Source: ABCnews
Victoria has recorded 324 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 as doctors call for more Pfizer doses to be urgently allocated in Melbourne’s north.
Of today’s new cases, 107 have been linked to existing outbreaks and cases by contact tracers, while the rest remain a mystery.
The new cases were detected from 54,242 test results processed on Wednesday.
More than 60 per cent of the 221 new cases recorded on Tuesday were linked to Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Yesterday Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton urged people in Melbourne’s north, particularly permitted workers moving around for work, to be “super vigilant”.
In an open letter, GPs, community leaders and pharmacists from Melbourne’s north called on the federal and state governments to bring more Pfizer doses into the region to prevent an unsustainable surge in hospitalisations.
“The vaccination rate in the Hume LGA is now the second-lowest in the state, at a time when it has the highest number of active coronavirus cases in the state,” the letter said.
“This will create enormous pressure on our healthcare system and will cost lives.”
The letter said a similar scale of response to the recent influx of vaccines to Sydney’s west was “essential”.
“Our GPs need more vaccine supply and resources to administer them and there needs to be a surge in vaccination hub capacity and locations,” the letter said.
“We call on the Federal Government and the Victorian State Government to treat this crisis with the urgency it deserves.”
The latest Commonwealth data shows 62.5 per cent of Victorians over the age of 16 have had at least one vaccine dose, while that figure is 38.8 per cent for those who have had both doses.
Most regional areas are preparing for a significant easing of restrictions from 11:59pm tonight.
Restrictions in Greater Shepparton, which has experienced a substantial outbreak in recent weeks, will remain in line with those in Melbourne.
State could soon have 18,000 active cases
Victorian health department projections show there could be 18,000 active cases by mid-October, with 800 people hospitalised under that scenario.
At the peak of the state’s second wave in 2020, there were 8,000 active cases and 650 people in hospital.
The projections are being used to help the health system plan ahead to cope with the increased needs from people sick with COVID-19.
