BALLARAT COVID UPDATE, Sunday, January 9
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NEW CASES: 169 (up from 251 yesterday)
ACTIVE CASES: 888 (from 796 yesterday)
Ballarat has reported 169 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a significant decrease from the 251 cases reported on Saturday.
Of the new cases in Ballarat reported on Sunday:
- 116 are in the 3350 postcode
- 6 are in the 3351 postcode
- 18 are in the 3352 postcode
- 16 are in the 3355 postcode
- 14 are in the 3356 postcode
- 6 are in the 3357 postcode
Meanwhile, the Moorabool Shire had 61 new cases confirmed on Sunday with 52 of those cases listed in the 3340 postcode.
Golden Plains Shire recorded five new COVID-19 infections, Hepburn Shire had 10 new cases and Pyrenees Shire reported six new infections.
VICTORIAN COVID UPDATE, Sunday, January 9
NEW CASES: 44,155 (down from 51,356 yesterday)
DEATHS: 4 (down from 9 yesterday)
ACTIVE CASES: 146,863 (up from 83,390 yesterday)
IN HOSPITAL: 752 (up from 644 yesterday)
IN ICU: 104 (down from 106 yesterday)
ON VENTILATOR: 23 (down from 24 yesterday)
Victoria has reported more than 40,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the second consecutive day on Sunday, after seeing record numbers on Saturday.
The state saw 44,155 new cases of the virus reported on Sunday while another four people have died.
With mandatory reporting of positive rapid antigen tests coming into effect on Friday, there was an almost 50-50 split between positive tests reported through PCR testing and rapid testing.
The number of active cases across the state also rose sharply to 146,863, an increase of more than 60,000 on Saturday.
The number of people in hospital also increased by more than 100 to 752 while the number of people in intensive care or on a ventilator both decreased slightly to 104 and 23, respectively.
Ballarat also saw sizable increases in new and active cases of COVID, with the city recording 251 new cases when the figures came in late Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of active cases in Ballarat to 796, up from 650 on Friday.
About 16 per cent of Victorians aged over 18 have received their third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 93 per cent of those aged over 12 are double-dose vaccinated.
The latest figures come after Saturday's record 51,356 COVID-19 cases included some that were up to a week old, with about half logged through a new reporting system for rapid antigen tests.
A closer look at health department figures revealed there were likely closer to 30,851 new cases in the state on Saturday.
The chief health officer's update said "considerable work is now underway" to integrate the RAT numbers and ensure people who have taken a RAT and a PCR test are not counted twice.
Meanwhile, the state opposition is calling for changes to isolation rules given record case numbers, including removing the requirement for fully vaccinated Victorians to isolate if living with a positive case.
Additionally, with issues around access to COVID-19 testing, the Liberal Nationals want the daily rapid antigen testing requirement to be scrapped for anyone living with a positive case.
"These arrangements mirror those currently in place in the United Kingdom and will allow thousands of critical staff to return to work keeping shelves stocked and delivering the essential healthcare Victorians deserve," they said in a statement.
A vaccination program for 5-11 year olds will be launched on Monday, with 3500 kids booked in for the jab on its first day.
- with AAP