Sydney, September 07, 2021, SPA -- Australia's New South Wales state on Tuesday reported 1,220 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, down from 1,281 a day earlier, as officials look to step up the pace of vaccinations in a bid to ease lockdown restrictions, Reuters reported. Eight new deaths have been recorded in the state, taking the total number of deaths in the latest outbreak to 139. --SPA 09:01 LOCAL TIME 06:01 GMT 0003 www.spa.gov.sa/w1614418