Victoria's premier says the state will reach 90 per cent full vaccination against COVID-19 in a matter of hours, as he encourages people to honour their second dose appointments.
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Another 1275 new locally acquired virus infections were reported in the state on Sunday.
Four people, aged in their 60s, 70s and 80s, died from the virus, bringing Victoria's death toll since the pandemic began to 1277.
With 89.1 per cent of Victorians aged over 12 fully vaccinated in the 24 hours to Sunday, Premier Daniel Andrews said the 90 per cent milestone would be reached soon.
"We're very, very close today, so if not by the end of today then probably tomorrow," he told reporters on Sunday.
"If you've got a second-dose appointment, please honour that. One dose doesn't get you through, you need two. It'll keep you out of hospital and it'll help to keep us open."
The state is managing 9,632 cases, with 317 COVID-19 patients in hospital, slightly down on the seven-day average of 346.
Fifty-six people are actively infected with the virus in ICU, another 56 have been cleared and 25 are on ventilators.
Virus testers processed 61,650 results in the 24 hours to Sunday.
Victoria reported 1166 new cases on Saturday, as a child under 10 become Australia's youngest COVID-19 fatality.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters brought parts of central Melbourne to a standstill.
The demonstrators rallied against the state's contentious pandemic bill - which stalled in the upper house last week - and vaccine mandates.
Mr Andrews said "there were more people having a beer yesterday" than there were protesters.
"If it's not peaceful, it's not protest, it's something very different and very ugly," he said on Sunday.
As police watched on, a crowd chanted "Kill the bill" while carrying placards of anti-government and anti-vaccine mandate slogans.
Despite the significant numbers, police declared the protest peaceful with only one arrest made.
Independent MP Catherine Cumming, who said she would vote in favour of the bill if the government scrapped mandates, led a "No more mandates" and "Sack Dan Andrews" chant.
"We are adults. We make our own decisions for our children. Get out of our lives, Daniel," she said.
A counter demonstration at the nearby Eight Hour Day Monument attracted a smaller crowd.
A scuffle also broke out near Lygon Street between a right-wing activist and anti-fascist protesters, before police intervened.
This weekend is the first since Victoria lifted the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions for the fully vaccinated.
Australian Associated Press
