Yesterday, 4,844 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria's state-commissioned services. The total number of doses administered through state-run services is 4,959,671.
94.3 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 92.5 per cent have had two doses. This excludes the most recent Commonwealth data.
There are 406 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria - 81 active cases in ICU, with 43 of those on a ventilator. There are an additional 37 cleared cases in ICU.
Victoria was notified of 1,302 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All cases were locally acquired except for one case which was acquired overseas. The 10 Local Government areas with the highest number of new cases are Moreland, Casey, Brimbank, Hume, Yarra Ranges, Wyndham, Moonee Valley, Greater Dandenong, Banyule and Glen Eira.
All locations containing new cases will be published today at Victorian COVID-19 data.
There are 13,175 active cases in Victoria. The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 146,859.
The Department was notified there were no COVID related deaths yesterday. The total number of deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began remains 1,454.
71,491 COVID-19 tests were processed yesterday. The total number of tests performed in Victoria since the pandemic began is 16,528,164.
There are currently more than 31,700 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.
Updates
COVIDSafe gatherings over Christmas
The Department has published COVIDSafe advice for hosts and attendees of household Christmas parties at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/covidsafe-gatherings.
The advice includes a checklist for hosts of parties, and suggestions for alternative ways of hosting the event in person to reduce the risk of transmission. In short, hosts and attendees can consider these three tips:
- If you have symptoms, don't go. Get a PCR test instead and stay isolated until you get a negative result. If you don't have symptoms, consider taking a rapid antigen test before leaving home. If you're hosting, ask guests to do the same. This might mean one person misses out on Christmas lunch, but it's better than everyone getting COVID.
- Take extra precautions, especially among those who are elderly or vulnerable. Fewer faces and bigger spaces mean less risk. It's best to wear a mask when talking to people face-to-face. Wash your hands regularly. Open up the doors and windows and get the fresh air flowing through. Keep note of who comes.
- Keep it short and keep it outdoors. This will prevent you from becoming a household contact who must quarantine for 7+ days (because once someone has spent 4 hours with a case in a house, they are a household contact). So have Christmas on the veranda or reduce your time inside a house with others to less than 4 hours. You may still have to get tested, but time in isolation will be shorter.
New Omicron cases
There were 13 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant identified in Victoria yesterday. The total number of confirmed Omicron variant cases in Victoria is 37.
Of the Omicron cases in Victoria, 23 acquired their infection overseas and 14 acquired their infection in Australia.
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, physical distancing, checking in and getting a booster when eligible.
Pre-Christmas booster blitz for State vaccination clinics
Capacity is being ramped up at state-run vaccination clinics to assist the Commonwealth's booster vaccine rollout before Christmas.
There are more than 1000 places to get vaccinated across Victoria as part of the Commonwealth's vaccination program, which includes GPs, pharmacies and state-run clinics.
Booster appointments can be booked online
