Victoria has recorded 1,466 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases and eight deaths as the state tries to bring its Delta outbreak under control.
Key points:
- The death toll from the current outbreak in Victoria now stands at 101, and there are 19,627 active cases
- More than 36,000 doses of vaccine were administered at state-run centres yesterday, and more at GP clinics
- Health authorities are concerned about rising case numbers in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs
There are now 19,627 active cases of the virus in the state, and 101 people have died in Victoria during the current outbreak.
The new cases were identified from 68,509 test results received yesterday.
Meanwhile, 36,383 doses of vaccine were administered at state-run sites and thousands more doses were given at GP clinics and other venues.
According to the latest figures, 85.8 per cent of people over the age of 16 in Victoria have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 59.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.
The state's seven-day daily case average has dipped slightly to around 1,690, putting it at the lower end of the peak forecast for this month by the Burnet Institute.
The institute's modelling, which has underpinned Victoria's roadmaps out of lockdown, predicted the state would reach a seven-day daily case average of between 1,400 and 2,900 towards the end of October.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the fall in new cases over the past two days was a good sign.
"That's positive, we obviously hope that trend continues," he said
"We've referred a number of times to the experience in New South Wales where when they reached 50 per cent double-dosed they experienced a bit of a turnaround."
Hospitals prepare for peak demand later this month
Victoria continues to see a lower hospitalisation rate than New South Wales during the current outbreak, according to Adrian Esterman, the chair of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Adelaide.
"Hospitalisations are also going up but at nowhere near the rate that cases are going up," Professor Esterman told ABC Radio Melbourne.
"Whereas, if you look at New South Wales, [although] you'll see that both cases and hospitalisations are going down, it's almost at a parallel rate."
Professor Esterman said it was impossible to say for certain why that was the case, but the lower median age of cases in Victoria was a likely factor.
He said moves to vaccinate vulnerable elderly people after outbreaks in 2020 meant there were fewer cases in older age groups than has been the case in NSW.
Chris McIsaac, the head of intensive care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, said while it was possible new case numbers had peaked, that was not yet the case for hospitalisations.
"I don't think we've yet reached the peak because we normally see people admitted to hospital seven to 10 days after their diagnosis," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
The hospital added 14 beds yesterday to its ICU capacity of 40 beds to cope with potential projected demand.
There are currently 21 people in the hospital's ICU — 18 are on a ventilator.
Rising case numbers in Melbourne's south-east
Health authorities are concerned about rising case numbers in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs, with the number active cases in the City of Casey doubling in a week.
Several new tier 1 exposure sites were listed overnight in Geelong, Bendigo, Drouin West and Mooroolbark.
Meanwhile, Victoria's COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar warned vaccination rates would be an important consideration when determining whether Mildura came out of lockdown.
New data released yesterday showed 88 per cent of people in the Mildura municipality had received one dose of a vaccine, while 54 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Mr Weimar, who was in the regional Victorian city yesterday, said the emphasis would soon move away from daily case numbers when considering localised restrictions.
"Increasingly, it's much more about where are the remaining vulnerabilities and where are the risks," he said.
"We are concerned about seeing communities with low vaccination rates. We see pockets of that here in Mildura, that's where we need to surge in and get those people protected."
Loading form...
Victoria records 1,466 new local COVID-19 cases and eight deaths - ABC News
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment