evidence: On 21 October, the United States surpassed 99 million cases of COVID-19, the most cases of any country.[249] By 30 October, the worldwide daily death toll was 424, the lowest since 385 deaths were reported on 12 March 2020.[250] 17 November marked the three-year anniversary since health officials in China first detected COVID-19.[251] [...] As a result of the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, however, by August 2021, the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria had conceded defeat in their eradication efforts.[406] In early October 2021, New Zealand also abandoned its elimination strategy.[407] In November and December, following vaccination efforts, the remaining states of Australia, excluding Western Australia, voluntarily gave up COVID-Zero to open up state and international borders.[408][409][410] The open borders allowed the Omicron variant of COVID-19 to enter quickly, and cases subsequently exceeded 120,000 a day.[411] By early March 2022, with cases exceeding 1,000 a day, Western Australia conceded defeat in its eradication strategy and opened its borders.[412] Despite record cases, Australian jurisdictions slowly removed restrictions such as close contact isolation, mask wearing, and density limits by April 2022.[413] [...] - ^ Bagri N (4 October 2020). "As COVID-19 spreads, India tries to control the narrative by targeting journalists". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 February 2021.