SYDNEY, SEPTEMBER 22

Australia's New South Wales state reported 1,035 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, up from 1,022 a day earlier, as total infections from the Delta outbreak neared 50,000 since the first case was detected in mid-June.

Five new deaths were reported in the state. A total of 1,232 people are hospitalised, with 242 in intensive care and 122 require ventilation.