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Victoria has recorded nine new community-transmitted COVID-19 cases, including six previously reported, from more than 42,000 tests as outrage continues after it was revealed the virus had once again entered the state s aged care system.
The new cases, announced on Tuesday, take the total number of infections linked to the outbreak to 54. Two of the new infections are close contacts of previously confirmed cases, while the third remains under investigation.
Health authorities are facing an uphill battle to contain the virus, with more than 4,200 close contacts of positive cases and almost 330 potential exposure sites identified.
READ MORE There continues to be significant concerns around ongoing transmission, particularly in our northern suburbs and [over] many large exposure sites, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley told reporters on Tuesday.
The state government has vowed to fix a federal bungle and “see all aged care workers vaccinated as soon as possible” after it was revealed just 8.7 per cent had their second jab.
Health by MADURA McCORMACK
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Subscriber only A vaccination blitz of Queensland aged care workers will be taken on by the state government as it steps up to fix the federal government s botched vaccine rollout in the sector. The Federal government on Tuesday was forced to reveal just 8.7 per cent of workers in the sector had received two jabs so far. The dire figure prompted Victoria, which is grappling with a 54-case outbreak, to announce it would undertake a five-day vaccination blitz from Wednesday by giving aged care workers priority access to jab hubs. The Courier-Mail understands plans for a similar blitz in Queensland using the state s existing hospital Pfizer-hub will be finalised in coming days.
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Victorians have today entered a seven-day “circuit breaker” lockdown with just five reasons to leave the house shopping, work, exercise, care/caregiving, and vaccinations after health officials yesterday recorded 26 active COVID-19 cases and more than 120 exposure sites.
With officials warning of the new B.1.617 variant’s infectiousness, the ABC explains that around 14,000 close contacts have either been required to quarantine for 14 days, or test and isolate until negative, while one case on a ventilator is understood to have been moved out of intensive care last night.
From today Victorians aged 40 to 49 are also eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, a decision that led to an immediate crash in the state’s booking system.