Premier Daniel Andrews says Victoria remains on track to follow its roadmap out of lockdown next week, despite the state recording an all-time high of 2,297 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths.
Key points:
- The spike in infections comes after several days of lower daily case tallies
- The state's seven-day daily case average remains within the range modelled by the Burnet Institute
- Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned on Wednesday the downward trajectory of the outbreak would be "bumpy"
It is the highest single-day total recorded by an Australian state or territory during the pandemic.
There are now 20,505 active cases of the virus in Victoria, and 125 people have died during the current Delta outbreak.
The new cases were identified from 82,762 test results received by health authorities yesterday.
They take the state's seven-day case average to about 1,806, which remains within the Burnet Institute's modelled peak of between 1,400 to 2,900 towards the end of this month.
But the figure dampens hopes of a turning point which were raised earlier this week after the state saw three consecutive days of declining daily case tallies.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Wednesday while he expected cases to start trending downwards, it would be "a bit of a bumpy numbers ride day-to-day".
Mr Andrews stressed this morning that today's case numbers would not affect the state's roadmap to reopening, which will see Melbourne's lockdown lift when the state hits its 70 per cent full-vaccination target next week.
"We are going to deliver the roadmap," he said, adding that there could be "additional steps" made possible by the surging vaccination rate.
Mr Andrews said the state was on track to have 90 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and older vaccinated with at least one dose when it arrived at the 70 per cent full-vaccination threshold.
"Once we are open, which is sometime next week … the case numbers become less relevant, save and except for this point — case numbers, particularly among unvaccinated people, will translate into a number of hospital patients," he said.
Mr Andrews said encouragingly, both Victoria and New South Wales had not seen the rate of hospitalisations anticipated in some modelling.
More than 1,200 households hit by latest infections
Deputy Premier James Merlino said he understood the leap in cases was "not what everybody wants" and some Victorians would be feeling "anxious".
"But they are in line with the modelling and our goals are still our goals," he said.
He revealed the bulk of the state's 11 recent deaths were spread across Melbourne's north and west.
They included a man in his 50s from Moonee Valley, a man in his 60s from Moreland, a man in his 70s and a man in his 60s from Melton, three men in their 50s, 60s and 70s from Hume and a man in his 80s from Brimbank.
A woman in her 80s and a woman in her 70s from Knox also died with the virus, along with a man in his 70s from Greater Shepparton.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Ben Cowie acknowledged the spike in cases "will hit hard for many, many people in Melbourne and in Victoria".
"It does really show how easy it is for this virus to pass from person to person," he said.
Professor Cowie said there was no single event that explained the surge in cases, but trends were being explored.
He said nearly half of the cases recorded on Wednesday were under 30, and 63 per cent were under 40.
"Within these new cases, there were 1,245 newly impacted households," he said.
He said undetected community transmission also appeared be a factor in driving more cases, and underscored the urgent need for vaccinations and for anyone with symptoms to get tested as soon as possible.
On a positive note, he said vaccinations were putting a "very substantial downward pressure on transmission".
Of the 706 people in hospital, 90 per cent have not been fully vaccinated.
Students who are close contacts will be able to sit VCE exams
Mr Merlino said the state would set up protocols to enable final-year VCE students to sit their upcoming exams, even if they became primary close contacts of a COVID-19 case.
Mr Merlino said around 75 per cent of Victorians aged 17 and 18 were expected to be fully vaccinated by the time the written exams would be held.
"Students who are primary close contacts will be able to sit their exams in a dedicated room with a separate entrance," he said.
"Either by themselves, or safely distanced from other students who are also primary close contacts, depending on the school's capacity."
He said staff in full personal protective equipment (PPE) would supervise the exams and students who were close contacts would need to get tested every 48 hours for the first week after their exposure.
Any student who tests positive to COVID-19 will not be able to sit the written exam and will get a derived score based on past assessments and tests.
Opposition calls for release of curfew health advice
Meanwhile, the Victorian opposition says it is frustrated a freedom of information request to see the health information behind last year's curfew has not been released.
The opposition is engaged in a protracted battle at Victoria's Civil and Administrative Tribunal to get access to the documents, with another hearing yesterday failing to resolve the matter.
Shadow Treasurer David Davis said Victorians deserved to know the justification for the curfew, which was imposed in Melbourne for several months in 2020.
"It's incumbent on the government to release these [documents]," he said.
"We really believe these things should be released."
Thursday's spike in new infections comes as health authorities open more pop-up sites in a bid to accelerate the vaccination rollout.
Efforts are being concentrated in Melbourne's north and south-east, where the bulk of infections are being recorded.
A number of tier 1 exposure sites have been listed across regional Victoria in the past day, including sites at Warrnambool, Geelong, Halls Gap, Bendigo and Swan Hill.
The latest Commonwealth data showed more than 86 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and older had received at least one dose of vaccine, with more than 61 per cent fully immunised.
There were 37,611 doses of vaccine administered at state-run sites yesterday, as well as more doses at GP clinics and other venues.
Experts say Victoria could be on track to reach its vaccination milestones earlier than initially expected.
While the Mitchell Shire, on the outskirts of Melbourne's north, came out of lockdown at midnight, the rural city of Mildura, in the state's north-west, has not as authorities attempt to stamp out a growing outbreak.
Aboriginal health workers have been going door-to-door in the region in a bid to boost vaccination rates to protect First Nations communities.
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Victoria records 2,297 new local COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths - ABC News
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