Coronavirus update for Victoria – 23 December 2021

COVID-19 Data

Yesterday, 16,758 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria’s state-commissioned services with the total number of doses administered since the program began surpassing five million. The total number of doses administered through state-run services is 5,008,438.

94.4 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 92.7 per cent have had two doses. This excludes the most recent Commonwealth data.

There are 398 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria – 72 active cases in ICU, with 39 of those on a ventilator. There are an additional 40 cleared cases in ICU.

Victoria was notified of 2,005 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All cases were locally acquired except for 25 cases which were acquired overseas. This is the highest daily case number recorded in Victoria for two months and it has increased the state’s seven-day rolling daily case average to 1465 cases.

The 10 Local Government areas with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Casey, Whittlesea, Melbourne, Wyndham, Melton, Brimbank, Moreland, Mornington Peninsula and Greater Dandenong.

All locations containing new cases will be published today at Victorian COVID-19 data.

There are 14,801 active cases in Victoria. The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 151,577.

Sadly, the Department was notified yesterday of 10 deaths of people aged in their 60s, 70s and 90s. This brings the total number of deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began to 1,476.

85,112 COVID-19 tests were processed yesterday. The total number of tests performed in Victoria since the pandemic began is 16,772,426.

There are currently more than 14,200 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.

Updates

COVIDSafe gatherings over Christmas

The Department has published COVIDSafe advice for hosts and attendees of household Christmas parties at COVIDSafe gatherings.

• If you have symptoms, don’t go. Get a PCR test instead and stay isolated until you get a negative result. If you don’t have symptoms, consider taking a rapid antigen test before leaving home. If you’re hosting, consider asking guests to do the same.
• Take extra precautions, especially among those who are elderly or vulnerable. Fewer faces and bigger spaces mean less risk. It's best to wear a mask when talking to people face-to-face. Wash your hands regularly. Open up the doors and windows and get the fresh air flowing through. Keep note of who comes.
• Keep it short and keep it outdoors. This will prevent you from becoming a household contact who must quarantine for 7+ days (because once someone has spent 4 hours with a case in a house, they are a household contact). So have Christmas on the veranda and reduce your time inside a house with others to less than 4 hours. You may still have to get tested, but time in isolation will be shorter.

New Omicron cases

There were 10 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant identified in Victoria yesterday. The total number of confirmed Omicron variant cases in Victoria is 71.

Of the Omicron variant cases in Victoria, 34 acquired their infection overseas and 37 acquired their infection in Australia.

All Victorians can play their part in reducing the spread of Omicron – or any other variant – by getting tested the moment they notice symptoms or as soon as they are told they are a contact, and practising COVIDSafe behaviours such as wearing masks, physical distancing, checking in and getting a booster when eligible.

Links and contacts

• Victoria’s Pandemic Order Register
• Victoria’s pandemic management framework
• Information for overseas travellers has updates on inbound international restrictions
• Current COVIDSafe settings for living and working in Victoria
• Your COVID Checklist – what to do if you test positive or if you have been told you are a contact
• Vaccinations, including how to book and where to go
• Find your nearest testing centre
• Information on Rapid Antigen Tests
• Financial support is available if you have to isolate after a test, including a $450 payment
• Information for industry and workers required to be vaccinated
• The Commonwealth’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) common operating picture
• How to get your COVID-19 digital certificate

To access the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Victoria, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria website or call the 24-hour Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can also call the Victorian Aboriginal COVID Information Line on 1800 312 911. Callers will speak with Aboriginal staff who can answer questions about COVID-19 and direct them to relevant support services. The information line is open from 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week.