Australian authorities have extended the Covid-19 lockdown in Melbourne for another three weeks, as they shift their focus to rapid vaccination drives and move away from a suppression strategy to bring cases down to zero.

While Australian authorities had been able to douse past outbreaks through lockdowns, the highly infectious Delta variant has forced the country's two biggest states to plan for a reopening even as infections rise.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also told parliament that Australians ultimately need to be released from lockdowns.

"Australia can live with this virus," he said in Canberra.

Read the full Reuters story here.

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