Ballarat COVID update | Friday, December 10: Six new cases, 60 active cases

NEW CASES: 6 (down from 9 yesterday)

ACTIVE CASES: 60 (up from 55 yesterday)

Ballarat has recorded another six new COVID cases in the 24 hours to midnight Thursday.

It brings the total number of active infections in the city to 60, five more than yesterday.

Four of today's new cases as in the 3350 postcode, which has an active case tally of 36.

The other two are listed in the 3352 and 3355 areas.

The Moorabool Shire has reported a further three new cases while the Hepburn Shire has recorded two.

Golden Plains and Pyrenees have not recorded any new infections.

VICTORIAN COVID UPDATE | Friday, December 10

NEW CASES: 1,206 (down from 1,232 yesterday)

DEATHS: 2 (down from 9 yesterday)

ACTIVE CASES: 11,145 (down from 11,224 yesterday)

IN HOSPITAL: 313 (down from 315 yesterday)

IN ICU: 61 (up from 52 yesterday)

ON VENTILATOR: 25 (down from 27 yesterday)

Victoria has reported 1206 new COVID-19 infections and a further two deaths, as the state continues to probe four suspected Omicron variant cases.

The health department on Friday confirmed the state is managing 11,145 active cases, slightly down from 11,224.

There are 313 patients in hospital, 104 of whom are in intensive care and 25 needing ventilation.

The seven-day hospitalisation average sits at 306.

Testers processed 66,784 results on Thursday, while 3925 people were vaccinated in state-run hubs.

Victoria's double-dose vaccination rate for those 12 and over has hit 92 per cent.

In Ballarat, there was nine new cases recorded on Thursday, although today's figures have not yet been updated.

The number of active cases also jumped from 48 to 55.

Compared to other major regional centres, Ballarat continues to be one of the best performing centres in managing COVID.

Throughout the duration of the pandemic, Geelong has recorded almost seven times as many cases as Ballarat, while Bendigo has confirmed almost triple the amount.

The latest figures come after another two suspected community cases of the Omicron variant were discovered in Victoria, on top of two revealed on Wednesday.

Genomic sequencing is underway to confirm if the four infected people - two from the City of Brimbank, one from the City of Casey and one from the City of Wyndham - have the new variant.

At least three of the cases are not linked to international travel and their source remains unknown.

Workers and travellers through Melbourne Airport have also been put on notice after two wastewater detections showed traces of the Omicron variant on December 1 and 2.

Premier Daniel Andrews has reiterated the state is not chasing an "Omicron zero strategy", describing it as unachievable.

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