Delta Forces New Zealand, Australia to Rethink Covid Strategies
- Australia’s PM says country unlikely to return to zero cases
- NZ’s Hipkins says delta raises questions about approach
A drive-through Covid-19 testing center in Christchurch on Aug. 21.
Photographer: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images
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The Covid-19 delta variant has forced Australia and New Zealand to review their strategies of eliminating infections of the virus, and prompted Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to say it’s highly unlikely his country will ever return to zero cases.
Australia’s focus needs to shift to hospitalization rates rather than case numbers, Morrison told ABC’s Insiders program Sunday. The highly infectious nature of delta raised some “pretty big” questions about New Zealand’s approach of eliminating the disease, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said in an interview on TVNZ.