Melbourne, June 26 (RHC)-- More on the situation in Australia following the announcement that troops will be sent to Melbourne, the country's second biggest city and the capital of Victoria state.

The state reported 33 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.  That's the ninth day of double-digit increases.

Australia as a whole has recorded more than 7,500 cases of the disease but with the outbreak seemingly under control had eased most restrictions.  It has recorded 104 deaths, the latest an 85-year-old man who died in April but has now been confirmed to have had the disease.

In related news, Australia's military is to send 1,000 troops to Melbourne to tackle new coronavirus clusters that have emerged in the capital of the state of Victoria.

Victoria has recorded almost 150 new infections during the past week.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said on Thursday that the military would be rapidly deployed "in the coming days." 

Up to 850 Australian Defence Force personnel will help monitor returned international travellers in hotel quarantine while about 200 others will provide logistical and medical support to COVID-19 testing facilities, she said.

Separately, the Victoria premier Dan Andrews, said the state was launching a "suburban testing blitz" targeting areas identified as hotspots to get on top of the outbreak.