Yesterday, 4,056 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria’s state-commissioned services. The total number of doses administered through state-run services is 4,887,560.
94.2 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 92.0 per cent have had two doses. This excludes the most recent Commonwealth data.
There are 323 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria – 68 active cases in ICU, with 29 of those on a ventilator. There are an additional 44 cleared cases in ICU. Of those in hospital, 61.8 per cent were not fully vaccinated, and of those in ICU, 81.8 per cent were not fully vaccinated.
Victoria was notified of 1,193 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All cases were locally acquired except for two that were acquired overseas. The 11 Local Government areas with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Whittlesea, Moreland, Greater Dandenong, Melton, Kingston, Monash, Glen Eira and Port Phillip.
All locations containing new cases will be published today at Victorian COVID-19 data.
There are 11,457 active cases in Victoria. The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 134,911.
Sadly, the Department was notified yesterday of 13 deaths of people aged in their 50s, 60, 70s, 80s and 90s. Seven of the deaths are historic cases that occurred in November. This brings the total number of deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began to 1,414.
82,895 COVID-19 tests were processed yesterday. The total number of tests performed in Victoria since the pandemic began is 15,875,448.
There are currently more than 28,400 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.
Updates
Omicron cases under investigation
There are no new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Victoria.
The Department of Health is leading a strong outbreak response to three confirmed and several suspected cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in Victoria. One of the positive cases is a returned traveller who was previously identified with the Omicron variant while in hotel quarantine.
The other two positive Omicron cases sat together in the same row on a flight that landed in Melbourne from Dubai on 30 November. A third person who also sat in the same row has tested positive for COVID-19, and genomic sequencing is under way to confirm the variant.
One of the cases positive for Omicron was in the community for part of their infectious period. Public health actions are being implemented and exposure sites managed appropriately.
Genomic sequencing is also under way to confirm the variant for seven other suspected cases who have tested positive for COVID-19. These cases are four passengers who were on the same flight and three household contacts of one of the cases who is positive for the Omicron variant.
All other potential contacts who recently arrived in Melbourne on the same flight have been contacted and asked to get a PCR test for COVID-19.
To see the testing and quarantine requirements for international travellers entering Victoria, visit Information for overseas travellers.
All Victorians can play their part in reducing the spread of Omicron – or any other variant – by getting tested the moment they notice symptoms or as soon as they are told they are a contact, and practising COVIDSafe behaviours such as wearing masks and checking in.
Declaration under the new pandemic framework
On the advice of the Chief Health Officer, the Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday made a formal pandemic declaration applying to the State of Victoria from 11:59pm on Wednesday 15 December.
The declaration is made under section 165AB (1) of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and replaces the current State of Emergency declaration.
In making the new pandemic declaration, the Premier was satisfied on reasonable grounds there was a serious risk to public health throughout Victoria arising from the coronavirus pandemic disease.
