‘No quick fix’: Dan Andrews’ Omicron warning as Victoria records 37,169 cases, 25 deaths

The Victorian Premier has revealed there’s no fast road out of Omicron’s logistic chaos as the state recorded another mammoth daily case tally.

Daniel Andrews has warned there’s no quick fix to the logistic chaos caused by the Omicron variant as the state’s active cases swell past 220,000.

The Premier detailed the situation on Thursday and announced expanded exemptions for close contacts in frontline industries.

“There is no quick fix to this and I say that not just as someone who is announcing changes to rules, I say that on behalf of the government (that) is the biggest employer in our state. We are feeling these challenges as well,” he said.

“We have at least 5000, maybe considerably more, members of our health team that simply cannot come to work because of this virus, so we know and understand and are experiencing some of these challenges just as industry and individual business.”

Premier Daniel Andrews says the government is feeling the strain. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Wayne Taylor

From 11.59pm on Tuesday, staff in emergency services, education, custodial facilities, critical utilities transport and freight can return to work even if they live with a positive case.

Covid testing chief Jeroen Weimar also revealed 69 per cent of PCR test results were being returned within 48 hours, meaning a third are left waiting more than two days.

“We still have some work to do,” Mr Weimar said.

Victoria recorded 37,169 new cases and 25 Covid deaths in the past 24 hours.

There are now 953 infected people in Victorian hospitals, with 111 in intensive care and 25 on ventilators.

Victoria’s pre-Omicron peak for Covid hospitalisations was 851 in October when the state was battling a surge in Delta infections.

However, the figure is dwarfed by the 2383 people in New South Wales who are in hospital with Covid.

More than 93 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and the state has a mammoth 221,726 active cases.

A total of 62,406 PCR tests were taken on Wednesday and 24,832 vaccines were administered at state hubs.

A rush for the public to secure N95 face masks has left some doctors in the lurch as demand outstrips supply.

Victorians have mostly been wearing cloth masks since the start of the pandemic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Wayne Taylor

People are attempting to dodge the virus in Victoria and NSW as daily case tallies soar.

N95s are made out of synthetic plastic fibre polypropylene and offer more protection than commonly worn cloth masks due to how they contour to the face.

Despite the state government advising all medical professionals to opt for an N95, general practitioners say they have been left without steady supply.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Victorian chair Anita Munoz said the sector has been ignored by the government, despite setting the N95 guidelines.

“At RACGP Victoria, we received multiple reports, all across the state in different regions, that general practice couldn’t get any N95 masks,” she told The Age.

However, despite the lack of supply for those on the frontline, the surge in the masks’ everyday use has not been linked to any specific Australian public health advice.