Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, has reported its deadliest day of the Covid-19 outbreak, with 17 people dying, although new infections showed signs of easing.

Victoria, at the centre of a second wave of infections in Australia, reported 394 cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, compared with a daily average of 400-500 over the past week. The new deaths bring the state’s total to 210.

According to Reuters, the southeastern state, with infections concentrated in the capital Melbourne, accounts for more than two-thirds of the national tally of nearly 21,000.