| 18 August 2021
24 | 0 | 0 | 246 | 0 | 39,832 | 8,901,879 |
Cases locally acquired | Cases acquired interstate | Cases acquired overseas | Active cases | Lives lost | Tests processed yesterday | Total tests since pandemic began |
3,313,341 | 14,446 | 10.03 |
Number of permits issued
(Jan 11 – 7am today) | Number of permit applications processed in the past 24 hours | Average # of permits issued per minute in the past 24 hours |
Victoria was notified of 24 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All were locally acquired cases.
There are 246 active cases in Victoria – 245 locally acquired and one overseas acquired cases.
There are 12 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria. Two cases are in intensive care.
The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 21,214. One historic case has been reclassified.
Update: Public health focus on St Kilda and surrounding areas
The Department is asking anyone who lives, works or spends time in St Kilda to get tested.
There have been a growing number of unlinked cases in an area stretching from the outer areas of Middle Park to North Caulfield, across the LGAs of Port Phillip and Glen Eira.
There is potential transmission along Fitzroy St and other commercial areas in St Kilda.
People must get tested if they have been to exposure sites, or if they have had any symptoms – but the Department’s public health teams are asking for more people to come forward for testing across the region, even if they aren’t currently showing symptoms.
Testing operations in the Port Phillip and Glen Eira area have been enhanced and a new testing site has been established at the Palais Theatre car park in St Kilda. It will operate from 9am to 5pm and is both a drive-through and walk-in centre.
Attributable to COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar:
“We’re really encouraging anyone who lives, works, or visits or actively uses that St Kilda area to please consider coming forward to get tested. We are exceptionally concerned about what we don’t know yet in that area.”
Update: Outbreaks
Of the 24 new locally acquired cases, 18 cases were in quarantine throughout their infectious period.
Today’s 246 active cases in Victoria include 56 cases aged between 0 and 9 years and 55 cases aged between 10 and 19 years.
Of the locally acquired cases:
· Ten cases are linked to Al-Taqwa College – three students and seven household contacts.
· Four cases are linked to Glenroy West Primary School – three household contacts and one contact from an associated exposure site
· Two cases are linked to the CS Square shopping centre in Caroline Springs
· Two cases are linked to residential housing towers in Lygon St, Carlton. One is linked to 510 Lygon St which has been listed as an exposure site
· Two cases are linked to the Newport community outbreak
Four cases are not currently linked to known outbreaks and are under investigation:
· Two separate cases reside in Altona North
· One resides in Glen Iris
· One resides in Glenroy
There are currently almost 15,000 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.
Authorised officers, supported by the Australian Defence Force, continue to visit homes across Victoria to ensure that people are isolating correctly and are well supported. More than 1000 household visits were conducted yesterday. Officers are seeing a strong level of compliance.
There are more than 520 exposure sites in Victoria.
Please check the website for all exposure sites and the dates and times of exposure at: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites.
The Department regularly manages exposure sites that it doesn’t publish online, particularly if these sites represent lower-risk exposures, or if they have comprehensive record-keeping and contact tracing measures, or if they identify small, private locations – including smaller apartment or townhouse complexes.
We continue to ask every Victorian to check exposure sites regularly, as they are subject to change based on follow-up interviews and further investigation.
Update: Vaccinations
Yesterday, the number of vaccinations administered through state-run clinics topped two million.
27,173 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria’s state-commissioned services yesterday.
The total number of doses administered through these services is 2,022,513.
More and more appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine are opening up. For more information, see: https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/more-and-more-victorians-pick-reason-get-vaccinated
Victorians aged between 18 and 39 can attend a state-run vaccination centre to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine should they provide informed consent.
Anyone who is eligible to be vaccinated is strongly encouraged to make a booking.
Victoria’s online booking system is now live at: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/book-your-vaccine-appointment or you can ring the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.
Information about Victoria’s vaccination centres can be found at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-centres.
Update: COVID-19 wastewater detections in Victoria
The Department is continuing to identify unexpected detections of COVID-19 fragments in wastewater in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria in areas that have not recorded recent positive cases. Current areas of concern are:
Regional catchments
· Shepparton – 3 repeat detections in the period of interest 9-16 August
· Lakes Entrance – detection in the period of interest between 8-11 August
Metro catchments - residential
· Truganina and Tarneit – detection in the period of interest 8-11 August
· Ardeer – continuing repeat detections in the period of interest 11-16 August
· South-eastern suburbs including Dingley Village, Keysborough, Noble park, Springvale and Springvale South, repeat detections in period of interest 11-17 August
Metro catchments - industrial
· Sunshine West – repeated strong continuing detections between 9-16 August (period of interest 8-17 August). The Department is working with local businesses to support with testing.
The wastewater testing program provides an early warning system at a population level and a cautious approach is always taken when these detections are found.
In the past week wastewater testing has provided an early warning in three different metropolitan locations prompting additional individual testing and identification of cases.
More information is available at Wastewater testing.
Update: Testing
39,832 tests were processed in Victoria yesterday.
See new and extended testing sites, where to get tested and expected wait times at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/where-get-tested-covid-19.
Update: Extended lockdown
Strengthened extensions to Victoria’s lockdown are in effect.
To see more information, visit https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covidsafe-settings
General advice
COVID-19 symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath and loss or change in sense of smell or taste. If you are experiencing symptoms, wear a fitted face mask when you get tested.
For more information call the 24-hour Coronavirus Hotline at 1800 675 398 or visit https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au
Media enquiries: Department of Health Media Unit (03) 9096 8860 or press@dhhs.vic.gov.au
Media Release Attachment - CHO release - COVID-19 - 18 August 2021.pdf [Word, 187581 Bytes]
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