Victoria was notified of 733 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All were locally acquired.
There are 7,160 active cases in Victoria – 7,159 locally acquired and one overseas-acquired case.
There are 297 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria. 66 of those cases are in intensive care, with 46 cases on a ventilator.
Sadly, the Department was notified yesterday of the death of a woman aged in her 80s from Moreland.
This brings the total number of deaths from the current outbreak to 21, and the total number of deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began to 841.
The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 31,679.
Update: Travel restrictions for communities on the NSW-Victorian border
All Local Government Areas on the NSW-Victorian border are now classified as red zones under Victoria’s travel permit system, after the NSW LGA of Albury was reclassified at 11:59 pm on 23 September.
Residents of the cross-border community who haven’t left the cross-border area or been in an Extreme Risk Zone at any time in the previous 14 days can enter Victoria without a permit for any reason.
Victorians who do not live in the cross-border community can apply for a Red Zone permit to re-enter Victoria.
For more information on Victoria’s border restrictions, visit COVIDSafe Settings. For more information on Victoria’s travel permit system, visit Victorian Travel Permit System.
Update: Vaccination requirements for holders of a Specified Worker (Multiple Entry) Permit
To remain eligible for a Specified Worker (Multiple Entry) Permit, commercial freight and healthcare workers entering Victoria from Extreme Risk or Red zones are now required to carry evidence showing that they have either had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or will have received their first dose by 8 October 2021.
Permit holders can also provide proof of an exemption issued by a medical practitioner, if applicable.
Commercial freight and healthcare workers with a Specified Worker (Multiple Entry) Permit issued before 24 September have until 11:59 pm on Monday 27 September to apply for a new permit. Existing permits will be revoked at that time.
Vaccines
Yesterday, 41,029 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria’s state-commissioned services. The total number of doses administered through state-run services is 3,326,611.
More than 76 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 46 per cent have had two doses.
Victoria is receiving 32,000 initial doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine to administer through our state sites. Supply will initially be focused in and around Melbourne’s southeast, where there has been increasing case numbers and strong demand for vaccination.
The pop-up vaccination clinic at Palm Plaza in Dandenong will begin administering the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday 28 September.
The Moderna vaccine is safe, highly effective and available to anyone in Victoria aged 12 to 59 years.
All Victorian construction workers must now be able to provide evidence that they have either had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or will have received their first dose by 2 October 2021. Anyone unable to be vaccinated will not be permitted on construction sites unless they have proof of an exemption issued by an authorised medical practitioner.
Outbreaks
Of the 733 cases recorded yesterday, the following Local Government Areas in metropolitan Melbourne recorded more than one newly diagnosed case:
- 23 cases in Banyule
- 4 cases in Boroondara
- 36 cases in Brimbank
- 9 cases in Cardinia
- 22 cases in Casey
- 28 cases in Darebin
- 5 cases in Frankston
- 5 cases in Glen Eira
- 7 cases in Greater Dandenong
- 20 cases in Hobsons Bay
- 243 cases in Hume
- 4 cases in Kingston
- 9 cases in Knox
- 7 cases in Manningham
- 7 cases in Maribyrnong
- 4 cases in Maroondah
- 11 cases in Melbourne
- 31 cases in Melton
- 8 cases in Monash
- 29 cases in Moonee Valley
- 48 cases in Moreland
- 13 cases in Port Phillip
- 67 cases in Whittlesea
- 38 cases in Wyndham
- 18 cases in Yarra
- 3 cases in Yarra Ranges.
There were also 27 cases notified in regional Victoria yesterday:
- 1 in Ballarat
- 1 in Baw Baw
- 3 in Campaspe
- 5 in Greater Geelong
- 1 in Greater Shepparton
- 1 in Macedon Ranges
- 9 in Mitchell
- 1 in Moira
- 2 in Moorabool
- 1 in Wangaratta
- 2 in Wodonga.
Data on Victorian coronavirus cases is available at Victorian COVID-19 data.
Around 58 per cent of cases identified in Victoria yesterday are in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, with 23 per cent in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Around 84 per cent of all active cases in Victoria are people under 50 years of age, while 23 per cent of cases are people in their 20s.
Of the COVID-19 patients in hospital yesterday, 77 per cent were not vaccinated and 19 per cent were partially vaccinated. Four per cent were fully vaccinated, including a number of aged-care residents isolating in hospital for public health reasons.
There are currently 23,250 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.
At midday today, there were more than 530 published exposure sites in Victoria.
For more information on each exposure site, including dates and times of exposure, please visit Case alerts – public exposure sites.
There may be occasions when the Department is unable to make contact with a business or residential premises before their listing as an exposure site. At all times, we take the decision of when to publish these sites in the interests of public health.
The Department regularly manages exposure sites that it doesn’t publish online, particularly if these sites represent lower-risk exposure, or if they have comprehensive record-keeping and contact-tracing measures, or if they identify small, private locations – including smaller apartment or townhouse complexes.
Wastewater testing
COVID-19 viral fragments have been detected in wastewater samples taken from several regional areas.
- Ballarat area – unexpected wastewater detections from the following suburbs:
- Lake Gardens, Alfredton and Delacombe. Repeated detections between 17 and 22 September.
- Ballarat Central and Redan. The period of interest is 20-22 September.
- Ascot, Bald Hills, Ballarat North, Blowhard, Cabbage Tree, Cardigan, Invermay, Invermay Park, Lake Gardens, Learmonth, Miners Rest, Mitchell Park, Mount Rowan, Sulky, Wendouree and Windermere. Repeated detections from 15-17 September and 20-23 September.
- Phillip Island – unexpected wastewater detection in an area that includes Cape Woolamai, Cowes, Newhaven, Rhyll, San Remo, Silverleaves, Smiths Beach, Sunderland Bay, Sunset Strip, Surf Beach, Ventnor and Wimbledon Heights. The period of interest is 20-23 September.
- Traralgon area – unexpected wastewater detection in an area that includes Boolarra, Churchill, Glengarry, Hazelwood, Hazelwood North, Morwell, Rosedale, Toongabbie, Traralgon, Traralgon East, Yallourn, Yallourn North and Yinnar. The period of interest is 20-22 September.
- Hamilton – unexpected wastewater detection in an area that includes Hamilton. The period of interest is 18-20 September.
- Seymour – repeated unexpected wastewater detections in area that includes Seymour. The period of interest is 19-22 September.
- Geelong – unexpected wastewater detection in area that includes Corio, Norlane and North Shore. The period of interest is 14-20 September.
- Benalla – unexpected wastewater detection in area that includes Benalla. The period of interest is 19-21 September.
- Warrnambool – unexpected wastewater detection in area that includes Allansford, Dennington and Koroit. The period of interest is 19-21 September.
These detections could be an undiscovered new case or cases, or they could be the result of one or more people in these areas who have recovered from COVID-19 but are still shedding the virus.
Anyone who lives in, works in or has visited the areas above is urged to watch for the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms and get tested as soon as possible if symptoms develop.
For more information on wastewater testing, visit Wastewater testing.
Testing
56,520 COVID-19 tests were processed yesterday.
Getting tested as soon as you have symptoms will help health authorities identify new positive cases and provide proper care for your family.
If you are concerned about losing money from missing work, support is available – including the $450 test isolation payment. For more information, go to Financial and other support for COVID-19.
To find your nearest COVID-19 testing site, visit Where to get tested for COVID-19. Operating hours and wait times will vary.
More information
To access the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Victoria, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria
