Victoria’s lowest spread for a month, but still 17 more deaths
Victoria has had its lowest daily number of new coronavirus cases for a month while recording 17 more deaths.
Victoria has recorded its lowest tally of new cases for a month. (Photo: Getty Images: William West)
The daily figure of 222 is a sharp drop and the lowest tally since July 18, which had 217 new cases.
It’s the strongest sign yet the state is finally beating its second outbreak, which has forced Melbourne into a six-week, stage-four lockdown.
Only three new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday, the lowest number in more than a month. Two of the new cases, from southwest Sydney, were locally acquired, while the other is a returned traveller in hotel quarantine, Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Jeremy McAnulty said on Tuesday.
One of the cases is among a growing number that have no known source, which is worrying health authorities.
There have been 16 cases in the past four weeks where the source has not been identified or linked to clusters, indicating COVID-19 is continuing to circulate in the community undetected.
Melbourne is scheduled to come out of the lockdown on September 13. Regional Victoria remains under stage-three restrictions.
The 17 deaths also represent a significant decrease from Monday’s record tally of 25 and take the state toll to 351, while the national figure rises to 438.
Experts warn the death toll will remain significant for several more days, given there is always a lag of a couple of weeks after the peak of coronavirus outbreaks before the number of fatalities also starts declining.
Victoria hit a record 725 new cases on August 5 but there have been no 400-plus days since last Wednesday.
The latest figures come as an epidemiologist credits Victoria turning the corner to sacrifices made by the hardest-hit communities.
Professor Catherine Bennett, chair in epidemiology at Deakin University, noted the link between high case numbers in Melbourne’s low socio-economic areas and Victoria’s botched hotel quarantine scheme.
“The communities hardest hit when their workers brought the virus home were also those most challenged in the face of the pandemic – over-represented in multi-site casual work, unable to work from home or afford to forgo work,” she said in a statement.
“The fact that the wave is turning in Victoria is largely a credit to those hardest hit, and who have had to do the really hard yards to shut down local transmission.”
Of Monday’s record deaths, 22 were linked to aged care.
A breakdown of ICU hospitalisation data shows 31 of 49 patients are aged 60 or over.
-AAP
