Health Department reports 49 cases in Bass Coast
THE number of active cases of COVID-19 in Gippsland has continued to ease slightly, dropping from 388 on December 5 to 344 on Thursday, December 16.
THE number of active cases of COVID-19 in Gippsland has continued to ease slightly, dropping from 388 on December 5 to 344 on Thursday, December 16.
According to Health Department data for December 16, the number of active cases locally are as follows:
* Bass Coast 49 active, 5 new
* Baw Baw 154 active, 31 new
* East Gippsland 22 active, 3 new
* Latrobe City 70 active, 9 new
* South Gippsland 24 active, 6 new
* Wellington 25 active, 5 new
Victorian data December 16
The Victoria Health Department reported 1622 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, December 16. All cases were locally acquired except for four cases that were acquired overseas.
There were 80,841 COVID-19 tests were processed yesterday.
The 10 Local Government areas with the highest number of new cases are Casey, Hume, Brimbank, Moonee Valley, Melton, Moreland, Monash, Whittlesea, Wyndham and Greater Dandenong.
Casey has 755 active cases with 95 new, Greater Dandenong has 375 active cases, 55 new and Cardinia numbers continue to come down, presently 192 active and 37 new.
There are 12,252 active cases in Victoria.
Sadly, the Department was notified yesterday of nine deaths of people aged in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. This brings the total number of deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began to 1436.
There are currently more than 30,800 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.
Some 94.3 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 92.3 per cent have had two doses.
There are 384 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria, 87 active cases in ICU, with 49 of those on a ventilator.
There are an additional 35 cleared cases in ICU. Of those in hospital yesterday, 62 per cent were not fully vaccinated while 90 per cent of those in ICU were not fully vaccinated.
Update: New Omicron cases
Three new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant have been identified in Victoria. This brings the total number of confirmed Omicron variant cases in Victoria to 13.
All of the new Omicron cases are recent international arrivals. All have been in quarantine since arrival.
Public health authorities are investigating seven confirmed COVID-19 cases that may be linked to the Peel Hotel and Sircuit Bar sites. Work is underway to determine if any of these cases have the Omicron variant.
There are now around 30 positive COVID-19 cases being managed as either suspected or confirmed Omicron cases. The suspected cases are awaiting sequencing to confirm their variant type.
Public health advice for The Peel Hotel, Collingwood, and Sircuit Bar, Fitzroy, was issued yesterday and can been seen at Public health update. Anyone who attended the Sircuit Bar from 9pm to midnight and the Peel Hotel from 11.30pm to 3am on Friday 10 December needs to quarantine and get tested.
The quarantine period begins from their time of exposure at the venues.
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 and checking in.
Updated public health orders
Following advice from the Chief Health Officer, the Minister for Health Martin Foley yesterday signed pandemic orders under the new Public Health and Wellbeing Act, which came into effect from 11.59pm last night and will be in place until 12 January 2022.
For more details, see updated public health protections to keep Victorians safe.
