Due to the difference in reporting times between states, territories and the federal government, it can be difficult to get a current picture of how many confirmed cases of coronavirus there are in Australia, where cases are increasing, and the overall trend for each state and territory.
Here, we’ve brought together all the figures in one place for Australia as a whole, as well as the states with current outbreaks.
Comparing current outbreaks
The following chart shows the cumulative cases in each state or territory currently experiencing an outbreak.
NSW Covid outbreak and trend in Sydney LGA cases
New South Wales is currently experiencing the worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic in terms of the number of cases, with the more infectious Delta variant proving hard to contain.
This chart shows the number and trend in new locally-acquired cases in NSW and is updated daily:
Cases are not distributed around the state equally. This map shows where cases are growing around NSW, as well as whether the area is currently an ‘LGA of concern’ and subject to stricter conditions.
Where Covid-19 cases are increasing and decreasing in Sydney
Showing the trend in locally-acquired cases by local government area, for areas with more than five cases in the past fortnight. *The trend is determined using the week-on-week change in a rolling seven-day average of cases. The circles are sized by the total number of cases in the past 30 days. Data last updated:
Zoom to NSW
Toggle map circles
You can see the trend in more detail at the LGA level with the following chart series. Use the button to rescale the chart and compare trajectories between LGAs.
Victoria Covid outbreak and trend in Melbourne LGA cases
Victoria is also experiencing a renewed surge in cases due to the Delta variant. This chart shows the number and trend in new locally-acquired cases in Victoria and is updated daily:
This map shows where cases are growing around Victoria, with circles coloured to show if cases are increasing or decreasing in the area, and sized by the total number of recent cases in that area:
Where Covid-19 cases are increasing and decreasing in Melbourne
Showing the trend in reported cases by local government area, for areas with more than five cases in the past fortnight. *The trend is determined using the week-on-week change in a rolling 7-day average of cases. The circles are sized by the total number of cases in the past 30 days. Data last updated:
Zoom to Victoria
Toggle map circles
You can see the trend in more detail at the LGA level with the following chart series. Use the button to rescale the chart and compare trajectories between LGAs.
ACT Covid outbreak and cases
This chart shows the number and trend in new locally-acquired cases in the ACT and is updated daily:
National Australia cases trend, deaths and hospitalisation figures
This chart shows the number of new cases per day across Australia. Numbers include both local and overseas acquired cases.
This chart shows the number of hospitalisations due to Covid as a proportion of all active cases. It is one measure which might indicate when the overall severity of Covid is declining, either due to vaccinations or a changing age profile in the people catching Covid due to vaccinations.
However, it is worth keeping in mind that hospitalisation figures can be influenced by “capacity and decision-making about admission for isolation”, according to Prof Emma McBryde, an epidemiologist at James Cook University.
Here, you can see the number of new deaths reported per day by the states and territories:
Notes and methods
Due to the nature of collating data daily under time pressure and differences in how data is collected, we recommend cross-checking with other data sources where possible. It is quite likely these figures will vary from other figures due to differences in data collection methods.
Here are a few other websites doing similar work:
Updates 17 September 2021
- The Victorian 2021 delta outbreak changed to one wave instead of two waves.
Due to the unprecedented and ongoing nature of the coronavirus outbreak, this article is being regularly updated to ensure that it reflects the current situation at the date of publication. Any significant corrections made to this or previous versions of the article will continue to be footnoted in line with Guardian editorial policy.