Victoria records four new Covid-19 cases, bringing outbreak to nine infections

More people have tested positive to coronavirus in Melbourne this afternoon, as authorities race to find the missing link in a growing outbreak.

Victoria has recorded another four cases of coronavirus, bringing the cluster in Melbourne’s north to nine cases.

The four new infections tested positive on Tuesday afternoon and are household contacts of the single new case announced in the morning.

Authorities confirmed that single case - a man in his 60s - was linked to the Whittlesea outbreak in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

All positive cases are currently in isolation.

Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton told the ABC it was possible more cases would emerge in the coming days.

“We’ve got a number of primary close contacts we’re following up, so we have to be alive to the possibility that more of those will be confirmed positive,” Professor Sutton said.

“This man was obviously infectious and has passed it onto household members and it shouldn’t be too surprising that there are more positive cases associated with him.”

It comes after health authorities announced the first four cases on Monday, following urgent investigations into fragments of coronavirus in wastewater.

Those cases were a man in his 30s, a man in his 70s, a woman in her 70s and a preschool-aged child all from the same family but spread across three households.

Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said the new case could be the missing link. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

New exposure sites were identified in the Highpoint Shopping centre, along with new restrictions to come in from 6pm for Melburnians.

Victorian contact tracers do not yet know where the man picked up the virus, but believe it’s genomically linked to the Wollert case.

Professor Sutton said of 168 close contacts who had been tested, 84 had returned negative results and that the situation wasn’t “out of control” yet.

“We don’t have an epidemiological link that’s absolutely clearly puts the Wollert case and this case at the same place at the same time,” Professor Sutton said.

“We have to chase down every single close contact as we always do, and people have to do the right thing with the new restrictions coming in, but it’s certainly not out of control.”

Earlier Victorian acting premier James Merlino said the genomic sequencing results for the outbreak had confirmed it was “closely linked” to the Wollert case that originated in South Australian hotel quarantine.

He said the man in his 60s reported developing symptoms before first case in the outbreak, so it could be the missing link to connected the outbreak.

“This could be a possible source case but a full investigation and interview process is under way and has to run its course,” Mr Merlino said.

Professor Sutton said it could be the “missing link” but his movements still did not overlap with any of the exposure sites from the Wollert case.

“His initial recollections do not overlap with any of the Wollert exposure sites, so there is no definitive link to the Wollert sites even though we know there is a genomic link,” he said.

Professor Sutton said the new case had an appointment with the first case, the man in his 30s, and the transmission probably occurred on May 18.

He said it was also possible there was another missing link.

“We do have to commission an interview with case five on Tuesday and if there is an identified crossover with an exposure site it would be reassuring, but there may be other cases out there,” he said.

Professor Sutton said one of the new cases was likely “quite infectious” and Victorians needed to prepare themselves for more positive cases.

“The viral load was likely high and with close contacts becoming positive he’s likely to be quite infectious,” he said.

“We have to ready ourselves for any other positives and when there are close contacts that become positive it raises the possibility that even casual contacts could become positive.”