BALLARAT COVID UPDATE | Saturday, January 22
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NEW CASES: 190 (down from 243 yesterday)
ACTIVE CASES: 1047 (up from 1034 yesterday)
Almost 200 new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the 24 hours to midnight last night.
The 190 cases is below the seven day average for the week, which was 209.5 per day.
Rapid tests are not counted in location data, meaning the actual number of infections is likely to be far higher.
The state Department of Health notes there are 1047 active cases, a slight jump from Friday.
Nearby, Moorabool Shire recorded 95 new cases, Golden Plains 24, Hepburn 10, and Pyrenees 13.
VICTORIAN COVID UPDATE, Saturday, January 22
NEW CASES: 16,016 (down from 18,167 yesterday)
DEATHS: 20 (same as yesterday)
ACTIVE CASES: 217,505 (down from 252,399 yesterday)
IN HOSPITAL: 1029 (down from 1096 yesterday)
IN ICU: 120 (down from 121 yesterday)
ON VENTILATOR: 39 (up from 34 yesterday)
Victoria has recorded 16,016 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths, as the state attempts to beef up substitute teacher reserves ahead of expected disruptions when classes resume.
The new infections, confirmed by the health department on Saturday, include 8432 from PCR tests and 7584 from rapid antigen tests.
It brings the total number of active cases in the state to 217,505, which includes 1029 people in hospital, a decrease of 67 on Friday's figures.
The number of Victorians in intensive care sits at 120 and there are 39 people on a ventilator.
On Friday, Ballarat recorded 243 new cases - Saturday's numbers are expected to be released this afternoon.
It comes as the Victorian government calls on inactive or retired teachers, education support staff, retired principals and staff with administrative experience to put their hands up to fill COVID-related vacancies in state schools.
Workers who join the pool will be sent to local schools to replace teachers and other education support staff at short notice, if and when they contract COVID-19 and need to isolate.
"Every sector is under pressure from the Omicron variant and education will be no exception - but we're taking action early to make sure staff absences don't mean huge disruptions for students' learning," Education Minister James Merlino said in a statement on Saturday.
The Victorian government is still yet to detail its back-to-school plan but has vowed students will return to classes when term one begins on January 31.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Victorian public sector workers are being offered half a day's paid leave to get their booster vaccine.
More than 300,000 full-time, part-time and casual teachers, paramedics, police officers, firefighters and other public sector workers will be eligible under the arrangement, which was also used for first and second doses.
Employers will foot the bill, unless the payments amount to a "significant additional cost".
Treasurer Tim Pallas urged the private sector to "do the right thing" and match the state government's half-day leave pledge for its workers.
Victoria's third dose rate has risen to 29 per cent.
- with AAP
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