Victoria reports three new Covid cases amid extended lockdown fears
Victoria has recorded another day with increased community transmission of Covid-19 as health authorities work to trace the spread of an infectious variant in the state.
The state recorded nine new cases of community transmission and two further cases in hotel quarantine on Tuesday morning.
Six of the cases were reported on Monday following positive results coming back after the midnight cut-off.
The three newly reported cases takes the number of local cases linked to the latest outbreak to 54 while the total number of active cases in the state on Tuesday morning stood at 63, the Department of Health said.
In the past 24-hour period nearly 43,000 Covid tests were received, marking another strong day.
More than 20,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered on Monday by state health authorities.
The nine locally acquired cases in an official 24-hour period is the highest number since lockdown began at midnight on Thursday, as hopes of emerging from the state's seven-day lockdown on time are starting to fade.
There are now more than 300 exposure sites linked to the outbreak and 4000 close contacts self-isolating, of which about 80 per cent have returned negative tests.
Of "extreme" concern to authorities are three cases linked to an aged care facility in Melbourne's northwest.
Two workers at Arcare Maidstone and a 99-year-old resident have tested positive for the virus, prompting the federal government to scramble to complete vaccinations in aged care facilities.
The aged care resident who tested positive is in hospital. It was revealed Monday they had only received the first does of the vaccine, while one of the workers who tested positive has yet to receive any Covid-19 jab.
On Tuesday, the Federal Aged Care Minister, Richard Colbeck, admitted the Commonwealth government does not know how many aged care workers have been vaccinated.
An update from Victorian health authorities is expected later this morning.
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