The number of active cases in the state has dropped below 300 for the first time since 29 June 29 – three months ago – with just 15 new cases reported on Thursday.
The total number of active cases was 289, with 135 linked to aged care.
To put things into perspective, at the same point in September there were 2,620 (88% more) active cases with 1,225 (89% more) linked to aged care.
Sadly, the state confirmed two more deaths. Both of these were linked to aged care outbreaks and included a woman in her 70s and a woman in her 90s.
This brought the state’s total death toll to 800.
The 14-day rolling average in Melbourne fell to 15.6, down from 16.0 the day before, and stayed steady in regional Victoria on 0.3.
And there were 38 Victorians in hospital with COVID, including six in ICU and three on a ventilator.
Active aged care outbreaks with the highest active case numbers are as follows:
- Estia Aged Care Facility Keilor: 32 active (46 total)
- Embracia Moonee Valley Aged Care Facility: 19 active (total cases: 80)
- Opal Hobsons Bay Aged Care Facility Altona North: 15 active (total cases: 46)
- Edenvale Manor Aged Care Facility Keilor East: 14 active (total cases: 23)
- Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee: 10 active (total cases: 260)
- Doutta Galla Aged Services Woornack: 7 active (total cases: 60)
- Mercy Place Parkville Aged Care Facility: 7 active (total cases: 104)
- Churches of Christ Care Arcadia Aged Care Essendon: 4 active (total cases: 22)
- Twin Parks Aged Care Reservoir: 4 active (total cases: 127)
- Epping Gardens Aged Care Facility: 3 active (total cases: 220)
Moving to the next step if cases are contained to aged care or a similar setting?
In his daily press briefing, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wouldn’t confirm whether the state could move to the next step if cases were only contained to aged care or known outbreaks if Melbourne had more than five cases but they were linked.
“Some will have links, but they will have similar stories. Got it in your household, someone got it from a workplace, that workplace is known, whether it be aged care, health – the list goes on,” he said.
“So, we would look behind each of those numbers and we would make a judgement – the public health team would make a judgement and advise me on whether we were safe to go or not.”
“The modelling and our experience, not just the assumptions, but the actual data, sees us trending into a place where that is possible.”
