Victorian cases remain stubbornly high

With the new infections, there are currently 14,383 active cases across the state. There are 288 people hospitalised, with 44 in intensive care and 20 on ventilators.Despite more than 91 per cent of the state being fully vaccinated, the number of daily infections remained relatively stable on Saturday.Yesterday, there were 1188 new cases of community transmission and 11 people lost their lives. Earlier this week, Victorian health authorities warned the Omicron variant could have already leaked into the state.Health Minister Martin Foley said his team was on high alert.“We wouldn‘t be surprised, given the arrangements that we’ve seen in NSW and around the globe, that it might well be ticking along out there at the moment, but there’s been no cases reported so far,” he said.Premier Daniel Andrews believes booster shots will be vital to beating new strains. “We’re still doing that work to firm up our view that while this is much more transmissible and infectious, it is presenting relatively mildly,” he said.“Given the speed at which it moves, it may well replace the Delta variant, and if it does produce more mild disease, then that’s not a bad thing.“