Community transmission rates Victoria: How mystery cases are tracking
Restrictions will ease substantially across Melbourne and the state if there are no new cases over a two-week period. And lower community transmission — or “mystery” — cases will play a big part. Here’s how we’re tracking.
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A drop in community transmissions could be the light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel for Victoria, with a way out of lockdown restrictions dependent on a low number of mystery cases.
On Sunday Premier Daniel Andrews released his road map out of lockdown but said Victorians would face at least another fortnight in Stage 4 restrictions.
As part of his announcement Mr Andrews indicated restrictions would ease substantially if there are no cases within a two-week period.
A big factor in acheiving this aim is getting to zero community transmission, a strategy Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says Victoria is pursuing.
The good news is that while mystery cases exploded by 2407 cases in August, the numbers have started to plateau in September, with just 38 cases recorded in the first seven days.
On Monday there has been an increase of only four cases attributed to community transmission, bringing to total number to 4369.
On Sunday there were five fewer cases.
Prof Sutton said the government was trying to follow a pathway where it could be assured there was no “stepping backwards in weeks or months to come”.
“If that means community transmission ends then terrific, we’ll have an even greater level of confidence it’s not going to go backwards,” Prof Sutton said.
“But if it’s a controlled, very small number of cases we can keep suppressed over weeks and months then equally that’s a decent place to be in.
“As long as community transmission that is ongoing, there is greater risk of it surging, or outbreaks occurring, or super spreading events occurring.”
He said while getting rid of community transmission would be preferable, the government would work with low but controllable levels of coronavirus that were sustainable.
Prof Sutton said zero community transmission had been achieved across other states and territories of Australia.
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