Aussie states continue to battle COVID-19 amid catastrophic floods

SYDNEY – Despite taking a backseat due to widespread flooding and record rains across Australia’s east, states have continued to battle against the spread of COVID-19.

In the 24 hours to 4:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, the Australian state of New South Wales recorded 13,179 new cases and nine deaths. Cases in the state have seen an uptick over the last week, with daily cases remaining below 10,000 in late February and into some of early March.

NSW Health reports there are 1,038 people in hospital with the virus, including 39 in intensive care and 16 are ventilated. Over the last week, hospitalization numbers have remained steady at around 1,000 in the state.

NSW Health announced on Tuesday that many of the state’s testing facilities had been closed due to flooding, as they urged residents to check the status of a clinic before traveling.

Meanwhile, the Australian state of Queensland, the worst hit by floods and torrential weather, has also recorded 4,801 new locally acquired cases and 13 deaths in the 24 hours to 7:00 p.m. local time Tuesday.

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According to the Australian Department of Health, Australia on Tuesday breached 3 million total COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic and has seen a total of 5,464 deaths from the virus.