Australia COVID LIVE updates Victorias record day of 1965 new local cases NSW records 580 new cases as health authorities investigate new Delta strain

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Victorian health authorities say they are concerned about coronavirus case growth in the city of Mildura on the NSW border, after the number of cases went from one to 37 in a single week.

There were 20 new cases discovered in the city on Friday, with the border city going into lockdown at 11.59pm last night.

Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson said they were “particularly concerned” about the significant case growth in Mildura.

“We believe there may be additional cases out there that we have not found,” she said.

“Today’s 20 new COVID cases are spread across a number of households, and there are links over into New South Wales. The total number of active cases in Mildura is now 37, and that’s up from one case one week ago.

“The next seven days will be crucial for us to have a really stringent public health response.”

Ms Matson acknowledged the announcement that the city would be going into lockdown had come quite late, but the decision had to be made on the “latest advice”.

“If there was any inconvenience caused by our late notice, we do apologise for that, but we will never apologise for taking the right public health actions to protect Victoria.”

Ninety cases were discovered in regional Victoria yesterday and included in Saturday morning’s numbers.

Queensland has again reported no community cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Saturday morning.

However, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said three cases were reported from overseas.

Two people returning from Papua New Guinea have tested positive in hotel quarantine.

A third person, a mariner on a ship from Indonesia, has also tested positive.

The ship, which left Indonesia seven days ago, is now near Cape York.

Health authorities are now working with the ship’s owners to determine if the mariner needs to be removed from the ship.

A woman and four men have died from COVID-19 in Victoria, with more than 570 people in hospital with the virus.

Health authorities confirmed that a woman in her 90s from Moreland, a man in his 70s from Moreland, a man in his 60s from Banyule, a man in his 50s from Hobson’s Bay and a man in his 50s from Hume have died from the virus.

Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson said there were now 578 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 117 people in intensive care and 83 on ventilators.

Around 85 per cent of the eligible population over 16 have received their first dose, while 57 per cent of eligible Victorians have received two doses.

NSW has reported 11 deaths due to COVID-19 in the latest reporting period, as well as 580 new local cases.

The deaths were in three women and eight men, with one person in their 50s, one in their 60s, four in their 70s, two in their 80s and three in their 90s.

Four of the people were not vaccinated, three were fully vaccinated and four had received one dose.

Five people were from south-western Sydney, three were from western Sydney and three were from south-eastern Sydney.

Two of the deaths were at aged care facilities.

One, a woman in her 80s, died at the Hardi Guildford Aged Care Facility, in the sixth death linked to an outbreak at the facility.

The other person, also a woman in her 80s, died at the Allity Beechwood Aged Care Facility, and was the fifth death linked to an outbreak there.

There have been 425 deaths since the start of NSW’s latest COVID-19 outbreak in June.

Health authorities are hoping to see a “decoupling” of cases and hospitalisations as vaccination figures continue to rise across NSW.

However, NSW’s Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said people need to make their own health decisions as restrictions are eased.

“Individuals need to make their own decisions as we work through this, it takes two to three weeks after the second dose for immunity to kick in so I would ask that people are a little bit cautious about going out and about when they’re in that period,” Dr Chant said on Saturday.

“Everyone, as we move to live with COVID, has to also adhere to their personal responsibility around vaccination and physical distancing, not going out and about when you’ve got symptoms of COVID, this is very much a shared responsibility.”

Dr Chant said that a further increase in first dose vaccinations beyond the state’s 90 per cent would give her “greater confidence and greater joy”.

“I have trust in the people of NSW and have trust in the framework.”

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Case numbers and hospitalisations are expected to increase as restrictions are eased in NSW for the fully vaccinated from Monday.

“We know that as we open up, case numbers will increase,” NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Saturday.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet addresses the media on Saturday.Credit:Rhett Wyman

“But what has been key to keeping people safe is our high vaccination rate. We have the highest vaccination rate in the country.

“But I know there’s a sense of excitement ... I just ask people over the course of the weekend, follow the rules that are in place.”

Mr Perrottet also encouraged people to treat hospitality workers with respect as they return to venues.

“There’ll be many young people who are 18, 19, who will be in retail roles on Monday, it will be a challenge for them. Please when you attend a cafe, a restaurant, a pub, please treat them with respect,” he said.

NSW has recorded 580 new locally acquired cases, and health authorities are investigating a new strain of the Delta variant that has been found in western Sydney.

The state’s Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said there is no evidence to suggest it is more transmissible or dangerous than the prominent Delta strain currently circulating in NSW.

“This is a new Delta strain identified through genome sequencing. As routine, we progressively do special testing ... and we’ve detected a genome of the Delta strain which is different from that that was previously transmitting in our community,” Dr Chant said on Saturday morning.

“We’ve linked that back to a person who returned from overseas but the exact mechanism of how that strain emerged and got into the community in western Sydney is still under investigation so we will update you as those investigations continue.

“But I want to reassure you that there’s nothing about this Delta strain ... that suggested it’s any more transmissible, going to cause illness or any other issues additional to the current Delta strain. So in essence, it is another Delta strain circulating in the community.”

There are currently 163 people in intensive care units and 812 admitted to hospital, Dr Chant said.

About 90 per cent of the state has now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with restrictions set to ease for people who have received both doses from Monday.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said “vaccination is key to our freedom and high rates of vaccination here in NSW has not just led the nation but led the world”.

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