Australia's Victoria state sees sharp jump in COVID-19 cases

The state also recorded five additional deaths in the 24 hours to midnight Wednesday

The Australian state of Victoria experienced a massive jump in COVID-19 cases on Thursday, recording 1,438 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to midnight Wednesday, up from 950 the previous day, Qazet.az reports citing Xinhua.

The record-breaking surge also pushed the state's number of active cases to a record high of 11,018.

There is speculation that the uptick was linked to the large-scale protests by construction workers that began last week.

The state also recorded five additional deaths in the 24 hours to midnight Wednesday.