Victoria has recorded no new cases of coronavirus since yesterday.
This is the third day in a row that Victoria has recorded no new cases of COVID-19.
The total number of COVID-19 cases now linked to the Holiday Inn remains at 22.
There are 25 active cases in Victoria, made up of 19 locally acquired cases and six overseas acquired cases. There are six cases in hotel quarantine.
There is one COVID-19 patient in hospital in Victoria.
The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 20,479.
Update: Holiday Inn Cases
There are no new cases of COVID-19 linked to the Holiday Inn.
We are continuing to manage, monitor and test the primary close contacts linked to the Holiday Inn cases.
There are no new exposure sites identified since yesterday.
The Department is undertaking Day 11 tests for people linked to exposure sites.
Eleven out of 25 people linked to Brunetti’s at Melbourne Airport have tested negative for their Day 11 test, with the remainder of those results expected later today.
All primary close contacts from the kindergarten in Glenroy have tested negative on day 11. Day 11 testing for the nearby Goodstart Early Learning Centre starts tomorrow.
Day 11 testing for the Queen Victoria Market starts today.
At the private dining venue at 426 Sydney Rd, Coburg, all results for Day 11 testing have come back negative.
Given the number of cases linked to this site, the Department is recommending Day 14 tests for these people as they complete their quarantine. We have received 17 negative Day 14 results from this group as of yesterday.
Contact tracing efforts continue to meet and exceed performance benchmarks.
For a third straight day, the number of new contacts notified by the Department within the 48-hour benchmark is 100 per cent.
That’s an average of 99.9 per cent over the last seven days.
Indeterminate test results now negative
Indeterminate test results were received from routine saliva tests on two hotel quarantine staff members – one working at the Novotel, the other at the Pullman.
Out of an abundance of caution, public health actions were stood up as further investigations were undertaken.
The samples were sent to the public health reference laboratory for further analysis. Nasopharyngeal swabs tests were also undertaken.
Both staff members are now deemed negative and all public health actions have been stood down.
Vaccinations
COVID-19 vaccinations started today at hospital vaccination hubs across Victoria.
Victorians with the highest risk of exposure to COVID-19 are being prioritised for the vaccine, including Hotel Quarantine and Health Hotel workers, airport and port workers, and frontline health staff in COVID-19 screening clinics, specialist COVID-19 wards, Intensive Care Units, Emergency Departments, and more.
The vaccines are being administered through hospital vaccination hubs managed by public health services. Hubs also manage several special outreach sites including at Melbourne Airport and the Port of Portland.
Hubs will also deliver the vaccine to public sector residential aged care patients and workers, with the Commonwealth responsible for providing the vaccine to the private sector aged care and disability sectors.
All nine hospital vaccination hubs will commence operations over the coming weeks.
The Victorian Government is working closely with the Commonwealth on the rollout of its vaccination program.
Initially, it will be a steady and staged rollout, reflecting both the number of doses available and sensitivity of high-risk workplace settings.
Looking forward, we are working to deliver 40,000 to 50,000 vaccines over the next four weeks.
Update: Expanded testing capacity
8227 test results were received over the last 24 hours.
Demand for testing is stable across the system, with no waiting times longer than 30 minutes.
14 testing facilities were operating this weekend with extended hours. These extended hours are being reviewed based on demand.
The Rapid Response Testing Teams that were deployed to Sunbury, Point Cook and Coburg, have been diverted to support in-home testing of primary close contacts who need it.
The Department is publishing expected wait times at testing sites as well as updated information about locations and hours of operation at the Where to get tested page.
General advice
Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath and loss or change in sense of smell or taste. If you are experiencing any symptoms, wear a fitted face mask when you get tested.
Travel permit applications can be made through the Service Victoria portal.
For more information call the 24-hour Coronavirus Hotline at 1800 675 398 or visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria.
Latest statewide numbers (data reported to 11:59 pm yesterday):
| Cases acquired locally | Cases acquired interstate | Cases acquired overseas | Active cases | Lives lost | Tests processed yesterday | Total tests since pandemic began |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 8,277 | 4,870,358 |
|
Number of permits issued (Jan 11 - 8am today) |
Number of permit applications processed in the past 24 hours | Average # of permits issued per minute in the past 24 hours |
|---|---|---|
| 773,484 | 10,968 | 7.6 |