The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has sought to reassure Melburnians the state’s Covid response is working after 57 new instances of Covid-19, the very best each day determine since final 12 months’s lethal second wave.
As Melbourne marked its two hundredth day in lockdown because the begin of the pandemic, Thursday’s 57 instances was the very best determine because the 73 infections recorded on 9 September final 12 months.
Authorities had already warned there could be a soar from the 24 infections reported on Wednesday as a result of they have been awaiting day 13 testing from 1000’s of shut contacts.
That’s mirrored by the very fact 54 of the 57 new instances have been linked to an present outbreak, whereas 44 have been already in self-isolation. Of the 57 new instances, 41 have been from day 13 assessments.
Andrews mentioned he knew 57 appeared like a “massive quantity” however insisted Melbourne’s lockdown was working.
“When the overwhelming majority of these have been in isolation for his or her infectious interval, that’s precisely what we would like,” he mentioned.
“That’s the system working precisely because it ought to work and it goes to that time now we have made quite a lot of instances that the numbers, sure, they’re vital, however the story that sits behind these numbers is in truth extra vital than the numbers alone.”
Requested if the numbers weren’t as “alarming” as they appeared, Andrews agreed.
“It’s not good to get [Covid],” he mentioned. “However whereas when folks wakened this morning and noticed tweets and different media reporting 57 instances they could have thought, that’s a nasty day. The important thing level is the huge, overwhelming majority of these folks have been in isolation for 100% of their infectious interval.”
Jeroen Weimar, the state’s Covid-19 commander, mentioned one other massive batch of day 13 assessments was undertaken on Thursday, which means he would anticipate “there to be quite a lot of instances once more tomorrow”.
Requested by reporters to mirror on the town’s two hundredth day of laborious lockdown, a grim feat solely bested by three different cities world wide, Andrews warned in opposition to comparisons.
“Take a look on the loss of life charges in these cities,” he mentioned. “Take a look at what number of funerals they’ve had in these cities and states. We’ve had our justifiable share. We’ve had too many and that’s heartbreaking.
“We’ve made powerful selections … It’s not about being well-liked. It’s about getting this job finished. Victorians can do that once more, I do know they will, as laborious as it’s.”
He was additionally requested to defend the choice to shut playgrounds, a transfer that has brought about consternation amongst some mother and father and sparked criticism from the opposition.
He warned there have been about 50 youngsters who had contracted Covid.
“That is children that have gotten this virus, so any sense that youngsters don’t get it or any sense that youngsters don’t get it and don’t unfold it’s simply fallacious,” he mentioned.
The federal government has confronted questions concerning the proof for the transfer. The chief well being officer, Brett Sutton, has mentioned authorities are investigating potential child-to-child transmission at a playground.
Apart from the western suburbs cluster linked to the Al-Taqwa School in Truganina, which spawned nearly all of Thursday’s day 13 take a look at instances, authorities are additionally in search of to comprise an outbreak in St Kilda, and a second outbreak in close by St Kilda East that’s linked to a well-publicised engagement get together held at Caulfield North final week.
Weimar mentioned three new instances have been linked to the engagement get together and one new case was related to the St Kilda cluster, taking the latter outbreak to 18 instances.
“A few of these are nonetheless unconnected and we’re persevering with to do a variety of work in that space,” he mentioned of the second outbreak.
Though there are issues the St Kilda cluster could have unfold into the homeless group, Weimar mentioned no additional instances have been recorded among the many homeless on Thursday.
There have been additionally three thriller infections reported, at Glenroy, Ascot Vale and Doncaster.
Weimar known as on locals in Doncaster to get examined as a result of there have been “no apparent hyperlinks” to the case.
The Victorian chief commissioner, Shane Patton, additionally confirmed 4 folks had been fined over final week’s engagement get together.
“Two of these have been to the mother and father of the bride-to-be and two of these have been to the engaged couple as nicely,” he mentioned.
He mentioned investigations into the get together of about 70 folks have been nonetheless ongoing, however emphasised that every one events had been cooperative. Patton has already foreshadowed additional fines.
Andrews mentioned the federal government would open new drive-through vaccination centres on the Ford manufacturing facility in Broadmeadows, Springvale’s Sandown Racecourse and Eagle Stadium in Werribee.
The premier mentioned there have been nonetheless 26,000 vaccine appointments open throughout the state’s vaccination hubs.
“Go and e-book one now,” he mentioned.
Victoria is aiming to vaccinate 1 million folks within the subsequent 5 weeks.