Sydney: Delta COVID variant forces another week of lockdown

"The situation we're in now is largely because we haven't been able to get the vaccine that we need," New South Wales state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.

"The reason why we've extended the lockdown is because of some cases still infectious in the community and we extended the lockdown to give us the best chance of not having another lockdown," Berejiklian added.

Presently, Sydney home to a fifth of Australia’s 25 million people is facing the worst outbreak of this year with infections climbing up to 350 since the first case of the Delta variant was first spotted in a limousine driver.

On Wednesday, 27 cases of COVID-19 were reported in NSW.

So far, lockdowns and quick contact tracing and tracking have greatly assisted Australia in taming the number of outbreaks, with only 30,800 cases and 910 fatalities.

The current lockdown is Sydney’s second lockdown since the pandemic began.

Sydney went into lockdown for the second time on June 26 as the Delta variant was first detected. The orders to stay-at-home were due to end on Friday, but will now extend to July 16.

Concerned health authorities have urged the residents of three western suburbs, Fairfield, Canterbury, Bankstown and Liverpool to stay home as the cases there are expected to rise in the next 24 hours.

Less than 10% of Australians are completely vaccinated against the virus, which has forced lockdowns to be imposed in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and other parts of Sydney, but the residents are frustrated and sick of the lockdown as they observe the rest of the world welcoming normal life back.

Australia has recorded a single COVID-19 death since October: an 80-year-old man died in April after being infected overseas and diagnosed in hotel quarantine.

But now there are 37 COVID-19 cases in Sydney hospitals. Of those, seven are in intensive care, the youngest in their 30s.