Department of Health investigates coronavirus outbreak at Box Hill Hospital

There are fears the government will extend strict lockdown restrictions after a new virus outbreak emerged at a Melbourne hospital.

Health authorities are scrambling to contain an outbreak at a Melbourne hospital before the government decides next week if the city can be freed of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

It has now been revealed four cases can be linked to an outbreak at the Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne’s east, with the state’s chief health officer professor Brett Sutton saying one more staff member had contracted the disease.

In a statement on Thursday DHHS revealed at the time the cluster included two hospital workers and one patient.

“The contact tracing process is underway and all appropriate public health actions are being undertaken, including cleaning, testing and quarantining,” it said.

Three active cases of COVID-19 have been linked to Box Hill Hospital. Picture: David Crosling

It is still unknown how the outbreak started.

It comes as health authorities continue to urge people who have attended Chadstone recently to come forward for COVID-19 testing, with 31 cases so far connected to a cluster at the shopping centre.

While in regional Victoria, an outbreak at a Kilmore cafe doubled on Thursday, with Victoria’s deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng saying health officials were aware of a potential fifth case.

Melbourne‘s 14-day virus average is 9.4, with authorities indicating that figure must be around five for the Government to consider easing restrictions on October 19.

Regional Victoria’s 14-day average crept up from 0.3 to 0.4 on Thursday.