Rapid test shortage: Victoria orders another 166 million tests

The state recorded 21,966 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths on Thursday, 11,693 from PCR tests and 10,273 from RATs.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced the state government had ordered 166 million RATs, in addition to a bulk order for 44 million tests earlier this month.

"It's very important that we keep adding to that stockpile," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"This is a very significant order that we've placed, among the largest, I expect, across the country.

"We'll have more to say about the way these tests will be deployed, the environments in which they'll operate, in coming days."

Seven-and-a-half million RATs have arrived in Victoria since Sunday, with 2.2 million distributed to health workers, staff in sensitive settings and vulnerable communities.

More than 50 community organisations have received RATs this week, including community health, disability support, Aboriginal community organisations, family support and mental health centres.

Victoria is now managing 246,894 active cases, which includes 1206 people in hospital, an increase of 33 on Wednesday's figures.

The number of people in intensive care sits at 122 and there are 40 people on ventilation.

Victoria's booster rate has risen to 27 per cent after the government immediately slashed the interval to three months at its state-run clinics on Wednesday.

Mr Andrews said he expects national cabinet on Thursday to agree three doses of the vaccine are needed to be fully inoculated.

"This new Omicron variant, it is so high that the only thing that we can do is get a third dose, call it a booster, it is not really a booster, it is not a bonus, it is critically important," he said.

He flagged on Wednesday the third dose will soon become mandatory, noting a mandate was imposed for several essential industries last week.

Some 60,000 additional appointments will be available as part of the four-day "booster blitz" beginning on Friday at eight of the state-run vaccination hubs.

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