Victoria records three new cases in hotel quarantine
Victoria has recorded no new locally acquired cases of coronavirus and three among international arrivals in hotel quarantine in the last day.
Victoria has achieved a ten-day run of zero local coronavirus cases. Health Minister Martin Foley insisted on Friday it was still too dangerous for the state to allow people back from Brisbane and Sydney "red zones" despite welcoming international tennis players this week.
The state reported zero locally acquired cases and three new cases among international travellers in hotel quarantine on Saturday. More than 14,900 tests were completed on Friday.
Coronavirus testing at Preston in Melbourne.Credit:Luis Ascui
Mr Foley said on Friday that he understood the frustration of Victorians stranded in Sydney or Brisbane, which are still considered red zones by the state government, but he did not want to risk another outbreak in Victoria.
"I understand and have great sympathy for the circumstances that many Victorians find themselves in at the current time," Mr Foley said.
"We're constantly going through those processes and we're constantly reviewing the risks associated with the red zones in both the five local government areas in Brisbane and the local government areas in Greater Sydney."
Mr Foley said that the advice would change once the risks changed.
"I understand the frustrations and the dislocation this is causing, but even more so I understand the frustration and dislocation that another cluster outbreak in Victoria would cause," he said.
"I apologise for the dislocation that this has caused but I make no apology for the principle of keeping Victoria safe and keeping Victoria open."
So far almost 129,000 permits to travel into Victoria have been processed since the state's new "traffic light" system was introduced on January 11, including 20,841 in the last 24 hours.
At least 100,000 people have been allowed to travel, although more than 82 per cent of applications were from Victorians in green-zone areas. Nine per cent have been from people in orange zones and the remainder from people seeking worker permits or trying to transit through orange and red zones.
Two busloads of tennis players arrived at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Melbourne's CBD on Friday morning, greeted by a strong police presence.
Meanwhile, the Victorian government is preparing a February 15 "V-Day" launch for the most potent COVID vaccine, with its newly formed local public health units to play a critical role in delivering the life-saving jab.
The DHHS plan is for phase one of the roll-out to deliver 15,000 doses a week of the Pfizer vaccine, with hospital staff and residents, people working in aged care facilities, quarantine and border workers among those first in line for inoculation.
Phase two of the roll-out, slated to begin in mid-March, will administer the less effective but more readily available AstraZeneca to the broader population.
Victoria’s provisional time frame and dose targets for the Pfizer vaccine, contained in an internal briefing to a major hospital group obtained by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, is not confirmed by the Federal government, which is yet to set a start date for COVID vaccinations.
More to come.
Melissa Cunningham is The Age's health reporter.