No active COVID-19 cases in Victorian aged care facilities

One of Victoria’s most troubled and worst hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic is now virus-free for the first since June 15.

Victoria’s aged care sector – the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic – is virus-free for the first time since June.

While the state recorded its sixth straight day of no new infections on Thursday, the Department of Health also announced there were officially no active coronavirus cases linked to aged care homes across Victoria.

It’s the first time the sector has been free of COVID-19 since June 15 – before Victoria plunged into a deadly second virus wave.

“Late yesterday, the last remaining active case of COVID-19 linked to an aged care facility outbreak in Victoria was cleared,” the DHHS said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

“The clearance of this final active case represents a significant achievement in Victoria’s response to the second wave of this pandemic.”

Aged care was one of the worst hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Picture: David Crosling/NCA NewsWire

To date 819 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria, with much of the death toll coming from the state’s aged care facilities.

Epping Gardens in Melbourne’s northern suburbs was one of the facilities worst hit with 220 cases connected to the home and 38 deaths.

St Basil’s Homes for the Aged had 216 infections and 44 deaths.

Metropolitan Melbourne’s rolling 14-day virus average is 1.4 and regional Victoria is zero.

The rolling daily average case number is calculated by averaging out the number of new cases over the past 14 days.

There are just two cases from an unknown source in metropolitan Melbourne and zero from regional Victoria.