Victoria has reportedly recorded 191 new cases of coronavirus across the past 24 hours, in what stands as easily the state’s worst pandemic day yet.
Officials at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the staggering number a short time ago, ahead of an anticipated press conference from Premier Dan Andrews at some point this afternoon.
That total of 191 includes 27 previously recorded cases that have been reclassified, bringing Victoria’s overall number of coronavirus cases up to 2,824 – an increase of 164 from yesterday.
Today’s report states that 37 of the cases are linked to known outbreaks and clusters. 154 cases remain under investigation.
13 new cases have been identified at the North Melbourne and Flemington public housing towers, which are currently under controversial “hard lockdown” police-enforced restrictions.
A further 12 cases linked to the Al-Taqwa College outbreak have been identified, while 1 new case linked to the previous outbreak at Aitken Hill Primary School in Cragieburn has been recorded.
4 cases have been attributed to the Northern Hospital cluster in Epping. The remaining known cases are linked to existing family outbreaks in Truganina, Patterson Lakes/Lysterfield, Fawkner, and Sunshine West.
None of the cases from today’s reports come from returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.
Today’s total is a significant increase from yesterday’s count of 127, which itself was – at the time – the largest single-day total Victoria has recorded since pandemic conditions began.
Officials are bracing for a large increase in numbers across the following handful of days as results from a massive testing blitz across Melbourne’s 12 lockdown postcodes continues to roll in.
Reports suggest that the State Government is preparing to put the entire Melbourne Metro region back into lockdown later this afternoon.
More as this story develops.
