Source: ABCnews
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.
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.
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.”
