Source: ABCnews
Victoria has recorded 1,749 new local COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths.
There are now 22,476 active cases of the virus in Victoria, and 163 people have died during the current Delta outbreak.
The new cases were detected from 68,702 test results received yesterday.
There were 36,751 doses of vaccine administered at state-run sites yesterday, as well as more vaccinations at GP clinics and other venues.
Prior to yesterday’s vaccinations, 88.5 per cent of Victorians had received at least one dose, and 66.7 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Epidemiologist Nancy Baxter from Melbourne University’s School of Population and Global Health has warned cases in Victoria were unlikely to drop after lockdown restrictions are eased from Friday.
“We may never really see much of a decline because we’ll start to be on the upswing from opening up. And you know, with the new freedoms that are being given as of this weekend I think that we are going to see a pretty rapid increase in cases,” she said.
Professor Baxter said people should not throw caution to the wind when restrictions ease.
“If people don’t feel comfortable doing all of the things that friends are inviting them to do, I think it is important for people not to feel that they’re boring or afraid.”
Number of police officers refusing vaccination ‘extraordinarily small’
The head of Victoria’s police union has stressed the “vast majority” of its members have been vaccinated for months, after Victoria Police revealed 34 officers and nine Protective Services Officers (PSOs) had been stood down over a failure to comply with the vaccination mandate.
Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said the figure of 43 officers was “extraordinarily small” when placed against the union’s roughly 18,500 members. It works out to about 0.2 per cent.
“Our members who refused to be vaccinated were told by Victoria Police some weeks ago now what would happen as of Friday gone,” he said.
“They’re now in that process whereby if they continue to resist being vaccinated, their employment will ultimately be called into question.”
Mr Gatt said while the union would provide support and advice to those members, it could not change the nature of police work.
“They all need to protect themselves and the community that they serve from COVID-19,” he said.
