By Abbir Dib
Victoria has offically recorded two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours and six new cases in hotel quarantine - taking the number of active infections in the state to 85.
Both of the new community cases are known primary close contacts of existing outbreaks, Acting Premier James Merlino said.
“One new case is another employee of the Port Melbourne finance company, in their 50s, who has been isolating for the entirety of an infectious period,” Mr Merlino said.
The other new case was a teacher from primary school linked to the West Melbourne outbreak.
Aged care provider Arcare released a statement on Sunday saying two more cases had been found at its Maidstone residence.
“One is a 79-year-old resident who lives in close proximity to the first two residents diagnosed. The second is an agency Registered Nurse (RN) who last worked at the residence yesterday,” Arcare chief executive Colin Singh said.
“The resident, who has had both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, is asymptomatic but will be transferred to hospital for public health reasons,” he said.
The nurse had also received the first dose of a vaccine, he said.
Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said authorities were aware of Arcare’s new cases but had not worked out the details of them yet.
He said the state’s aged care system remained at six cases.
In the West Melbourne outbreak, 98 per cent of primary close contacts associated with the primary school had returned a negative test and would continue to quarantine, Professor Cheng said.
The government announced more support for regional tourism businesses, including another 80,000 travel vouchers worth $200, for people to travel in the regions once they are allowed to. No date has been set yet for the release of those vouchers.
Tourism businesses will also get extra support in top-up grants, worth up to $4500, or up to $15,000 for Alpine tourism operators.
Almost 30,000 tests were carried out on Saturday and 19,940 vaccine doses administered.
That came as authorities issued a warning for suburbs in Melbourne’s inner north-west after virus fragments were found in waste water on Wednesday.
Almost 30,000 tests were carried out on Saturday.Credit:Getty
The race to find the source of the state’s highly-contagious Delta variant cluster continues as Victorian authorities trace movements of recent coronavirus-positive hotel quarantine guests whose genomic data could not be determined.
And the quarantine hub in Victoria could still be weeks away because the federal government is yet to conduct site testing at the two possible locations in Avalon and Mickleham.
A building at 227 Collins street in the CBD has been listed as a tier one exposure site on four separate days.
“Public health teams are focusing on a network of small businesses on level four and five. One business in this building was previously listed as an exposure site that this has now been expanded,” Professor Cheng said.
More to come
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Abbir Dib is a breaking reporter at The Age
Victoria records two new local cases of COVID-19, virus fragments put suburbs on alert - The Age
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