Victoria records five COVID-19 infections in hotel quarantine, no local cases

Victoria has continued its streak without any locally acquired coronavirus infections.(ABC News: Patrick Roc

Victoria has recorded five coronavirus cases in returned travellers, the first confirmed infections in hotel quarantine since the program resumed in the state.

Key points:
The five cases in hotel quarantine were acquired overseas are the only active infections across Victoria
The Deputy Chief Health Officer says infections being found means the system is working as it is meant to
The state has still not recorded any locally acquired infections for more than six weeks
The state has recorded its 43rd day in a row without a locally acquired case of COVID-19.

There were 8,737 test results received, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

The five hotel quarantine infections, all acquired overseas, are the only confirmed active cases in the state.

Deputy Chief Health Officer for COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria, Ben Cowie, said the cases were two men, in their 30s and 50s, and three women, in their 20s, 30s and 50s.

The hotel quarantine program received its first international travellers on Monday after a “reset” in the wake of the state’s second wave.

There were 735 people in the hotel system by 11:00pm on Friday, and Professor Cowie said it was expected more people would return positive tests in the days to come.

“We would anticipate that this is something Victorians are going to have to be prepared for, that we’re going to get more cases diagnosed in hotel quarantine, for people who are safely in quarantine,” he said.

“And that is the system working as it is intended to.”

A small number of pedestrians walk down Bourke St Mall on a sunny day.
Victoria has continued its streak without any locally acquired coronavirus infections.(ABC News: Patrick Rocca)
Travellers who are displaying symptoms when they arrive in Melbourne, or who have other complex health issues, are taken straight to a “health hotel”.

There are currently 55 people staying in one of the health hotels, including the five confirmed cases.

Professor Cowie declined to say how many of the positive cases were symptomatic, and how many were detected through routine asymptomatic testing in the rest of the hotel system.

But he said deep cleaning was underway in hotel rooms occupied by travellers who had been moved into the hospital hotel after testing positive.

“This was anticipated, and our quarantine system was designed on the premise that we would have returned travellers testing positive,” Professor Cowie said.

“And we’re specifically geared up to identify, treat and support returned travellers who test positive.”

He said anyone who contracted COVID-19 would need to be cleared both from a clinical and public health perspective before they could leave the health hotel, in contrast to the old system, where people were allowed to leave after 14 days.

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Data sources: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Our World in Data, The COVID Tracking Project, ABC

‘All steps are being taken’ to prevent infection spread
The large majority of infections in the second wave were linked back to failures in the state-run scheme, which saw infections spread from travellers to security guards and into the community.

The resumption of the program came after an inquiry into the scheme delivered an interim report and its recommendations in early November.

The scheme is now run by a dedicated agency, COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV), overseen by Corrections Commissioner Emma Cassar.

Three police officers talk on a Melbourne street.
Police are now in charge of the security arrangements in the reset scheme.(ABC News: Patrick Rocca)
One of the recommendations of the inquiry, a home-based quarantine system, is not being implemented as it is not in line with the national approach.

But the system has seen a significant overhaul since it stopped taking travellers in late June, including a stricter testing regime and rules to prevent staff working across multiple sites.

Professor Cowie said there had been more than 2,000 tests done on staff working in the system since Monday.

He said he would be “devastated” if the virus got out of the hotel system and said it was “totally understandable” for Victorians to feel anxious about the new infections.

“And my assurance, if you like, is that all steps are being taken, all resources are being mobilised to ensure to the best of our ability, that those numbers that we see remain only in the hotel quarantine program,” he said.

“And, furthermore, that those people are given the absolute best standards of healthcare and support that they need while they’re in quarantine, especially if they’ve got COVID-19.”

The board of inquiry’s final report, which is due to address the major failings of the previous hotel quarantine scheme, is due to be handed down just before Christmas.

Australia Day parade cancelled
Meanwhile, the Victorian Government has cancelled the traditional Australia Day parade in Melbourne, citing coronavirus restrictions.

The parade normally attracts thousands of people to the CBD.

A Government spokesperson said planning was underway for other activities to appropriately mark the occasion and the Australia Day program would be released in coming weeks.

ABC