COVID-19 confirmed in regional Victoria, no new community cases

There are now about 200 people in isolation because they are linked to positive cases or their close contacts. #Authorities are using a “third-ring” approach where positive cases, their close contacts and those people’s contacts are all asked to isolate.

The first three cases in the #Victorian outbreak are all linked to a transmission event that likely occurred at the #Smile #Buffalo #Thai restaurant at #Black #Rock on #December 21.

The government suspects a traveller from #Sydney was the likely source of the infection. The person was being tested on #Thursday. #All five cases announced after the first three are all linked to the initial cases.

COVID-19 viral fragments have been picked up in a wastewater sample from #Lakes #Entrance, about 300km east of #Melbourne.

The #Victorian #Health #Department said the traces were detected on #Tuesday and anyone in the #Lakes #Entrance area with symptoms should get tested for COVID-19.

#Leongatha is about 200km west of #Lakes #Entrance.

The nearest testing facility for #Lakes #Entrance locals is the #Bairnsdale #Regional #Health #Service which is open from 9am-5pm today and over the weekend.

There will be an increase in wastewater samples taken from #Lakes #Entrance in the coming days to verify the finding.

#University of #Melbourne epidemiologist #Tony #Blakely predicted the #Victorian government would soon tighten public health to suppress the growth of cases in the state.

#Professor #Blakely said he did not believe a hard lockdown would be required, but more modest measures would assist contact tracers to thwart the #Victorian outbreak.

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#He said the government would likely ask the public to self-regulate their travel.

“I think we’re heading back into a tighter restrictions arrangement,” he said on ABC #Radio #Melbourne.
“#Once people relocate back home by #Monday … we’ll start seeing some restrictions on movement.”

#Professor #Blakely said the fresh outbreak was the first big test of the state’s contact tracing capacity since the second wave of cases ended.

#He said the system was “hugely better” than the previous paper-based system.