Victoria records 397 new infections, 49 ‘mystery cases’ Premier Daniel Andrews warns
The number of cases with unknown sources is already scarily high - but the official number does not capture the full scale of the problem.
Victoria has recorded 397 new infections overnight, a welcome drop after the state recorded its two worst ever daily case totals on Thursday and Friday.
But three more people have tragically died, taking the state’s death toll to 116. The three deaths, all linked to aged care, included a man and woman in their 80s, and a woman in her 90s.
A total of 379 Victorians are in hospital, with 41 in intensive care.
Of the 397 cases, 37 are linked to known outbreaks and 360 are under investigation.
“This is a very significant number of new cases and while it’s tempting to read into the trends there is a growing concern for community transmission,” Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Saturday morning.
Of Victoria’s new infections recorded in recent days, 49 are “mystery cases”, Mr Andrews said.
He warned this meant contacts could not be traced back to the point of infection.
“Forty-nine doesn’t seem a very large number but … that can mean there are many more than 49 out there that have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all,” he said.
“They can be at the height of their infectivity and be infecting other people unbeknownst to them. That is the real challenge here. It is a silent enemy, it is a very cunning enemy as well.”
Police Minister Lisa Neville said Melburnians were continuing to breach lockdown restrictions.
She said three fines were issued for motorists caught travelling long distances, including one man who apparently drove from Melbourne to Wodonga for a Big Mac, as well as two others who drove from Melbourne to Ballarat for “fresh air” and from Werribee to Springvale for “groceries”.
Ms Neville also said fines were issued to people caught at an illegal Airbnb party.
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