Victoria records 190 Covid-19 cases

Victoria has recorded another major spike in Covid-19 cases today, with health authorities admitting they were still working to find out one thing.

Victoria recorded 190 new cases. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Victoria has recorded 190 coronavirus cases but authorities conceded on Saturday that they were still working to find out how many of those cases were infectious in the community.

Of the new cases, 103 are linked to current outbreaks but 87 were listed as mystery cases.

Speaking at the daily coronavirus press conference on Saturday, Industry Support and Recovery Minister Martin Pakula was asked about how many of the latest cases were infectious in the community.

“No. Don’t have that number,” Mr Pakula said.

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton then defended contract tracers when questioned if they were unable to keep on top of the numbers.

He said many of the cases were coming through late at night.

“It’s not that they’re unable to stay on top of it, it’s that in the reporting period when you’ve got 200 cases in a day with 100 of those coming in the afternoon to midnight we’re not going to resolve the status of them for 8am or 10am reporting,” Professor Sutton said.

Victoria has 76 people in hospital including 23 people in intensive care and 14 people on a ventilator.

None of the people in hospital are fully vaccinated.

Victorian Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula provides a coronavirus update. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Matray

There are currently 1301 active cases of which 1297 are locally transmitted. Of those cases 205 are younger than nine, 213 are aged between 10 and 19, 315 cases are aged in their 20s and 224 are aged in their 30s.

Professor Sutton said the state could hit a “plateau” with high vaccination coverage and relatively low Covid-19 numbers.

“That is our opportunity and we have to grab it with both hands,” Professor Sutton said.

“So hold the line in these last weeks and months until we get the high vaccination coverage that means that we can have greater confidence about seeing people ... initially outdoors, initially in those ventilated settings, and in smaller numbers, but we will get there.”

He said there would be a push to vaccinate more private sector residential aged care workers in light of a staff member testing positive to the virus at an aged care home in Melbourne’s south east.

The worker at Japara Bayview Aged Care Home in Carrum Downs was among one of the new cases announced on Saturday.

Victorian Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton said he wants higher rates of vaccinated staff at aged care facilities. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Matray

More than 60 per cent of the staff at that facility were fully vaccinated against the virus but Professor Sutton said he wanted to see vaccination at aged care facilities be at a “much higher rate”.

“The Commonwealth has responsibility for our private sector aged care staff vaccination and we’ll support it in whatever way we can,” he said.

“We’ve obviously opened up our hubs at different times for all aged care staff and we’ve really pushed for them to get vaccinated.

“We’re moving to mandating vaccination for aged care staff as well.”

He said public sector aged care vaccination rates were very high but he wanted to see it at the highest possible rate which was “close to 100 per cent”.

Victorian Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula said the state was two thirds of the way through its target to get one million vaccines in arms within five weeks.

“We have 373,576 doses to go, and on the current trajectory we will get there a little bit early, so that is good news,” Mr Pakula said.

Premier, Daniel Andrews warned the numbers would not go down. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

It comes after Premier Daniel Andrews warned earlier this week that Victorians “will not see these case numbers go down”.

He revealed on Friday that those vaccinated would be first in line for additional freedoms, with restrictions likely to ease for people with the jab once 70 to 80 per cent vaccination rates have been met.

“I’m not going to lock the whole state down to protect people who won’t protect themselves,” he said.

Victorians with the jab will be able to “participate in an economy, go to the pub, the cinema, to a sporting event.

“Things that an unvaccinated person will not be able to do.”

Meanwhile, four million Pfizer doses are on their way to Australia after a swap deal with the UK.

Thirty-six per cent of Victorians are fully vaccinated, with 59 per cent having had the first dose.

Originally published as Victoria records 190 Covid-19 cases