Coronavirus update for Victoria - Sunday 26 September 2021

Victoria was notified of 779 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All were locally acquired.

There are 8,011 active cases in Victoria - 8,010 locally acquired and one overseas-acquired case.

There are 325 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria. 73 of those cases are in intensive care, with 54 cases on a ventilator.

Sadly, the Department was notified yesterday of two deaths - a man aged in his 70s from Moreland and a man aged in his 80s from Hume.

This brings the total number of deaths from the current outbreak to 24, and the total number of deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began to 844.

The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 33,273.

Update: Restrictions

At 11:59pm tonight, 26 September, lockdown will lift in the City of Greater Geelong and Surf Coast Shire, with restrictions matching those in place elsewhere in regional Victoria. Mitchell Shire will remain in lockdown.

To see current COVIDSafe settings in the remainder of regional Victoria, visit How we live: remainder of regional Victoria.

Across Victoria, restrictions will modestly ease at 11:59pm on 28 September, in line with vaccination thresholds.

To see more information, visit Victoria To Hit 80 Per Cent First Dose Vaccination Target.

Vaccines

Yesterday, 34,280 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria's state-commissioned services.

The total number of doses administered through state-run services is 3,398,707.

More than 77 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 47 per cent have had two doses.

Victorians are encouraged to book their first dose through their local GP or community pharmacy. To see available bookings, visit the Australian Government Department of Health website.

Outbreaks

Of the 779 cases recorded yesterday, the following Local Government Areas in metropolitan Melbourne recorded more than one newly diagnosed case:

  • 9 cases in Banyule
  • 3 cases in Bayside
  • 7 cases in Boroondara
  • 36 cases in Brimbank
  • 13 cases in Cardinia
  • 29 cases in Casey
  • 24 cases in Darebin
  • 3 cases in Glen Eira
  • 18 cases in Greater Dandenong
  • 42 cases in Hobsons Bay
  • 250 cases in Hume
  • 7 cases in Kingston
  • 7 cases in Knox
  • 9 cases in Manningham
  • 10 cases in Maribyrnong
  • 3 cases in Maroondah
  • 13 cases in Melbourne
  • 34 cases in Melton
  • 10 cases in Monash
  • 29 cases in Moonee Valley
  • 55 cases in Moreland
  • 2 cases in Nillumbik
  • 6 cases in Port Phillip
  • 3 cases in Stonnington
  • 72 cases in Whittlesea
  • 52 cases in Wyndham
  • 5 cases in Yarra
  • 3 cases in Yarra Ranges

There were also 20 cases notified in regional Victoria yesterday:

  • 2 cases in Ballarat
  • 1 case in Greater Bendigo
  • 6 cases in Greater Geelong
  • 2 cases in Greater Shepparton
  • 1 case in Indigo
  • 1 case in Latrobe
  • 5 cases in Mitchell Shire
  • 1 case in Murrindindi
  • 1 case in Surf Coast

Data on Victorian coronavirus cases is available at Victorian COVID-19 data.

Around 53 per cent of cases identified in Victoria yesterday are in Melbourne's northern suburbs, with 27 per cent in Melbourne's western suburbs.

There are currently more than 26,000 active primary close contacts in isolation in Victoria.

At midday today, there were more than 580 published exposure sites in Victoria - but the most prevalent exposure site in Victoria is the family home.

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.
  • Bendigo area - unexpected wastewater detection in an area that includes East Bendigo, Wellsford, Strathdale, Kennington, Strathfieldsaye and Junortoun. The period of interest is 21-23 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

46,322 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

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