Coronavirus update for Victoria - 28 May 2021

Victoria was notified of six new cases of coronavirus yesterday.

Four are locally acquired cases linked to the current outbreak.

This brings the total number of locally acquired cases in the current outbreak to 30.

There were two reported cases in returned international travellers in hotel quarantine. They are a man aged in his 50s and a man aged in his 30s. Both arrived in Melbourne on separate flights.

There is one COVID-19 case in hospital in Victoria. This case was in ICU but has now moved back to the ward.

The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 20,580.

Update: Outbreaks

There are four new cases linked to the City of Whittlesea and Port Melbourne Workplace outbreaks.

Extensive contact tracing continues for all the individuals who have tested positive to COVID-19 and new public exposures sites are being identified.

As of this morning, the Department had identified more than 15,000 people who are either required to quarantine for 14 days, or test and isolate until negative.

A total of 1452 of these people are primary close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases from the current outbreak.

There are now more than 150 public exposure sites in Victoria, see Case locations and exposure sites on the Coronavirus website.

This list does not include small, private or closed exposure sites such as Uber rides or medical appointments.

New exposure sites are being added to the website as interviews are conducted with positive cases.

It is important that Victorians review this webpage regularly and if they have been at an exposure site on the listed dates and times, they must isolate, get tested and contact the Department of Health.

Close contacts are also contacted by public health officials as they are identified and provided with instructions to isolate and get tested.

Update: Sites of concern

One of yesterday’s positive cases worked during their infectious period (without symptoms) for a large food distribution centre and visited multiple food stores and groceries across metropolitan Melbourne on 18 and 19 May, and on other days.

Significant contact tracing work is underway to identify all close contacts of this positive case.

The Department is working closely with the employee’s company in its contract tracing efforts.

Details of site exposures have been published urgently.

The full investigation on specific times is still underway so time details of these sites may be refined – and we thank the affected public for their understanding.

The Department wishes to highlight the below newly-listed exposure sites it considers particularly high-risk. It includes the sites visited by the above case.

Update: Circuit breaker restrictions

Circuit breaker restrictions are now in force in Victoria.

For more than a dozen pages of questions and answers for what these restrictions mean for you, see COVIDSafe Settings on the Coronavirus website.

Update: Vaccinations

A total of 17,223 COVID-19 vaccination doses were administered yesterday by state commissioned services across Victoria.

This is a record number of vaccinations for a single day at state run vaccination centres.

This brings the total number of vaccine doses administered by the Department as of yesterday to 421,634.

The number of vaccinations administered in Victoria from all vaccination sites, including GPs, aged care and residential disability, Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services, and state-run vaccination centres, since the vaccination program began on 22 February exceeded one million doses yesterday.

The capacity of the Victorian COVID-19 Hotline has been doubled following an unprecedented volume of calls were received yesterday.

Yesterday’s significant demand unfortunately caused several technical issues with the phone service. The Department has worked closely with network providers to successfully restore services.

The Department is grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm and patience.

Update: Record day at testing sites

Yesterday, Victoria set a record for the number of COVID-19 tests in a single day with 47,462 processed.

There are now 206 testing centres are operating in Victoria and more than 40 of those centres are operating with new or extended operating hours.

The Department is publishing expected wait times at testing sites as well as updated information about locations and hours of operation, see Where to get tested on the Coronavirus website.

Getting tested is vital to the success of our response to the current outbreak. We request that people who need to be tested use this website and select a nearby testing centre that has the shortest wait times.

General advice

Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath and loss or change in sense of smell or taste. If you are experiencing symptoms, wear a fitted face mask when you get tested.

For more information call the 24-hour Coronavirus Hotline at 1800 675 398 or visit the Coronavirus website.