Still unexplained
The hunt for the origins of Covid-19 has for the past four years been a tangled web of politics, power struggles, and international finger-pointing.
Health authorities in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), said on Wednesday that the long-awaited 90 per cent double-dose target for its over-16 population had been passed.
Data showed that as of Monday, 90.1 per cent of the state’s residents aged 16 and over had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and 94 per cent had received at least one dose.
Domestically, NSW is second only to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) which hit its 90 per cent target late last month.
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On Tuesday afternoon NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet praised the reaching of the goal and called for one last push to 95 per cent vaccinations across the state.
“Every extra vaccinated person strengthens our reopening, protects the vulnerable and gets us closer to the magic 95 per cent — when even more restrictions ease,” he tweeted.
Once the state reaches a 95 per cent vaccination rate, or by December 15, limits for all gatherings would be removed, and non-essential retail and dining venues would be opened to everyone, not just the fully vaccinated.
NSW reported 216 new locally acquired cases and three deaths in the 24 hours to 8.00 p.m. Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, cases in the state of Victoria continued to hover around the 1,000-mark. The state reported 1,003 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 and 14 related deaths in the 24 hours to midnight Tuesday.
Victoria is currently Australia’s third-most vaccinated state or territory with 84 per cent of its over-12 residents having been fully vaccinated.
Nationally, 81.09 per cent of all Australians over-16 have been fully vaccinated, and 89.53 per cent have received at least one dose, according to data updated on Tuesday.
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