Coronavirus update for Victoria – 8 October 2021

Victoria was notified of 1,838 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All were locally acquired. There are 16,823 active cases in Victoria – all locally acquired. More than 800 of these active cases are in regional Victoria.

There are 620 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria. 114 of those cases are in intensive care, with 76 cases on a ventilator.

Sadly, the Department was notified of five deaths yesterday:

• a man aged in his 70s from Melton
• two women aged in their 70s, one from Knox and the other from Greater Shepparton
• two men aged in their 80s, one from Brimbank and the other from Whittlesea.

This brings the total number of deaths from the current outbreak to 75, and the total number of deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began to 895.

The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 49,089.

Update: Restrictions changes in Mildura, Greater Shepparton and Moorabool Shire

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer has declared that the Rural City of Mildura will enter a seven-day lockdown commencing at 11.59 pm tonight, Friday 8 October, with restrictions the same as those in Mitchell Shire and metropolitan Melbourne (excluding the curfew).

Under lockdown restrictions, you can only leave home for limited reasons: necessary goods and services, caregiving or compassionate reasons (including medical care and getting a COVID-19 test), authorised work or permitted education, exercise and outdoor social interaction in limited groups, and getting a COVID-19 vaccine in the local area.

Locals are asked to be on high alert for symptoms and get tested if any develop. We also remind anyone who has been identified by the Department of Health as a close contact to come forward for testing immediately.

To find your nearest COVID-19 testing site, visit Where to get tested. Operating hours and wait times will vary.

The Chief Health Officer has also declared that lockdown restrictions will lift in the City of Greater Shepparton and Moorabool Shire at 11.59 pm tonight. For more information on the new restrictions that will be in place in these LGAs, visit How we live: information for regional Victoria.

Update: Expansion of the NSW–Victoria cross-border community area

From midnight on Friday, 8 October 2021, the Victorian local government areas of Benalla, Buloke, Greater Bendigo, Loddon and Yarriambiack will re-join the cross-border community area. The NSW local government areas of Edward River, Hay, Lockhart, Murrumbidgee and Wagga Wagga will also re-join the cross-border community area at midnight tonight.

Residents of the NSW–Victoria cross-border community can only enter and leave the area without a permit if they have not travelled outside the border area for at least 14 consecutive days.

Update: Mask-wearing advice

From 11.59 pm tonight, Friday 8 October 2021, people can remove their face mask to consume alcohol outdoors.

Ahead of the staged return of schools starting next week, it is intended that students in Year 3 and above will be required to wear a fitted face mask while in the classroom or otherwise indoors at all Victorian schools. This public health measure is also strongly recommended for students in Prep/Foundation through to Year 2 but is not compulsory.

Vaccines

Victorians living with a disability can now get vaccinated at any state-run vaccination centre without a booking.

Disability Liaison Officers are available to help people living with a disability access health services, including vaccination. For more information, visit Vaccination information for people with adisability.

Three new pop-up vaccination clinics will open this weekend, providing the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to local residents. The clinics are located at:

• Fairhills High School in Knoxfield
• Hume Anglican Grammar in Mickleham
• Keilor Downs Secondary College.

Walk-in appointments and bookings are available at each clinic.

Over the next seven days, there are more than 52,500 first-dose vaccination appointments available through Victoria’s vaccination centres – 26,000 Pfizer, 5,500 AstraZeneca and 21,000 Moderna.

Yesterday, 36,600 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria’s state-commissioned services.

The total number of doses administered through state-run services is 3,818,259. 84.7 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 56.6 per cent have had two doses.

Victorians are encouraged to book their COVID-19 vaccination through their local GP or community pharmacy, community health service or state vaccination centre. To find a GP or pharmacy provider and make a booking, visit Australian Government Department of Health's website

Ten vaccination centres across Melbourne are administering the Moderna vaccine until Sunday 10 October, with 100,000 doses available to anyone aged 12 to 59 years at the following hubs:

• Dandenong Palm Plaza
• Former Ford Factory, Campbellfield
• Frankston Community Vaccination Hub (Bayside Centre)
• La Trobe University, Bundoora
• Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
• Melton Vaccination Hub (excluding drive-through)
• Royal Exhibition Building
• Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre
• Sandown Racecourse Vaccination Centre
• Sunshine Vaccination Hub.

Outbreaks

Of the 1,838 cases reported yesterday, the following Local Government Areas in metropolitan Melbourne recorded more than one newly diagnosed case:

• 39 cases in Banyule
• 12 cases in Bayside
• 8 cases in Boroondara
• 112 cases in Brimbank
• 33 cases in Cardinia
• 137 cases in Casey
• 59 cases in Darebin
• 22 cases in Frankston
• 30 cases in Glen Eira
• 63 cases in Greater Dandenong
• 27 cases in Hobsons Bay
• 262 cases in Hume
• 28 cases in Kingston
• 31 cases in Knox
• 25 cases in Manningham
• 31 cases in Maribyrnong
• 14 cases in Maroondah
• 67 cases in Melbourne
• 131 cases in Melton
• 40 cases in Monash
• 32 cases in Moonee Valley
• 75 cases in Moreland
• 13 cases in Mornington Peninsula
• 6 cases in Nillumbik
• 27 cases in Port Phillip
• 19 cases in Stonnington
• 15 cases in Whitehorse
• 166 cases in Whittlesea
• 155 cases in Wyndham
• 24 cases in Yarra
• 17 cases in Yarra Ranges.

Overall, there were 631 new cases in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, 553 new cases in the western suburbs, 424 cases in the south-eastern suburbs and 107 cases in the eastern suburbs.

There were also 113 cases notified in regional Victoria yesterday:

• 2 cases in Ararat
• 10 cases in Ballarat
• 1 case in Bass Coast
• 11 cases in Baw Baw
• 15 cases in Colac Otway
• 1 case in Golden Plains
• 2 cases in Greater Bendigo
• 18 cases in Greater Geelong
• 13 cases in Greater Shepparton
• 6 cases in Latrobe
• 9 cases in Macedon Ranges
• 7 cases in Mildura
• 6 cases in Mitchell
• 7 cases in Moorabool
• 1 case in Mount Alexander
• 1 case in South Gippsland
• 1 case in Strathbogie
• 1 case in Surf Coast
• 1 case in Swan Hill.

Data on Victorian coronavirus cases is available at Victorian COVID-19 data.

Of the COVID-19 cases in hospital yesterday, 66 per cent were not vaccinated, 26 per cent were partially vaccinated and 8 per cent were fully vaccinated.

There are currently more than 43,170 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.

At midday today, there were 328 published exposure sites in Victoria.

For more information on each exposure site, including dates and times of exposure, please visit Case alerts - public exposure-sites.

There may be occasions when the Department is unable to make contact with a business or residential premises before their listing as an exposure site. At all times, we take the decision of when to publish these sites in the interests of public health.

The Department regularly manages exposure sites that it doesn’t publish online, particularly if these sites represent lower-risk exposure, or if they have comprehensive record-keeping and contact-tracing measures, or if they identify small, private locations – including smaller apartment or townhouse complexes.

The Commonwealth Government publishes a weekly Common Operating Picture, which includes the effective reproduction number for all states and territories. For more information, refer to Coronavirus (COVID-19) common operating picture.

Wastewater testing

COVID-19 viral fragments have been detected in wastewater samples taken from the following regional areas:

• Portland – repeated unexpected detections between 29 September and 6 October.
• Apollo Bay – repeated unexpected detections between 28 September and 6 October.
• Aireys Inlet – repeated unexpected detections between 15 September and 4 October.
• Cobram – repeated unexpected detections between 29 September and 5 October.
• Wonthaggi – repeated unexpected detections for the period 4–7 October.
• Swan Hill – repeated unexpected detections between 29 September and 6 October.
• Ballarat – repeated unexpected detections in areas that include part of Mitchell Park and Wendouree between 28 September and 7 October.

The detections could be an undiscovered new case or cases or could be the result of one or more people in these areas who have recovered from COVID-19 but are still shedding the virus.

Anyone who lives in, works in or has visited the areas above is urged to watch for the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms and get tested as soon as possible if symptoms develop. For more information on wastewater testing, visit Wastewater testing.

Testing

Victoria recorded its third consecutive record day for testing yesterday, with 77,554 COVID-19 tests processed.

If you are concerned about losing money from missing work, support is available – including the $450 test isolation payment. For more information, go to Financial support.

To find your nearest COVID-19 testing site, visit Where to get tested. Operating hours and wait times will vary.

Latest statewide numbers (data reported to 11:59pm yesterday)

More information

To access the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Victoria, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria 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 9 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week.