Australia’s worst day of pandemic sees restrictions tighten

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most populous state has reported its worst day of the pandemic with 478 new infections and seven COVID-19 deaths as pandemic restrictions tightened in other parts of the country. The previous record daily tally in New South Wales before Monday was 466 new cases reported on Saturday. Most cases are in Sydney. Only 26% of Australians aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated. Australia has one of the slowest vaccine rollouts among wealthy countries, which is making the spread of the delta variant particularly dangerous. Melbourne and Canberra’s lockdowns due to end this week were extended into September. Two northern Australian cities have locked down over a single infection.