Virus cases decline in hard-hit Australian states

A man receives a vaccine at a pop-up clinic before the National Rugby League (NRL) grand final between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Penrith Panthers at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday. Pic/AFP

Australia's New South Wales state has recorded 10 new deaths and 667 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, as its outbreak continues to ease.

"Three weeks ago we had 1,599 cases," state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Sunday. "And just three weeks later today I am very pleased to be able to tell the community that we are down, I wanted it down to zero if we can get it there, but 667 today locally acquired cases."

Meanwhile, the state of Victoria recorded 1,220 new community acquired cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in the past 24 hours. The state, Australia's second most populous, set a record of 1,488 new cases on Saturday.

"I want to thank each and every one of those more than 71,000 Victorians who went and got tested," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Sunday. "It is critical to us, knowing where this virus is, where it isn't." There were 71,275 tests conducted Saturday in Victoria and 36,248 vaccine doses administered. There are now 11,785 active cases in the state. The Australian Capital Territory recorded 38 locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours.

Singapore could see 5,000 cases daily

Singapore could see 5,000 daily COVID-19 cases next week, a top minister has warned amid an ongoing surge that is rising much quicker than projected. Singapore on Friday reported 2,909 new cases, highest since the pandemic. A total of 103 people have died from the virus to date

Israel tightens ‘green pass' rules

Israel restricted its COVID Green Pass on Sunday to allow only those who have received a vaccine booster dose or recently recuperated from coronavirus to enter indoor venues. Under Sunday's new guidelines, people eligible for a green pass must have received a booster shot. Those who have received two vaccine doses, or those who have recovered from coronavirus, are only eligible for six months after the date of their vaccination or recovery. Over 60% of Israel's population has received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and nearly 3.5 million of Israel's 9.3 million citizens have received a booster dose of the vaccine The new criteria mean that nearly 2 million people will lose their vaccination passport in the coming days.

Dubai's Expo 2020: 3 workers died

Dubai's Expo 2020 acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that three workers had died from the coronavirus over the course of building the world's fair during the pandemic.

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