Covid Australia live news update: vaccines for 16-39s from 30 August; NSW 681 cases, Vic 57 and ACT 16; NSW extends regional lockdown | Australia news

4.51am EDT
04:51

The day that was, Thursday 19 August

That is where we will leave the blog on another big news day.

Here’s what made headlines today:

Australia recorded a new record in daily vaccinations with 309,010 reported on Thursday, but at the same time, Australia also recorded its highest daily case numbers with 754 new local infections across NSW, Melbourne and Canberra.
NSW reported 681 cases, and the death of a man in his 80s
The regional NSW lockdown has been extended for at least a week to 28 August. This is the current end date for the Sydney lockdown, too, but expectations are Sydney will remain locked down for much longer on current case numbers.
Victoria…