Sydney, Jan 4 (TIWN) The Australian states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria on Tuesday reported record high number of daily Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations, as the country's overall infection tally surpassed the 500,000 mark.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Australia also passed the grim milestone of 500,000 on Tuesday.  NSW, the epicenter of Australia's current wave of the pandemic, recorded 23,131 new cases and two deaths in the past 24 hours.