Indonesia today extended COVID-19 measures in areas where infection levels are rising, as a few more locations in Australia's New South Wales state went on lockdown due to rapid spread of the more transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant.
Elsewhere, more cities in China are conducting mass testing to stem their COVID clusters, as the country continues to report a spike in local cases.
Indonesia's cases are declining around Jakarta, rising elsewhere
Indonesia, which has been one of the world's worst recent hot spots, is reporting a sharp decline in Jakarta, but cases are rising elsewhere in the country, where officials today extended restrictions 2 more weeks, according to Reuters. For example, intensive care unit (ICU) beds passed 90% capacity on Sulawesi island, with levels in three regions of Sumatra island at 80% capacity. Infections are also soaring in parts of Borneo island.
As cases fall on some of the more populous areas of Java and Bali islands, officials hope to keep the momentum going by extending restrictions for 1 more week.
Australia tracks more local spread
An ongoing outbreak in the Sydney area of Australia's New South Wales state led to week-long lockdowns in four cities along the state's north coast after an infected traveler arrived in the area from Sydney, the country's ABC News reported.
New South Wales reported 283 new local cases today, including 106 who were in the community while infectious, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The epicenter Sydney has been on lockdown for 6 weeks.
Elsewhere in Australia, two other states reported new cases, including 11 in Victoria state and 9 in Queensland state, according to Reuters.
More global headlines
- China today reported 94 more local cases from four different provinces, most of them from Henan and Jiangsu province, according to the daily update from the National Health Commission. The government is pressing local health officials to do more to contain their outbreaks, as more cities, including Jinagsu's Yangzhou and Nantong, conduct rounds of mass testing, according to Reuters. The city of Nanjing, where a cluster triggered spread to other areas, is conducting its third round of mass testing.
- Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that it will resume allowing international travelers to enter the country for Umrah pilgrimages, with COVID-19 measures in place and an initial monthly limit of 60,000 people, according to Reuters.
- The global total today rose to 203,157,632 cases, and 4,299,933 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.
