Australia surpasses 10,000 COVID-19 deaths

CANBERRA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Australia has surpassed 10,000 coronavirus deaths as COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise in the country, with 30 more deaths reported on Sunday.

Of those deaths, more than 7,500 have occurred in 2022 during which restrictions have been largely abolished.

The states of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW), which account for more than 55 percent of Australia's population, have accounted for more than 75 percent of the nation's COVID-19 deaths.

Almost 35 percent of Australia's coronavirus deaths were aged 80-89, with a further 25 percent for those aged 90 and older.

There were more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases reported across Australia on Sunday, taking the country's total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to approximately 8.2 million.

Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler recently asked people to get booster shots to provide further protection.