Australian COVID-19 outbreak threatens Melbourne, Sydney stabilises

People wait in line outside a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia, July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jane Wardell

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia reported a slowdown in new COVID-19 cases in Sydney on Thursday, while local media said Melbourne would follow it into lockdown as the outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant threatens to take hold in the Victorian capital.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said case numbers in Sydney would need to drop significantly for the city of 5 million to leave lockdown, given 28 out of the 65 new infections reported were people who were infectious while still active in the community.