Why Victoria’s weekly Covid case numbers will now drop sharply

The Andrews government has made a quiet but major change to its Covid guidelines that mean far fewer cases are reported each week — but the shift hides the truth.

It is now impossible to know the true extent of the state’s Covid wave, after the Victorian government quietly scrapped its requirement for people to report positive RAT results.

The obligation to report positive rapid antigen test results was abandoned at the start of this month, likely leading to the state’s overwhelming positive Covid cases data released on Friday.

Only positive PCR test results can now be reported to Victoria’s health authority.

“From Friday 30 June, the recommendation to report your positive rapid antigen test (RAT) result has been removed. You can no longer report your test result online or through the coronavirus hotline,” a short statement on the department’s website reads.

Just 823 new Covid cases were reported over the past week, down a staggering 68 per cent from last week. There were 3425 cases the week before that.

However, the health department reported on Friday that 51 Victorians had died of Covid between June 30 and July 6, with 158 people hospitalised and eight currently in intensive care.

Nearly 60 Victorians died of the virus the week before.

The Victorian government has made a surprise change to its Covid reporting guidelines. Picture: Nikki Short

“Covid hospital admissions continued to decrease this week, with the level of Covid wastewater detections also at relatively lower levels. This indicates a sustained reduction in the number of infections in Victoria,” the department said in a statement on Friday evening.

“Transmissions continue to be driven by multiple Omicron recombinant XBB sublineages, accounting for 69 per cent of circulating variants from wastewater surveillance.”

Originally published as Why Victoria’s weekly Covid case numbers will now drop sharply