Victoria records 25 new local COVID-19 cases, with 13 infectious in the community

Victoria has reported 25 new local cases of COVID-19, with 21 linked to known outbreaks.

Authorities say 13 people were out in the community while infectious.

Victoria administered 23,076 COVID vaccine doses in the 24 hours to Saturday evening and conducted 32,286 tests for the virus during the same period.

The state now has 185 active cases.

The figures come a day after Health Minister Martin Foley said a series of new drive-in vaccination centres across Melbourne would help ramp up the vaccine rollout.

“We’re expanding the capacity of existing centres with more booths and our booking system is constantly, as more supply comes on board, being updated to accommodate new supply,” he told reporters on Saturday.

“To further meet the increased demand that we’re seeing from Victorians to come forward and get vaccinated, we will be establishing more drive-through sites, particularly in the north in the Wyndham area, in Melbourne’s southeast and in the north in the Hume Whittlesea area.”

Meanwhile, Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre has been declared a tier two exposure site.

Anyone who visited the country’s biggest mall between 4.26pm and 5.40pm on 7 August has been ordered to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result. The Coles supermarket within the complex has also been listed.

There are now more than 493 exposure sites in Melbourne in total including Highpoint shopping centre and several large apartment blocks.

Of Saturday’s reported 21 new infections, 15 were linked to a growing cluster in north suburban Glenroy, which has been driven by mystery cases in multiple households.

Of these, 10 have a connection to Glenroy West Primary School.

“What we have seen as a result of this growing number every day is that we have multiple outbreaks with multiple exposure sites, right across Melbourne,” Mr Foley added on Saturday.

“Whilst we have genomic links we still don’t have a source of infections for a number of these positive cases.”

Melbourne is in the second week of its sixth lockdown, brought on to contain several Delta variant outbreaks.

Source: sbs.com.au