. Western Australia, which had its borders closed to the rest of the country for seven months, had them reopened on Saturday.
The united states has seen just over 27,700 cases of the brand new coronavirus cases because the start of pandemic - about the daily number of illnesses recorded in the United Kingdom in recent days. Australia has recorded 907 COVID-19 deaths.
Source: japantoday.com
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