As of 3 p.m. on 6th August, 2020, a total of 19,862 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 255 deaths.11,112 have been reported as recovered from COVID-19.
On Friday, 7th August, 2020, Victoria reported an additional 450 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 20,312 cases. Victoria also reported 11 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the national death toll to 266.
Melbourne began the first day of a six-week total lockdown on Thursday with the closure of most shops and businesses raising new fears of food shortages, as authorities battle a second wave of coronavirus infections.
Despite a surge in the number of infections, Australia’s number of infected and casualties are still far fewer than many other developed nations. But the Victorian outbreak threatens to ruin that record and spill into other states such as Queensland where the virus has been all but eliminated.
Victoria accounts for about a quarter of the nation’s economy and has nearly two-thirds of Australia’s COVID-19 cases.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the stabilisation in numbers indicated a postitive sign. “We do expect, within 14 days of a really significant intervention, that we’ll see a change in numbers”, he said.
