Covid-19 Victoria: 12 new local cases recorded
Victoria has recorded 12 new local Covid-19 cases, but there’s been a ‘strong new’ detection of the virus in wastewater that’s concerning.
Victoria has recorded 12 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Saturday.
In positive news for the state, ten of the 12 cases were in quarantine throughout their entire infectious period.
But health authorities were still cautious after a “strong new” detection of traces of Covid-19 in the sewage of Glenroy in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Victorian chief health officer professor Brett Sutton said the detections arose from wastewater samples taken on July 21 and 22 and affected the suburbs of Glenroy, Hadfield, Oak Park and Pascoe Vale.
He also said health authorities were aware of some residents living in those areas who had recently returned from interstate virus hot spots.
“We know some red zone permit holders have returned to those areas and the virus may have returned with them,” Professor Sutton told reporters on Saturday afternoon.
“So we ask everyone that they will need to continue to be tested across Victoria.
“But if you are symptomatic and in those particular postcodes we absolutely encourage you to be tested. “
All of Saturday’s 12 cases were linked to current outbreaks as nearly 40,000 tests were carried out in the past 24 hours.
The Victorian outbreak stands at 158 cases.
On Friday, 14 new local cases were identified — all linked to known outbreaks — while there were no new cases reported in returned travellers.
Premier Daniel Andrews hinted on Friday that the statewide lockdown could end on Tuesday night because the results were very encouraging.
“It is difficult for us on Friday to be able to predict what will happen next Tuesday at midnight, but I would say that the trend is with us,” he said.
“These results are very encouraging, they are positive. Whether the next few days continue that way we will only know with the passage of time.”
On Monday, only six per cent of the new cases were in quarantine throughout their entire infectious period.
By Wednesday, that number had increased to 73 per cent and by Thursday it had reached 92 per cent.
That figure remained strong on Friday and Saturday with 85 and 83 per cent of cases also in quarantine throughout their entire infectious period.
Health authorities have previously maintained that there needed to be zero cases who were out in the community while infectious if there was to be any hope of Victoria’s fifth lockdown being lifted on Tuesday.
The state remains in lockdown until 11.59pm on Tuesday.
There were 19,281 Covid-19 vaccine doses administered across Victoria on Friday.