Fears new strain could extend lockdown as Victoria records nine new covid cases

The covid outbreak of most concern to Victorian authorities has grown to 14 cases, after three children and an adult tested positive overnight.

The coronavirus outbreak of most concern to Victorian authorities has grown to 14 cases — after three children and an adult tested positive overnight.

Cases in the West Melbourne cluster — which is still of unknown origin — have tested positive to the more infectious Delta variant.

The cluster has become a focal point in the race to contain Victoria’s outbreak because of how fast the variant can spread.

The state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said the variant was “more dangerous” than others and that 75 per cent of people catch the strain when there is a case living with them.

He said that means the state is “racing against the clock” to contain the new variant.

Victorian Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

“We are dealing with a variant of concern. I don’t want to say it is some order of magnitude more dangerous,” he said. “But 75 per cent of people within households becoming positive when there is a case there is a challenge.”

Officially, Victoria recorded 11 new cases this morning — meaning there are now 94 active cases of coronavirus in the state — but two of those cases we already knew about.

Those two cases were picked up in the Arcare aged care centre in Maidstone that came up too late for the previous day’s figures.

There are 32 cases linked to the Whittlesea outbreak after three new cases today. All of those three are household contacts of existing cases and have all been in quarantining for their infectious period.

Reported yesterday: 11 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
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There are the three new cases in Arcare Maidstone bringing the total number to nine, that being one resident and two new staff members.

There is one new case in the Port Melbourne out make bringing the total cases there to 31. That person is a previously identified construction site worker in the city.

The single-day increase in cases is the highest since May 27 — when Victoria recorded 12 new local cases.

However, in an update late this morning, Victorian health authorities have confirmed all of today’s new locally acquired cases are linked to existing outbreaks.

“Eight are existing primary close contacts who were quarantining during their infectious period,” they said.

Fears lockdown could be extended

The increase in cases today along with the emergence of a mystery outbreak of the new Delta strain are fuelling concerns the lockdown could be extended again.

It has been two weeks since the first cases in the state emerged and on Sunday the initial 1900 close contacts of the Whittlesea cluster were released from quarantine.

The case numbers over the weekend were low, and authorities had given Victorians hope that the state’s outbreak is under control.

Victoria recorded four new positive local cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, including two in aged care. Both were vaccinated, but the additional cases bring the state’s locally transmitted infections to 72.

However, there’s still one issue irking health authorities in the state – the fact that a newer West Melbourne cluster involving the more infectious Delta variant is still of unknown origin.

The outbreak in West Melbourne has grown to 14 cases of the Delta variant with a primary school teacher the latest to test positive.

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Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Paul Jeffers

Genomic sequencing is underway to find a match — which works in about 80 per cent of cases.

There are now three outbreaks with unknown sources in the state: the Whittlesea outbreak, which began with the Wollert man who left hotel quarantine in early May; the Arcare outbreak and the source of the Delta outbreak linked to West Melbourne.

Federal chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly told reporters this afternoon that, in terms of the Delta variant, “chances are this came across our border”.

“This is almost certain that’s where this one has come from. Most people have come across our borders have come through hotel quarantine, but we have no definite link to any particular breach,” he said.

“There was some speculation at some point this may be due to people who received some [hotel quarantine] exemptions. I’m assured by my colleague, the chief health officer in the ACT that there’s been no positive cases. They have all received the standard number of tests anyone who would be in hotel quarantine get.”

Victoria’s deputy chief health officer, Allen Cheng, said the “upstream” risks of a separate West Melbourne cluster was now the primary concern preventing an easing of restrictions.

“It is fair to say that, with the passage of time, we get more comfortable with unknown sources of cases if they have no transmission going on after one to three weeks,” Professor Cheng said.

“We always have a baseline level of concern where we don’t know where there is a case … but I think we are more worried about the origin of the Delta variant at this stage.

“For these cases that we can’t find who gave them the infection, particularly the family who returned from Jervis Bay, we are concerned about who was it that might have given them the infection and therefore could there be other infections related to that.”

On a positive note, he said large-scale testing and the fact three weeks had passed since the initial Whittlesea infections occurred meant concerns were easing that there may be undetected chains of transmission.

Lockdown could be extended

Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino said lockdown is likely to run until midnight on Thursday, as planned

However, he warned the state is living in a “different environment” with the new variant compared to its lockdown last year.

For that reason he said he would not push back if he was advised to extend the lockdown by health officials.

“There’s a reason why public health is so concerned about the Delta variant,” he said.

“It is much, much more infectious than what we were dealing with last year.

“The last thing we want to see is this variant of the virus getting out, and becoming uncontrollable. I want to get there as quickly as you do.”

He said his “expectation” was by the end of lockdown on Thursday, “we’ll be in a position to have further easings of restrictions in regional Victoria and careful easing of restrictions in Melbourne”.

He said the decision would be based on public health advice.

“We’ve just got to drive this thing to the ground,” he said.

“We do not have the luxury of picking and choosing the public health advice that we receive.

“I hate going into lockdown, like every single Victorian I want to be out of lockdown as quickly as possible. The way to do that is for people to get tested, for people if you are eligible to get your vaccination, for people to follow the rules.”

Maritime worker tests positive to Covid-19 in Perth

A man who tested positive to Covid-19 in Perth hours after he was released from hotel quarantine and sent into the community, where he dined and shopped, has returned to quarantine.

Health officials are conducting more tests to determine the threat to residents but so far they suspect they are dealing with a “shedder case”.

The man, a maritime worker, returned to Perth from Colombia via the United States in May and had tested positive for the virus 16 days ago. He tested negative on day 10 of hotel quarantine and was released from the Pan Pacific Hotel on Friday afternoon.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said the risk the man poses to the community is “extremely low”. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

He returned a “moderately strong” test on Saturday which has seen him return to hotel quarantine.

“He has returned to hotel quarantine based on an abundance of caution,” WA Health said.

“Contact tracing is underway, again as a precaution.”

Premier Mark McGowan today told reporters the risk the man poses to the community is “extremely low”, as the man does not have a variant of concern and was previously vaccinated against Covid-19.

– with Matt Young