Victoria reported just seven new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, as the state’s total number of active cases fell to 261, down from 289 (9.6%) the day before.
Metropolitan Melbourne’s 14-day rolling average was down to 12.8 from the previous day’s total of 15.6, and also fell in regional Victoria to 0.2, from 0.3 the day before.
Sadly, there were two more deaths, both linked to aged care outbreaks.
This includes a man and a woman in their 80s.
There are also 38 Victorians in hospital, with four on ventilators in intensive care.
Active aged care outbreaks with the highest active case numbers are as follows:
- Estia Aged Care Facility Keilor: 32 active (46 total)
- Opal Hobsons Bay Aged Care Facility Altona North: 14 active (total cases: 46)
- Edenvale Manor Aged Care Facility Keilor East: 13 active (total cases: 23)
- Embracia Moonee Valley Aged Care Facility: 10 active (total cases: 80)
- Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee: 8 active (total cases: 260)
- Doutta Galla Aged Services Woornack: 5 active (total cases: 60)
- Mercy Place Parkville Aged Care Facility: 5 active (total cases: 104)
- Churches of Christ Care Arcadia Aged Care Essendon: 3 active (total cases: 22)
Easing of restrictions possible with control of aged care outbreaks
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton appeared at Premier Daniel Andrews’ daily COVID briefing, where he said aged care outbreaks were rapidly declining and the state may be able to move to the next step of restrictions if clusters are brought under control.
“We have seen the number of active cases in aged care come down by 10 per cent almost every day. It is coming down as our total active cases are coming down. But it’s still a challenge,” he said.
“While being of concern, the reassurance that we have is that our sporadic community cases, those individual cases that we see not linked to those aged care or other outbreaks, are smaller and smaller. They are a small proportion every day.”
To move to the next stage of eased restrictions on October 19, the 14-day rolling average of cases has to be five and there can be only five mystery cases across two weeks in Victoria.
