Huge spike as Victoria records 1438 new Covid cases, infections expected to keep rising

Victoria has recorded a spike with 1438 new Covid cases and five deaths, but authorities warn the outbreak hasn’t peaked.

Victoria has recorded 1438 locally acquired Covid-19 infections, a staggering rise in new cases, as health authorities warn the state has not yet reached the peak of the outbreak.

The state has notched up another daily cases record, comfortably surpassing Wednesday’s 950 infections.

Five new deaths were also announced by the health department on Thursday morning.

It takes the death toll of the outbreak to 41 and the number of Victorians who have lost their lives to Covid-19 to 861.

But despite the alarming increase, acting chief health officer Ben Cowie warned Victorians on Wednesday that daily case figures would continue to rise and had not yet peaked.

In the past 10 days alone, the state has risen from 5614 active cases to 11,018 on Thursday, an average increase of 540 active cases a day.

Acting chief health officer Ben Cowie warned Victorians daily case figures had not peaked. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“We know from both modelling and experience in NSW our case numbers will continue to climb,” he said.

“But it is absolutely with in our power to slow the spread and to prevent thousands of cases and hundreds of people from becoming seriously ill and some people losing their lives.

“We can do that by following the public health directions, social distancing and getting vaccinated. Vaccinations remain our best weapon to fight back against this deadly virus.”

Chief health officer Brett Sutton had also previously warned that daily infections would climb above 1000.

“We haven’t peaked unfortunately, the risk of it getting to 1000 is real,” Professor Sutton said last week.

The outbreak continues to hit younger Victorians the hardest with 83 per cent of all active cases aged under 50, while almost a quarter of cases are people in their 20s.

No new cases were recorded in hotel quarantine on Thursday. More than 27,000 primary close contacts remain in isolation in Victoria.

There are now 11,018 active cases in the state.

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