Covid Victoria: State records 65 new cases after ugly protest
Victoria has recorded 65 new local cases of Covid-19 on Sunday morning.
Sixteen of the new cases were reported yesterday by the state government after they were detected on a rapid PCR testing platform as health authorities worked to quickly control an outbreak in the regional town of Shepparton.
Just 12 people were in isolation for the duration of their infectious period.
Fifty-five cases are linked to previous infections while the source of 10 cases is still being investigated, Health Minister Martin Foley told reporters on Sunday.
"There are now some 440 active coronavirus cases in the Victoria," he said.
There were 44,147 Covid tests conducted in the same 24-hour reporting period to Sunday.
Cases steadily climbing in Victoria
On Saturday, the state reported 61 new cases, as well as announcing the extra 16 Shepparton cases included in today's figures. There has been 21 cases reported from three families in the town in the state's north.
Cases numbers have been steadily rising in the latest outbreak with health authorites unable to reduce the R-naught, meaning slow exponential spread has continued. Worryingly, unlinked cases are also mounting.
The protest erupted into violence scenes with officers using pepper spray on multiple demonstrators, later saying in a statement they were left with "no choice but to use all tactics available to them".
Six police officers were hospitalised and three people remain in custody for allegedly assaulting police.
Victorian police arrested 218 people and issued 236 fines, each worth $5452, for health order breaches.
All regional centres entered a new lockdown at 1pm on Saturday which won't lift until midnight on September 2, at the earliest. However, regional communities have been spared the curfew imposed on the capital.
There are now 27 Covid-19 cases in hospital in Victoria with 12 cases in intensive care and five on ventilators.
"That is a significant jump from where we were in recent days," Mr Foley lamented.
with AAP
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