IMAGE: The number of active COVID-19 cases in Victoria continues to fall.(AAP: James Gourley)
Source: ABCnews
Victoria has recorded the deaths of a further two COVID-19 patients.
The number of people in hospital after contracting the virus sits at 465, the same as the number reported on Sunday.
Of the people in hospital, 66 are in intensive care units and 18 are on ventilators.
The state has reported 7,104 new infections. That tally is comprised of 2,058 positive PCR tests and 5,046 positive rapid antigen test notifications.
It takes the number of officially reported active infections to 53,707, down from 54,494 on Sunday.
About 51 per cent of the state’s adult population has now had a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.\
Vaccination data reveals booster effectiveness
The Victorian health department has released figures showing people who’d had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine were more than seven times more likely to end up in intensive care if they contract the virus than someone with three doses.
The department used figures from early February to evaluate the chances of a person with different levels of vaccine coverage needing greater hospital care.
It found someone who was unvaccinated was 4.5 times more likely to end up in ICU than someone who had had two doses of vaccine, and 34 times more likely to need intensive care than someone who had had a booster.
The department said people with three doses of vaccine made up 7.9 per cent of cases in ICU, but made up 45.9 per cent of the general adult population.
People who had had a booster were 88 per cent less likely to die from a COVID-19 infection than someone with no doses of vaccine.
“The data is clear that getting your third dose will significantly reduce your chances of going to hospital, going to ICU or dying from COVID-19,” a spokesperson for the health department said.
“If you are yet to get your third dose, it’s easier than ever — just walk in or book at a state-run centre, or head to a participating local GP or pharmacy near you.”
Elective surgeries to ramp up as Code Brown lifts
Victoria’s Code Brown is set to lift at midday, allowing more people to undergo elective surgeries in the state’s hospitals.
The emergency declaration came into effect last month, as the hospital system became overwhelmed by Omicron cases and staff shortages due to isolation requirements.
Hospitalisations from COVID-19 have now dropped in Victoria, down from the peak of more than 1,000 towards the end of January.
Elective surgery will return to 50 per cent capacity at private hospitals in Melbourne and up to 75 per cent in regional areas.
Regional public hospitals, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital can resume all category two surgery if they have enough staff.
Yesterday, Premier Daniel Andrews said the government would restore the state’s hospitals to full capacity “as soon as we possibly can”.
