SYDNEY, Aug 12 — Australia's second-most populous state reported a small rise in new Covid-19 infections today, boosting hopes that case numbers are stabilising after a second wave forced authorities to send the city of Melbourne back into lockdown.
Victoria state detected 331 new Covid-19 infections and 19 deaths in the past 24 hours, compared with 322 infections and the same number of fatalities a day earlier, health officials said.
Daily infections in Victoria peaked at 725 on August 5 and have been trending lower in recent days, following the imposition of a hard lockdown in Melbourne on July 19.
Nationally, Australia has detected about 22,000 infections and 332 deaths from Covid-19, far fewer than many other developed nations.
Outside the two largest states of Victoria and New South Wales, the virus has been effectively eliminated. — Reuters
