- After receiving another 20,201 test results yesterday, Victoria’s health department recorded its fifth straight day without any locally acquired cases of coronavirus
- There are currently 20 active cases of the virus in Victoria, down from 25 cases yesterday
- 675 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were administered yesterday, taking the state’s total number of inoculations to 1255 so far
- The Victorian government said it hopes to deliver roughly 12,000 doses of the vaccine this week
- According to the state’s Premier, Victoria is now “well placed” to lift tighter restrictions that were imposed during the recent five-day lockdown
After receiving another 20,201 test results yesterday, Victoria’s health department recorded its fifth straight day without any locally acquired cases of coronavirus.
There are currently 20 active cases of the virus in Victoria, down from 25 cases yesterday. Two of these people are in hospital, but neither are in intensive care.
The run of COVID-free days comes as hundreds of people receive doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which landed in Australia last week.
Data from Victoria’s health department shows that 675 doses were administered yesterday, taking the state’s total number of inoculations to 1255 so far. However, these vaccinations are in addition to those administered in aged care facilities, which are overseen by the federal government.
The Victorian government said it hopes to deliver roughly 12,000 doses of the vaccine this week.
Labor minister Jacinta Allen urged people to have faith in the vaccination program, despite an elderly couple in Queensland being given a double dose of the vaccine by mistake yesterday.
“We’re very keen to get beyond this pandemic but we’ve got to take all the appropriate, careful steps to do that and part of it is continuing to follow the health advice,” she said.
“The advice is the vaccine continues to be a very safe procedure to take part in, it’s going to be such an important procedure as it helps us get through this coronavirus pandemic.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the state is now “well placed” to relax restrictions that were brought in during a five-day lockdown, including the requirement to wear masks, which are scheduled to be lifted on Friday.