Victoria has recorded 79 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases.
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The health department on Friday confirmed 53 are linked to known outbreaks, with the source of the remaining 26 under investigation.
They did not disclose how many cases were infectious in the community.
It brings the total number of active cases in the state to 660.
About one in 10 of the state's cases are in the regional Victorian town of Shepparton.
About 16,000 residents in the region, which has a population of 65,000, are believed to be self-isolating, forcing the closure of food distributors, supermarkets and pharmacies due to staff shortages.
Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp on Thursday said some local tier-one exposure sites, particularly those involving schools, could be downgraded early.
Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes said the government was working with supermarkets to backfill staff from nearby regional stores and 400 food relief packs had been delivered to those in isolation.
Meanwhile fresh cases have emerged in the COVID-battered Victorian town of Shepparton but an isolation reprieve could be on the way for some cooped-up residents.
Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp confirmed at least five or six more cases linked to the outbreak had been detected by Thursday afternoon, on top of the 18 announced earlier in the day.
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About 16,000 residents in the region, which has a population of 65,000, are believed to be self-isolating.
Mr Sharp confirmed the health department could potentially downgrade local tier- one exposure sites, particularly those involving schools, which would release some close contacts from their 14-day isolation early.
"In the next 24 to 48 hours, I'm hopeful we might be able to see some of those exposure sites have their tier rating reclassified," he told reporters in Shepparton.
Food distributors, supermarkets and pharmacies are among businesses forced to reduce operating hours due to staff shortages.
Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes said the government was working with supermarkets to backfill staff from nearby regional stores and 400 food relief packs had been delivered to those in isolation.
"Rest assured, there is plenty of food available and supermarkets remain open," she tweeted.
To coordinate relief on the ground, the state's deputy emergency management commissioner Deb Abbott and other senior departmental officials have been sent to Shepparton.
About 70 Australian Defence Force personnel will also support testing efforts and door-to-door checks in the region over the next one-to-two weeks.
Testing queues were quiet as up to 25 members were trained and sent to sites on Thursday afternoon, and Mr Sharp expressed concern some people required to come forward were yet to do so.
Premier Daniel Andrews similarly pleaded for Victorians not to delay testing, saying several new cases had experienced COVID-19 symptoms for a week or more.
Over the past week, data shows only 40 per cent of symptomatic cases reported getting tested when symptoms developed.
Mr Andrews said it was too early to say whether the statewide lockdown would lift on September 2, despite daily infections surging to 80 on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a new permit has been approved for those who complete hotel quarantine interstate, and mandates a day 17 test when they return to Victoria.
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