Covid cases surge to record high in most populous state of Australia

A man has a swab taken at a drive-through Covid testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney (Rick Rycroft/AP)

Australia’s most populous state has reported a record number of new coronavirus cases and a sharp jump in hospital numbers, while thousands of people isolate at home after contracting the virus or coming into contact with someone who has.

New South Wales reported 6,394 new infections on Sunday, up from 6,288 a day earlier. Case numbers in the state have surged over the past two weeks but hospitalisations have lagged behind new infections.