On Thursday, the Australian state of New South Wales registered 38 cases, the largest number of local cases in a single day in the previous 14 months.

It comes as Sydney, the state capital, has been under lockdown for nearly two weeks, which the government has been compelled to prolong.

This brings the total number of cases of the highly spreadable Delta strain in Sydney to around 370.

According to authorities, the infection is still spreading due to household visits.