Australia’s Victoria Has Record Daily Deaths as Outbreak Worsens

(Bloomberg) --

Australia’s Victoria state reported a daily high in the number of deaths from the coronavirus and another surge in infections, as authorities said they are calling in thousands of current and retired healthcare workers to help quell the outbreak.

The hardest-hit Australian state recorded 10 deaths, bringing the total to 71, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said at a press conference in Melbourne on Sunday. There were 459 more Covid-19 cases.

Seven of the 10 deaths were associated with outbreaks in aged-care facilities, where there are 560 known cases. The death toll on Sunday included a man in his 40s, the premier said.

The Andrews government said retired doctors, nurses and midwives would return to work to help in the government’s pandemic efforts. Australian Defence Force personnel will also begin training with ambulance staff, the premier said.

“People right across the health system are putting their hands up,” he said. “They are not frontline workers, they are the last line of defense.”

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