Victoria records 45 new coronavirus cases and five deaths as Melbourne’s 14-day average falls
Yesterday Victoria recorded its lowest daily case increase in about three months.(ABC News: Billy Draper)
Victoria has recorded 45 new cases of COVID-19 and five more deaths overnight.
All of the deaths were linked to aged care settings and one of the people who died was a man in his 50s.
The others were a man in his 70s, a man in his 80s, and two women in their 90s.
The state’s death toll now stands at 750.
It is the eighth-consecutive day the state has recorded a daily total below 50, but an increase on yesterday’s tally of 28.
Metropolitan Melbourne’s 14-day case average is now sitting at 42.7, and regional Victoria’s rolling average is 2.3.
Premier Daniel Andrews said there were now 920 active cases in Victoria.
Authorities trying to ‘get a ring around’ Casey community cluster
Health officials are still working to tackle coronavirus outbreaks in the outer south-east of Melbourne.
Jeroen Weimar from the Department of Health and Human Services said there were 90 active cases across the Dandenong and Casey local government areas.
An outbreak referred to as the “Casey community cluster” has 34 active cases spread across five households in Hallam, Clyde, Narre Warren South and Cranbourne North.
“We’ve also seen in this particular cluster visiting of houses beyond the 5-kilometre radius, so these five houses in this particular cluster have had, unfortunately, some members of those households visiting other households,” Mr Weimar said.
“It is that limited amount of contact, relatively infrequent contact, between these five households that has now meant that we have 34 people in five houses experiencing or living with a very real threat of the coronavirus.”
No new infections were linked to the Casey community cluster today.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said local health services, communities and DHHS were working together to respond to the outbreak.
“I think that is a very encouraging start but we clearly need to make sure that we get a ring around these cases to stop onward transmission,” he said.
Yesterday’s daily tally of 28 was the state’s lowest in about three months.
Metropolitan Melbourne is scheduled to have some restrictions eased on September 28 if its 14-day average remains in the 30 to 50 range.
Many businesses across regional Victoria have started reopening after stepping out of stage 3 restrictions yesterday.
In order for Melbourne to progress to the next stage of its restrictions “roadmap” on October 26, Victoria needs to record fewer than five “mystery” cases over a 14-day period.
Regional Victoria will progress to the fourth step of its roadmap, scheduled for November 23, when there are no new cases at all across the state for 14 days.
source: abc
