Australia records one of its youngest COVID-19 deaths amid Sydney outbreak

SYDNEY, Aug.4 (Reuters) – An Australian in his 20s died at his home from COVID-19 in Sydney, authorities said on Wednesday, one of the youngest coronavirus deaths in the country.

The man, who was not vaccinated, had been in home isolation for 13 days after testing positive when his health deteriorated rapidly, authorities said, adding that he was living with a person who had been hospitalized for the virus.

The death highlighted the risk of the virus and the importance of getting vaccinated, said health officials, who have set a goal of getting half of Sydney’s population vaccinated before lifting the lockdown on the city ​​by August 28.

“This again shows how deadly this disease is, how it affects people of all ages,” said Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of the State of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital.

The identity of the man and how he caught the virus have not been disclosed. He lived in southwest Sydney, the epicenter of an outbreak linked to the strain of the Delta virus that has ravaged the country’s most populous city for weeks.

Of around 17 deaths from the virus since the outbreak began in June, nearly a third are people at home, according to the government. The man’s death has been officially investigated, authorities said.

An 80-year-old woman also died in a hospital the day before, bringing the national total to 927 since the start of the pandemic.

Sydney reported 233 new cases on Wednesday, up from 199 a day earlier.

The total number of infections in the state’s worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic has exceeded 4,000 since the first was detected on June 16.

In a bid to stop a spike in cases, authorities have taken aggressive countermeasures, including sealing off high-risk suburbs and asking the military to help police enforce lockdown rules. Read more

State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian said the state is expected to hit a target of six million shots by the end of the month – at least one dose for its entire adult population.

Neighboring Queensland has reported 16 locally acquired cases, the same as the day before, prompting authorities to declare it the state’s worst outbreak since the pandemic began and warn that a lockdown in the state capital Brisbane could be extended beyond Sunday.

“Every time someone leaves their home it increases the risk that this lockdown will have to last longer… now is not the time to buy outdoor furniture, there will be time until summer to get lounge chairs, ”Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said. noted.

The rapidly evolving Delta strain has alarmed authorities as a slow rollout of the vaccine frustrated residents. Only about 20% of people over 16 have been fully immunized.

Report by Renju Jose and Byron Kaye. Editing by Gerry Doyle

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