Coronavirus Australia: Infant in hospital with virus as Victorian cases rise by 71; hospital cluster grows

Covid-19 logistics chief warns ‘no one is immune’, as Premier urges people take up vaccine appointments now as ticket out of lockdown.

A quiet testing centre at St Kilda in Melbourne on Sunday. Picture: David Crosling

An infant is among the 29 cases being treated in a Melbourne hospital as Victoria records 71 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Monday.

Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said 112 of the state’s active cases were under the age of 10, while 100 were aged between 10 and 19, while there were a further 79 aged between 20 and 29.

“No one in this state is immune from this,” he said.

He said 43 per cent of the state’s active cases are under the age of 20.

Statewide on Monday, there are 29 people in hospital with coronavirus, including nine in intensive care, of whom five are on ventilators.

This includes 21 people aged under 50, of whom one is an infant.

Of those in intensive care, one person is in their 20s, one in their 30s, five in their 40s and two in their 50s.

None of the nine people in Victorian intensive care wards with coronavirus on Monday has received a single dose of vaccine.

Hospital cluster worsens

The Royal Melbourne Hospital has confirmed four patients and six staff members have now been infected with coronavirus.

STATEMENT: We are now providing support and care to four patients and six staff members who have tested positive to COVID-19. [1/5]

— The Royal Melbourne Hospital (@TheRMH) August 23, 2021

The index case for the cluster at the hospital is a patient from Shepparton who was first admitted on August 12 - almost a fortnight ago.

The person was not tested for coronavirus prior to being treated, with Victoria’s health department moving on Sunday to reinstate mandatory testing for elective surgery patients in response to the outbreak.

“Extensive contact tracing and testing of impacted staff and patients is ongoing,” the hospital said on Monday.

“We have identified approximately 450 staff who are required to furlough from across the hospital.”

The hospital said it was caring for 12 patients with Covid in addition to those who are part of its own outbreak, including three people who are in intensive care.

Victoria’s new cases

Of the 71, 49 have so far been linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining 22 is under investigation.

Victoria’s health department is yet to confirm how many of the 71 cases are in people who were isolating for the duration of their infectious period.

Monday’s 71 new cases represent Victoria’s highest daily case count since September 3, when the state recorded 75 cases as its deadly second wave receded.

Around 55 of the 71 cases were in the community for at least part of their infectious period.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said there were now 29 people in hospital with Covid-19, including nine in intensive care and five on a ventilator.

He said more than 46,000 people underwent testing yesterday.

“For a Sunday that’s a very strong number,” he said.

Mr Andrews said more than 52,500 appointments for vaccines remained available over the next week.

Today’s figures follow 65 new cases on Sunday, 61 on Saturday, 55 on Friday, 57 on Thursday, 24 cases on each of Wednesday and Tuesday, and 22 cases last Monday.

Reported yesterday: 71 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
- 22,191 vaccine doses were administered
- 46,446 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/pzEdkjiySP

— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 22, 2021

The current outbreak emerged less than three weeks ago, amid short-lived celebrations of a zero case day on August 4 – the day before the state’s sixth lockdown was announced.

Shepparton cluster grows to 36

The Shepparton cluster has soared to 36 cases after 14 new cases were recorded on Monday and contact tracers identified more than 3,000 close contacts in the city 190km north of Melbourne.

Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said no one in the state was immune from the Delta variant as Covid-19 was detected in new suburbs across the city including Essendon West, Thornbury, Fitzroy North, Maidstone and Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr Weimar said eight new cases linked to Mycentre in Broadmeadows in Melbourne’s north had been detected, bringing the outbreak to 50.

Concerningly, there are five new cases linked to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, bringing the outbreak to 10.

As well, there are 10 cases linked to the Newport cluster, bringing the total to 61.

There are 12 cases linked to household contacts and 22 mystery cases.

Exposure sites balloon

There are more than 14,000 people identified as primary close contacts and 9000 as secondary close contacts across 613 exposure sites across the state.

Victoria’s list of coronavirus exposure sites has swelled by almost 100 in the 24 hours to Monday, to more than 600, with venues listed all over Melbourne and in the north and north east of the state.

A dozen new sites have been added in Shepparton, in northern Victoria, bringing the total number of sites listed in the Goulburn Valley town since the first case emerged there on Friday to 45.

A roadhouse in Bonnie Doon has been listed as an exposure site for 11 days between August 9 and 20, and is believed to be linked to a case linked to Shepparton who tested positive at the nearby Mansfield hospital on Saturday night and is now receiving treatment at the Wangaratta hospital, in Victoria’s north east.

New sites have also been listed in Melbourne’s CBD and inner city Richmond, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Brunswick East, as well as Ascot Vale, Moonee Ponds, Essendon, Airport West, Dallas, Broadmeadows, Greenvale and Coolaroo in Melbourne’s northwest, Bentleigh, Cheltenham, Springvale South, Clayton and Dandenong in the southeast, and St Albans, Braybrook, Altona, Altona North, West Footscray, Newport, Yarraville, Seddon, Truganina and Hoppers Crossing in the west.

Changes to surgery after Covid-19 breaches

All patients undergoing planned operations will be required to undergo preoperative testing after Covid-19 breaches at the Royal Melbourne, Sunshine and Footscray Hospitals as well as the Alfred and hospital in Mansfield and Wangarratta.

As well, Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said emergency department staff would have to wear a N95 respirator mask during their shift, which he said would be uncomfortable and hot.

There are currently 494 active cases, including one active case acquired overseas.

The latest cases come after 46,446 tests were processed on Sunday, compared with 44,147 on Saturday, 45,670 on Friday, 48,273 on Thursday, 49,607 on Wednesday, 39,832 on Tuesday, 31,519 on Monday and 29,986 last Sunday.

Victoria’s testing record is 59,355 tests on July 20.

The numbers come after wild anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne were attended by thousands on Saturday.

Yikessss #antilockdownprotest#Melbournepic.twitter.com/v6V4Vk9u17

— joey (@asxlabyrinth) August 21, 2021