Gippsland COVID-19 cases hit 3502 on Sunday

SHORTAGES of staff in the health system and “a finite number of ambulance services” is driving a new appeal from the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to stay the course: to get your third dose when eligible and to isolate when positive or a close contact.

It follows an announcement by Bass Coast Health last Friday that they are making drastic cuts to normal services, effective from Monday, January 17, as a result of more than 100 health staff being furloughed as either COVID-positive or as a primary close contact.

The Premier made the appeal at his Sunday COVID-19 update press conference, noting that 3 million of the State Government’s 44 million rapid antigen test (RAT) kit order had arrived last Friday.

It comes as positive COVID-19 numbers rise and fall locally – up on Friday, down on Saturday and up again on Sunday with Gippsland up from 3075 on Saturday to 3502 on Sunday.

Leading the way again in Gippsland is Latrobe City adding 191 new cases on Sunday for an active total of 1074.

Bass Coast reported 81 new cases and South Gippsland 47.

COVID-19 cases by LGA

Here are the latest Gippsland COVID-19 numbers by Local Government Area (LGA) - Sunday, January 16.

• Bass Coast 556 active, 81 new
• Baw Baw 688 active, 81 new
• East Gippsland 483 active, 117 new
• Latrobe City 1074 active, 19 new
• South Gippsland 263 active, 47 new
• Wellington 438 active, 75 new
• Gippsland 3502 active, 634 new

COVID-19 cases by postcode

Cases by postcode on Sunday, January 16:

• Mirboo North (3871): 19 active, 1 new
• Cowes (3922): 118-20
• San Remo/Cape Woolamai (3925): 72-9
• Korumburra (3950) 33-3
• Leongatha (3953): 89-15
• Fish Creek (3959): 14-4
• Foster (3960): 37-10
• Corinella (3984): 72-11
• Nyora (3987): 2-1
• Wonthaggi (3995): 188-28
• Inverloch (3996): 95-17

Mr Andrews said that nearly 25 per cent of Victorians over 16 years of age and 45 per cent over 70 had so far received their third dose but noted that many more were now eligible and with 177,000 appointments in the system next week, everyone over the age of 12 who was eligible for their third dose could get one.

“Because of this variant it’s not two doses and a booster, it’s three doses as a core requirement to stop transmission,” Mr Andrews said.

“Two doses is effective in stopping people getting seriously ill but it’s the transmission, as we have seen, that it the problem.

“There is a reduction in the ease with which this spreads after you’ve had a third dose.”

Mr Andrews said getting a third dose and isolating at home when you tested positive or were a close contact with someone who had tested positive were the two things that would keep pressure off a health system which was already under significant stress, not just from the numbers hospitalised, but like other parts of the workforce, which were experiencing loss of staff due to COVID.

There are 1114 people in hospital, 122 in ICU and 35 on ventilators and more than 6600 hospital staff unavailable.

‘Third dose reduces spread’ says Premier

There has been some comment on social media, questioning the Premier Daniel Andrews’ claims that a third dose helps reduce the transmission of the Omicron variant.

Here’s what he had to say at the government’s COVID update on Sunday:

“Today we have reached almost 24 per cent of 12 and over who have received a third dose. That's an increase from 22.4% yesterday. Almost 45% of people over 70 have had their third dose. It's critically important that every single Victorian who becomes eligible, when they become eligible to make an appointment, to honour that appointment, to turn up and get their third dose,” Mr Andrews said.

“This really is not two doses and a bonus. Because of this variant it really is three doses as an absolute core requirement to stop transmission.

“We know the two doses are still being very successful in preventing in the vast majority of cases really significant illness, people getting desperately unwell. But the transmission as we can see from case numbers that I'll go to in a moment, this variant gets past the two doses but there is significant benefit and a reduction in the number of cases, the ease with which this spreads, once you've had a third dose.

“So, the things that are most impactful, a third dose, and also obviously people isolating at home when they have symptoms or if they are a contact of someone who is a positive case.

“We're deeply grateful to the many, many 1000s of Victorians who are doing that, they're isolating for themselves, for the people they love, and in some respects, most importantly for the people that we all depend upon; our nurses, our doctors, our hospital workers, ambulance paramedics. If we were to let this run, if we were to give up on ISO for instance, or testing, then we wouldn't have 1000 patients in hospital we would have many, many 1000s More than that and that would make the pressure quite unbearable on our hospital staff.

“So, for them, for yourself or your family, for all of us; those third doses are critically important and making that very considerable sacrifice of isolating away at home. I know and understand how challenging that is. And I thank profoundly every single Victorian who is playing their part by doing that. Thank you so much. You are doing the best and most important of work.”