* Local COVID-19 infections in NSW have spiked to a record high of 239 as authorities tighten restrictions for two million people in Sydney.

* NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has rejected suggestions her government has imposed restrictions too gradually and too late, saying there was "no perfect way" to respond to the Delta strain.

* NSW Police has formally requested the assistance of 300 Australian Defence Force personnel to assist officers with compliance checks.

* Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australia is winning the battle against coronavirus vaccine misinformation, after more than 200,000 people rolled up their sleeves for a jab in the past 24 hours.

* Qantas is set to make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for all international travellers when Australia's borders reopen.

* Victorian health authorities are still trying to work out how a Melbourne testing site traffic controller contracted COVID-19.

* South Australia reported two new cases in its latest cluster of local COVID-19 infections but both are already in hotel quarantine.

* Queensland authorities are on alert after a man with COVID-19 flew between Brisbane and Perth last week, after arriving from the Philippines via Papua New Guinea on July 3.

* An epidemiologist says Eddie McGuire's plan to use rapid testing to get more fans into the MCG for the AFL grand final may not work.

AUSTRALIAN VACCINATION NUMBERS:

* There have been 11,795,236 doses administered in the national COVID-19 vaccination rollout up to Wednesday, including 201,470 in the previous 24 hours.

* Of the total, 6,658,434 have been administered by the Commonwealth (an increase of 125,625 in the previous 24 hours).

* 6,145,680 have been issued in primary care (+121,626) and 512,754 in aged and disability facilities (+3,999).

* 5,136,802 have been administered by the states and territories, including 75,845 in the previous 24 hours.

* 1,590,244 have been administered in Victoria (+17,961), 1,420,587 in NSW (+24,706), 887,335 in Queensland (+12,148), 481,575 in Western Australia (+9,804), 377,695 in South Australia (+5,653), 159,664 in Tasmania (+2,116), 131,997 in the ACT (+2,231) and 87,705 in the NT (+1,226)

AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:

* Australia reported 253 local cases on Thursday, July 29.

* There were 7 new overseas-acquired cases.

* The national death toll is 923: Victoria 820, NSW 67, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 7, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).

GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:

* Cases: at least 195,969,000

* Deaths: at least 4,187,000

* Vaccine doses administered: at least 3,967,165,000

Data current as at 1730 AEST on July 29, taking in federal and state/territory government updates and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre figures.

Australian Associated Press