Australia's COVID-19 daily cases creep higher but below record levels

Australia surpassed 25,000 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, tipped over the milestone by the recent outbreak in Victoria state and prompting a warning from authorities about declining test numbers. Australia recorded 151 new infections over the past 24 hours, up from 121 a day earlier, with Victoria responsible for the bulk of the cases and New South Wales accounting for the remainder. The daily numbers were well down from a peak during Australia's second wave of more than 700 in a single day earlier this month, but officials expressed concern about a drop-off in the number of people presenting themselves for COVID-19 tests. 'We are seeing some decrease in the amount of testing ... please, if you have symptoms, do go and get tested,' national Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison McMillan said during a televised media conference in Canberra.