Delta variant adds urgency to nations’ Covid response

Rapid response: A woman wearing a protective face mask walks a dog in front of the deserted Sydney Opera House during the lockdown. Sydney, with a relatively low vaccination rate, took strong measures to fight the Delta variant despite a low absolute number of infections. — Reuters

LAST weekend, Sydney was put under a mandatory stay-at-home order for two weeks in response to the risk posed by the Delta variant of Covid-19.

This came as a surprise to many, especially those who rightly view Australia as having been among the best in managing Covid-19, with its very low infections, hospitalisations and deaths.