NEW CASES: 202 (from 212 yesterday)

ACTIVE CASES: 650 (from 531 yesterday)

Ballarat has reported 202 new COVID cases, a decrease on the 212 cases reported on Thursday.

The number of active cases in the city has again jumped significantly, with 650 infections considered active.

Of the new cases in Ballarat reported on Friday:

Meantime, the Moorabool Shire has also seen its biggest daily new case count with 107 cases confirmed.

Ninety-two of those cases are listed in the 3340 area.

Both the Golden Plains and Hepburn Shires have recorded 18 new cases, while the Pyrenees Shire has reported one new infection.

VICTORIAN COVID UPDATE | Friday January 7

NEW CASES: 21,728 (from 21,997 yesterday)

DEATHS: 6 (6 yesterday)

ACTIVE CASES: 69,680 (up from 61,120 yesterday)

IN HOSPITAL: 644 (up from 631 yesterday)

IN ICU: 58 (up from 51 yesterday)

ON VENTILATOR: 24 (up from 22 yesterday)

Victoria has recorded 21,728 new COVID-19 cases, while another six people have died.

Hospitalisations have again increased, to 644 people.

The number of people in hospital with the virus in Victoria has jumped 84 percent in two weeks.

With 68,202 people lining up for a PCR test, it means just under one-in-three people have tested positive in the latest 24-hour reporting period.

There are 58 active cases in intensive care and 24 on ventilation.

Ballarat recorded 212 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to midnight, Wednesday.

The Moorabool Shire reported 76 new cases of the virus, while the Golden Plains recorded 26.

Twenty-four new cases were reported in the Hepburn Shire, while the Pryenees Shire has saw seven new cases.

Spiralling numbers of COVID-19 cases linked to the Omicron variant has led to state governments reintroducing pandemic restrictions.

As Victorians wake to new density limits in hospitality venues, NSW is reportedly set to shut nightclubs and some major events in response to the variant.

The Northern Territory has also implemented a territory-wide lockout for the unvaccinated.

It comes as Australia recorded more than 72,000 cases on Thursday, the highest daily number since the pandemic began.

Chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, Professor Jane Halton, said the new restrictions were sensible given the rise in infections.

"What we are trying to do now is manage this particular variant of the virus, and that means slowing its spread down," Prof Halton told the Nine Network on Friday.

"This is very infectious, we know that, so people are going to have to be prudent for the next several weeks."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Australians to check eligibility for the pandemic leave disaster payments following the case surge.

The payment is worth $750 for each seven day period a person has been told to self-isolate or quarantine.

The rise in cases has led to a boost in demand for rapid antigen tests, which has caused widespread shortages and reports of price gouging at some retailers.

Large queues have been seen at PCR testing clinics across the country following the rapid test shortage.

Labor health spokesman Mark Butler told ABC Radio Australia was at risk from a lack of rapid tests.

"There is a very serious risk the Australian community is going to be dumped by this fourth wave because Scott Morrison failed to do the hard work," he said.

"The critical weapons in the fight against Omicron ... are to make sure we're getting boosters into people's arms and to ensure we have a comprehensive rapid testing regime and (the prime minister) failed at both of them."

Mr Morrison said 200 million rapid tests would be available in coming weeks but ruled out making them universally free, instead providing 10 tests over a three-month period to concession cardholders, which covers more than six million people.

Nearly three million people aged 16 and over have received their booster dose since the booster rollout began.

The time frame between doses was shortened earlier this week from five to four months between the second and third dose.

That will shorten again to three months by the end of January.

-With AAP

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