Australia has recorded a further 17 new coronavirus deaths but infections in the hard-hit state of Victoria, the site of all the latest deaths, are showing a downward trend, authorities said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the state, which is almost halfway through a six-week lockdown, had confirmed 208 new infections in the preceding 24 hours. That was higher than the 182 new cases reported on Saturday, but was still lower than the weekly average, he said.

“We’re going to defeat this second wave,” Andrews told reporters. “And then we’ll be able to begin the process of opening up. Exactly when that is, we can’t give people a definitive date. But [...] my aim is to round out the year with something — a Covid normal.”