Sydney accelerate vaccine rollout as country’s Covid cases hit record high

New South Wales State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the ramp-up in inoculations in Australia's biggest city was providing some hope as the city battles its worst outbreak since the coronavirus pandemic began.

"The next few weeks will be hard, but no doubt that once we get those high vaccination rates life will feel much better, it will look much rosier," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales.

"I know these are challenging times, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Officials across the country reported a daily combined total of 754 cases on Thursday, surpassing the previous single-day high of 738 cases recorded on Aug. 5, 2020.

New South Wales accounted for the bulk of the cases, with 681 infections, and most of those were found in Sydney's western suburbs. The state recorded one new death.

Officials are racing to increase vaccination rates across New South Wales as a prerequisite for lifting lockdown measures in the state.

More than half Australia's population of 25 million is living under lockdown measures, including Sydney, Melbourne and the capital, Canberra.

While the country's overall exposure to the pandemic - with just over 41,400 cases and 971 deaths - is far lower than many other countries, the latest outbreaks are threatening to push its A$2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) economy into its second recession in as many years.

Cases more than doubled in Melbourne, the country's second-largest city, on Thursday to 57.

Courtesy: Reuters