SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Conspiracy theorists suspect that much of the COVID panic in the world is created by media outlets for political reasons, but the reality is unfortunately that a lot of people are coming down with this dangerous virus, and are being forced to get hospital treatment for life-threatening breathing problems. <br /><br />This forces governments to act forcefully to avoid the spectacle of too many people needing hospital capacity at the same time, with thousands potentially dying from a lack of such capacity.<br /><br />It also seems certain now that a much more contagious variant of the virus is spreading around the world, and the city of Sydney has recently become the epicenter of this so-called Delta variant's entrance into Australia. Here are the details:<br /><br />Reuters reports that much of Sydney went into a one-week lockdown on Saturday 26 June, as authorities struggle to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 in the city. <br /><br />The Australian Medical Association said the move was not enough and called for a complete city lockdown. <br /><br />Only 65 cases had been reported by Saturday but doctors say they want to make sure the spike does not get out of hand and swamp hospitals. <br /><br />The new panic started on 15 June when a saliva test showed that an airport limo driver had contracted the highly contagious variant. <br /><br />He then passed the variant to others, and in two of these cases, the moment of transmission was caught on CCTV. <br /><br />Footage shows a man in his 50s caught the virus by merely passing through the airspace of the infected driver in a Bondi clothing store. <br /><br />A woman in her 70s also caught the variant by simply sitting outside a coffee shop when the driver was inside the coffee shop. <br /><br />Experts say the Delta variant seems to linger in the air for a period of time, and can infect people who merely breathe in the same air.<br /><br />This faster-spreading Delta variant is a top concern in many countries, including in China.<br /><br />Fears over the rapid spread of the variant prompted the Shenzhen Bao-an International Airport to cancel hundreds of flights and tighten entry controls on Saturday 19 June, after a single restaurant employee tested positive.
