Australia reports first 2021 Covid-19 death, highest case number

A woman wearing a protective face mask walks along a waterfront path during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia, July 8, 2021. [Reuters, Loren Elliott]

Australia reported its first coronavirus-related death of the year on Sunday and a 2021 record 77 new cases of the virus in the state of New South Wales, which is battling an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the numbers in and around the country's biggest city Sydney, already under a hard lockdown, are expected to rise.