Bass Coast spikes to 115 active cases

IN A statistic that would have raised serious concerns only a matter of a few weeks ago, Bass Coast has officially topped the 100 mark of active cases for the first time.

And in the figures released by the Victorian Health Department on Sunday, January 2, Bass Coast went within an ace of overtaking noted Gippsland hotspots, Latrobe City and Baw Baw, as the regional leader for active COVID-19 cases.

As it stands on Sunday, January 2, there are 453 active cases in Gippsland, 96 new. The cases are distributed in Gippsland’s local government areas (LGAs) as follows:

• Bass Coast 115 active cases, 25 new
• Baw Baw 80 active cases, 10 new
• East Gippsland 15 active cases, 5 new
• Latrobe City 120 active cases, 27 new
• South Gippsland 80 active cases, 24 new
• Wellington 43 active cases, 5 new

South Gippsland is also rising in the COVID ranks, reportedly with 80 active cases including 20 new cases reported on Sunday, January 2.

But indications are that there are many more active cases in the two local LGAs, especially in holiday hotspots.

Readers of the Sentinel-Times are reporting that they now know a number of people who have contracted coronavirus and there have also been numerous reports of exposure sites and potential “super spreader” events over the Christmas and New Year.

Across regional Victoria, Bass Coast has one of the highest totals of active cases:

• Ballarat 12
• Latrobe City 120
• Surf Coast 115
• Bass Coast 115
• Mildura 114
• Greater Shepparton 111