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Australia suffers worst day of Covid pandemic with record deaths and cases

Military personnel have been deployed in the state of Victoria to back up police enforcing lockdown measures - William West/AFP
Military personnel have been deployed in the state of Victoria to back up police enforcing lockdown measures - William West/AFP

Australia has suffered its worst day of the Covid-19 pandemic as the second wave in the state of Victoria produced the country's highest daily death toll and number of cases.

Victoria recorded 725 new Covid-19 cases and 15 deaths overnight, one of them Australia's youngest coronavirus fatality to date -- a man in his 30s.

As the grim trio of records came, the northern state of Queensland closed its border with neighbouring New South Wales in a bid to prevent the spread of the outbreak from the south-east.

Twelve new cases in New South Wales have fanned fears of the second wave's march, though it was Victoria's cases which made up the bulk of Australia’s record-high of 739.

The 15 deaths in Australia's second most populous state mark the most deadly day for the entire country.

Twelve of the fatalities were linked to outbreaks in residential care facilities.

Queensland has also barred residents of the Australian Capital Territory, which has not reported a new case for many weeks but is located within New South Wales.

In Victoria, a police officer staffing a checkpoint was injured and two others threatened with serious injury in a string of violent outbursts against personnel enforcing new restrictions over the past 24 hours.

Police have made a number of arrests, including a 36-year-old man who allegedly breached lockdown measures four times in the past 14 days.

On Tuesday the state authorities said the military would be brought in to aid enforcement efforts.

In Western Australia, the army has been deployed to run security at quarantine hotels.

Western Australia’s border has been closed to all other states and territories since early in the pandemic crisis, but that is being challenged in the High Court by mining magnate Clive Palmer.

Australia’s national government has dropped its backing for Mr Palmer’s case, which it had previously denied, after the Western Australian government produced documents exposing their position and sparking a public outcry.

The state of Tasmania had been considering opening its borders to Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland but has postponed those plans.