Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, reported its deadliest day of the COVID-19 outbreak today, with 17 people dying, although new infections showed signs of easing.
Victoria, at the centre of a second wave of infections in Australia, reported 394 cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, compared with a daily average of 400-500 over the past week.
The new deaths bring the state’s total to 210.
The southeastern state, with infections concentrated in the capital Melbourne, accounts for more than two-thirds of the national tally of nearly 21,000.
In an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, Victoria has imposed a night curfew, tightened restrictions on people’s daily movements and ordered large parts of the economy to close.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews those measures have helped, although the situation remains challenging, as cases with unknown sources of infection continue to increase.
[Source: Reuters]
