Sydney steps up vaccine rollout as Australia's COVID-19 cases at daily high

SYDNEY: Australia reported its biggest one-day rise in coronavirus infections on Thursday, as authorities began doling out emergency supplies of vaccine in the Sydney suburbs worst hit by an outbreak of the fast-moving Delta strain.

Officials allocated more than half an emergency supply of Pfizer vaccines bought from Poland, or about 500,000 doses, to the city's dozen worst-affected suburbs where they will be given to those younger than 40 over the next two weeks. The ramp-up in inoculations provides hope to Australia's biggest city amid its worst outbreak since the pandemic began, said Gladys Berejiklian, premier of its home state of New South Wales.