Ballarat's coronavirus figures have remained steady today, although neighbouring shires have not been as lucky.
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There remains 10 active cases in the City of Ballarat local government area, but Golden Plains and Moorabool both saw jumps.
In Moorabool, which includes Ballan and Bacchus Marsh, active cases jumped from nine to 11.
In Golden Plains, which sits between Ballarat and Geelong, figures rose from from five to six.
Hepburn has not had a new case in months, while Pyrenees remains the only municipality in the region not to have had a single case of the virus.
Greater Bendigo now has 11 active cases and Greater Geelong has 35.
This comes as Victoria recorded 384 new cases today.
In Ballarat, four people are being treated in hospital; three in a stable condition and one in intensive care. This has not changed since Monday.
There are also eight people being treated by Ballarat Health Services at home.
It is important to note BHS treats people from localities outside the Ballarat local government area, so the number of active cases in Ballarat could be exceeded by the amount of people being treated by BHS.
The outbreak that occurred at Bill Crawford Lodge seems to also be nearing an end.
Five cases of COVID19 were identified between July 17-20.
The two affected residents were moved to the Ballarat Base Hospital in order to both provide the care needed and to contain the virus.
The remaining three cases were able to recover in their homes in the community.
The ratio of active cases to total population remains much lower in Ballarat than it does in metropolitan Melbourne, although infections within the local government area are higher than they are in the region as a whole.
Even when Victoria recorded a record 532 cases on Monday, there were none in Ballarat or the surrounding regions.
The overall total has increased by 353 due to 31 cases being reclassified - largely due to duplication.
Within Victoria, 78 of the new cases are linked to outbreaks or complex cases and 306 are under investigation.
There have been six new deaths from COVID-19 reported since yesterday. They were a man and a woman in their 90s, two women and a man in their 80s and a man in his 70s. Four of the deaths are linked to aged care facilities. To date, 83 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
In Victoria at the current time:
- 1363 cases may indicate community transmission
- 4775 cases are currently active in Victoria
- 260 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including 42 in intensive care
- 3937 people have recovered from the virus
- Of the total cases, 8387 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 485 are from regional Victoria
- Total cases include 4481 men and 4471 women
- More than 1,536,600 tests have been processed
- Total number of healthcare workers: 775, active cases: 414
- There are 769 active cases relating to outbreaks in aged care facilities
Cases currently linked to public housing in North Melbourne, Flemington and Carlton are as follows:
- 306 cases are residents of various public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington. Investigations are continuing into how these cases are linked.
- 66 cases are residents of various public housing towers in Carlton. Investigations are continuing into if and/or how these cases are linked.
Active aged care outbreaks with the highest cumulative case numbers are as follows:
- 88 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer
- 86 cases have been linked to St Basil's Home for the Aged in Fawkner
- 82 cases have been linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping
- 76 cases have been linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth
- 62 cases have been linked to Menarock Life Aged Care Facility in Essendon
- 53 cases have been linked to Glendale Aged Care Facility in Werribee
- 51 cases have been linked to Batpcare Wyndham Lodge in Werribee
- 50 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg
- 40 cases have been linked to Outlook Gardens Aged Care Facility in Dandenong North
- 39 cases have been linked to Arcare Aged Care Facility in Craigieburn
Single cases in staff members at the following aged care facilities have also been notified to the department - BUPA Aged Care in Woodend, Australian Unity Campbell Place in Glen Waverley, Opal South Valley in Geelong and BUPA Aged Care in Greensborough.
Cases currently linked to key outbreaks are as follows:
- 99 cases have been linked to Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham
- 89 cases have been linked to Bertocchi Smallgoods in Thomastown
- 76 cases have been linked to JBS in Brooklyn
- 50 cases have been linked to Australian Lamb Company in Colac
- 29 cases have been linked to the Woolworths Distribution Centre in Mulgrave
- 27 cases have been linked to LaManna Supermarket in Essendon Fields
- 19 cases have been linked to Respite Services Australia in Moonee Ponds
- 14 cases have been linked to the Linfox Warehouse in Truganina
- 10 cases have been linked to Don KR Castlemaine
- 10 cases have been linked to Aruma Disability Services in Pascoe Vale
- 5 cases have been linked to Laverton Cold Storage in Truganina
As investigations are undertaken throughout the day, these outbreak totals are likely to change as the public health team identify links between cases and identified outbreaks. Organisation based outbreaks totals include contacts as well as employees/residents/staff/students of that location/business.
People living in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire are required to wear a face covering when leaving home for one of the four reasons.
There will be some reasons not to wear a face covering. For example, those who have a medical reason, children under 12 or during strenuous exercise.
Stage 3 "Stay at Home" restrictions are in force across metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire.
"These restrictions are necessary because of the ongoing high number of cases," said Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton.
"If you live in these areas, there are only four reasons to leave your home: shopping for food and essential items; care and caregiving; daily exercise; and work and study - if you can't do it from home.
"These are tough measures, but this virus is not selective - it will impact anyone it encounters, and personal contact is the clear source of its transmission. We need everyone to do their part and ensure it is stopped in its tracks."
VICTORIA'S NIGHTMARE MONTH
- Tuesday July 28: 380 new cases, six deaths as aged care outbreaks continue to climb
- Monday July 27: 532 new cases as daily cases hits 500 for first time, six deaths
- Sunday July 26: 459 new cases as double-digit death toll is recorded for first time with 10 deaths
- Saturday July 25: 357 new cases, five new deaths
- Friday July 24: 300 cases, six deaths, ADF role expanded to help with contact tracing.
- Thursday July 23 - 403 cases, five deaths, worst day for fatalities in any state, masks now mandatory
- Wednesday July 22 - 484 cases, two deaths
- Tuesday July 21 - 374 cases, three deaths
- Monday July 20 - 275 cases, one death
- Sunday July 19 - 363 cases, three deaths, notice that masks will become mandatory in lockdown areas
- Saturday July 18 - 217 cases, three deaths, final Melbourne public housing tower released from hard lockdown
- Friday July 17 - 428 cases, three deaths
- Thursday July 16 - 317 cases, two deaths
- Wednesday July 15 - 238 cases, one death
- Tuesday July 14 - 270 cases, two deaths
- Monday July 13 - 177 cases
- Sunday July 12 - 273 cases, one death
- Saturday July 11 - 216 cases, one death
- Friday July 10 - 288 cases, a national daily record at the time
- Thursday July 9 - 165 cases, eight of nine Melbourne public housing towers released from hard lockdown
- Wednesday July 8 - 134 cases, new stage-three restrictions announced for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire
- Tuesday July 7 - 191 cases
- Monday July 6 - 127 cases, two deaths, NSW border closed
- Sunday July 5 - 74 cases
- Saturday July 4 - 108 cases, immediate hard lockdown of nine Melbourne public housing towers
- Friday July 3 - 66 cases
- Thursday July 2 - 77 cases
- Wednesday July 1 - 73 cases
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
WHERE TO TAKE A COVID-19 TEST IN BALLARAT
Everyone who feels even the slightest cold or flu-like symptom must assume they have the virus until a test result proves otherwise. Anybody with symptoms or awaiting a result should self-isolate at home.
- If you have cold or flu-like symptoms, make an appointment either online or by phone (4311 1571) to take a test at Lucas Community Hub. Tests are by appointment only.
- There is now a testing site at the Ballarat Senior Citizens Centre in the CBD. People are encouraged to book a test by calling 1800 054 172.
AFFECTED BY THIS STORY?
Support is available. You are never alone.
- Lifeline 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 or beyondblue.org.au
- Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467
- Mensline: 1300 789 978 or mensline.org.au
- Survivors of Suicide: 0449 913 535
- Relationships Australia: 1800 050 321
- headspace Ballarat (for 12-25s and parent support): 5304 4777
- Soldier On: 1300 620 380
- Ballarat Community Health: 5338 4500
- QLife: 1800 184 527 (Support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people)
- Family violence: 1800 RESPECTVeterans support: If you or someone you know needs support call Open Arms on 1800 011 046 - 24 hours a day, seven days a week or visit www.openarms.gov.au
- For Aboriginal crisis support: Yarning SafeNStrong, 1800 959 563 (noon to 10pm)
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