Australian authorities have begun doling out emergency Covid-19 vaccine supplies in the Sydney suburbs worst hit by an outbreak of the fast-moving Delta strain, as the country reported its biggest one-day rise in Covid-19 infections.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the ramp up in inoculations in Australia's biggest city was providing some hope as the city battles its worst outbreak since the coronavirus pandemic began.

"The next few weeks will be hard, but no doubt that once we get those high vaccination rates life will feel much better, it will look much rosier," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales.

Officials across the country have reported a daily combined total of 754 cases, surpassing the previous single-day high of 738 cases recorded on Aug 5, 2020.

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