Victoria has recorded 1466 new Covid cases overnight, along with eight deaths — including a man in his 40s.Tuesday’s figure is the lowest daily tally in five days, down from a national record of 1965 announced on October 9. More than 68,500 Victorians were tested for the virus on Monday, while 36,383 were vaccinated at state hubs.At least 85.8 per cent of eligible Victorians have received a single Covid vaccine, while 59.3 per cent are double-jabbed.Health Minister Martin Foley said there were currently 675 people in hospital with Covid, including 144 in intensive care and 100 on a ventilator.Of the cases in hospital yesterday, just 7 per cent were fully vaccinated.“The fact that so many were either partially or unvaccinated continues to speak volumes about the importance of being vaccinated to protect yourself and to protect your community,” Mr Foley said.Almost 60 percent of the Victorian community has received both doses of the vaccine.Mr Foley said he expected the state would reach a 60 per cent vaccination level on Tuesday.There were 36,383 vaccines distributed through state run clinics overnight.Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday took to Twitter to praise Victorians for getting vaccinated, with the state’s seven-day vaccination rate average at its highest.“It’s too soon to be a trend, but for the first time since August our seven day average of cases has come down,” he wrote. “And even better — our seven-day average for vaccinations has never been higher.“We’re almost there Victoria — we just have to keep going.”DESPERATE MOVE IN COVID FIGHTVictorian will recruit a further 1000 healthcare workers to the system in the coming weeks to address strain on the state’s hospitals.Health Minister Martin Foley said the government would invest around $2.5 million to recruit the workers who were currently living overseas.The group is largely made up of returning Australians who have wanted to return to the healthcare workforce locally, along with international recruits.The workforce will include nurses, doctors, midwives and allied health professionals.The state government will inject $255 million into the hospital system to support frontline workers.Mr Foley said the funding would better support nurses, paramedics, doctors working in risky environments.“Those frontline hospital COVID-facing workforces have been not only dealing with these demands for some months but will now, as we move into a very, very busy period, have to deal with the surge that we will see in cases in our healthcare and hospital system,” he said.Vic Locally-acquired Covid-19EXTRA ICU BEDS TO BATTLE OUTBREAKRoyal Melbourne Hospital has extended its intensive care capacity for Covid patients as the number of critically ill in Victoria’s Delta outbreak continues to climb.Severe Covid cases have more than doubled in Victoria over the past fortnight, and 677 were in hospital on Monday – up from 325 on September 26.In that time the most critically ill patients have jumped from 73 to 133 needing intensive care, including 94 now fighting for life on ventilators.In response, the RMH opened an additional intensive care unit for up to 14 non-Covid, critically ill patients, having already devoted a 20-bed air-sealed section of the unit to Covid patients.The hospital’s former ICU – which was closed in 2016 – was temporarily recommissioned to care for non-Covid patients requiring intensive care. It was also announced on Monday that eight more people, including a Port Phillip man in his 40s, died with the virus.Victoria reported 1612 new cases on Monday, as Melbourne’s southeast emerged as the new virus battleground.Just under 500 of Monday’s cases were detected in the north, 427 in the west, 95 in the east and 459 in the southeast.Casey, in the southeast, had the most cases with 174, while infections in the Hume region, in Melbourne’s north, appeared to stabilise.Regional Victoria recorded another 122 cases, including 36 in locked-down Mildura, which has 90 active cases.RMH director of emergency medicine, Mark Putland, said his department was getting 40-50 Covid patients a day. “It’s 30 to 50-year-olds who it’s really hitting – partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all … we’ve had 30-year-olds die in here. It’s just terrible,” he said.COVID FORCES ANOTHER SCHOOL TO SHUTDandenong High School has become the latest school to close after a person at the school in Melbourne’s outer south-east tested positive.The school is one of the largest in Victoria, so even though only students taking Year 12 subjects were allowed back on campus, more than 300 students could be impacted. It comes after authorities last week raised concerns about a growing number of cases in the region.At this stage it is not clear whether the positive case was a student or staff member or when the exposure period was.In a message to parents, seen by the Herald Sun, principal Susan Ogden said the school would close on Tuesday 12 October for 24 hours to allow time for cleaning and contact tracing. “As a precaution, please ensure that your child/ren isolate tomorrow (October 12),” Ms Ogden wrote.At least 13 other schools have been linked to positive Covid cases, with staff, students and parents plunged into isolation.Read the full article here.LOCKDOWN MAY END WEEK EARLIERLockdown could end close to a week ahead of schedule as vaccination rates soar across Victoria.As the state government opened up Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for all on Monday, a jump in daily vaccinations of about 20,000 doses put Victoria on track to have 70 per cent of people fully vaccinated by October 23. Experts believed that date could be brought forward even further – allowing people to enjoy a drink or meal outside a restaurant and shop outdoors – if vaccination rates continued to rise. Nearly 59 per cent of Victorians were fully vaccinated on Monday and more than 85 per cent had their first dose.National – 2021 – Covid Vaccination StatsData analyst Anthony Macali, whose Covid Live website details vaccination and case rates, said daily vaccinations had increased to about 50,000 a day over the past two weeks. “The interval between doses has been reduced and people have been responding to that and changing their booking and there are no constraints with supply with any vaccination,” Mr Macali said. “The overall messaging has really improved … and seeing Sydney opening up will probably contribute to that as well.”He believed daily numbers could increase to 60,000, which would make October 21 the date for reopening.Data journalist Juliette O’Brien forecast, based on early second dose data, that 70 per cent full vaccination could be reached by October 22.According to Victoria’s road map, outdoor dining and drinking will return at 70 per cent and non-essential retail stores will be able to open – as long as customers remain outside. But Sydney reopened, with people allowed inside pubs and shops, on Monday after surpassing the 70 per cent mark.Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told Sky News that he “would like to see the people of Victoria get the same freedom as the people of NSW on the same timetable”. “Victorians have given up so much – our schools are still largely closed, obviously businesses are also closed and there’s still a curfew here in Victoria so it’s very much a tale of two cities,” Mr Frydenberg said. NED-4292-Percentage-of-eligible-population-fully-vaccinated-by-stateThe positive vaccination rates came as the government on Monday expanded eligibility at mass vaccination hubs to now offer Pfizer and Moderna to people aged over 60. It means that every Victorian aged over 12 will be able to book an appointment at any state-run major vaccination centre to obtain an mRNA vaccine. The state’s walk-up Moderna blitz has also been permanently extended at 14 key vaccination hubs including Sandown Racecourse, the Ford Factory in Campbellfield, Royal Exhibition Building and Eastland Shopping Centre. Health Minister Martin Foley said the change in eligibility was made possible after having received certainty of supply.“It’s time to throw open the doors of all of our clinics to the mRNA vaccines for all comers,” he said.As of Sunday, 86 per cent of Victoria’s population – aged over 16 – had received at least one dose.Victoria’s deputy secretary for the Covid-19 response Naomi Bromley said that vaccination rate had put Victoria ahead of countries including the US, Switzerland, Israel, Germany, Sweden, and Austria. RULES FOR TRICK OR TREAT REVEALEDHalloween is shaping up to be all tricks but no treat this year, with tough restrictions set to spook the youngest of participants.By the time the popular American tradition creeps up on us at the end of the month, Victoria will have reached its 70 per cent double dose vaccination targets. And while young boys and ghouls will be allowed to dress in their scariest costumes and hit the streets in search of candy – there’s a few wicked conditions they must follow. Trick-or-treaters must ensure a mask remains a key feature of their eerie-sistible costumes.They’ll also want to think twice before stepping foot in someone’s yard.Restrictions on household gatherings make it illegal to enter a person’s property – including front yards and doorknocking – so any sweet treats would need to be sourced from the footpath. And gone are the days of big scary congregations, with strict social distancing requirements set to keep the kids apart.Halloween enthusiast Shelley Henkel, who usually celebrates with a big party, will instead hit the neighbourhood with her sons Jackson, 8, and Sebastian, 6. “I’m not too shocked to hear (about the rules). It does diminish the excitement of it all for the kids,” she said.“But we’ll find a way to make it spooky and spectacular.”NED-4476-Covid-19-Vaccine-Rates-MelbourneNO EARLIER RETURN TO SCHOOLSchool students will not return to school earlier if vaccination targets are met early, Health Minister Martin Foley has said.Data experts now predict the state could reach its road-map dates early, but the state government has ruled out changing the school return dates. Mr Foley said the staggered return on October 18, 26 and November 5 had “never been linked to the double dose vaccines, it’s been linked to what is safe and sustainable to be able to deliver. We’ve got no plans to change that.”NED-4492-Victoria-Covid-19-Active-Case-map
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