Highlights
- The state of Victoria reported fresh 324 cases on Wednesday, including one coming in from abroad.
- The state has administered over 37,000 doses of vaccine so far.
- Melbourne is facing its sixth consecutive lockdown.
The state of Victoria reported a massive spike in fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the provincial health department informed.
The state reported 324 cases on Wednesday, a surge of massive 46.6% over the 221 cases reported on Tuesday. Of the cases reported on Wednesday, all but one were caused by local transmission – a trend that may worry the state government. A similar pattern of increased local transmission has been observed in New South Wales as well.
“Of the 324 local cases, 107 have so far been linked to known cases and outbreaks. Further case information will be provided this morning,” Victoria’s Health Department tweeted from its official handle in the early morning.
The state also administered 37,604 doses of vaccine on Wednesday – taking the total tally to 2.7 million doses.
The sudden spike of cases in Australia’s second most populous state has left people scrambling for vaccines.
According to news reports, multicultural community and faith leaders have joined Victorian medical professionals in a powerful call to federal and state governments to increase the supply and accessibility of vaccines to the northern suburbs of Melbourne where it is most needed.
This SOS call for extra vaccines comes after Melbourne’s outbreak spread from west to north, where new data reveals vaccine rates are one of the lowest in the state.
Meanwhile, George Brandis, High Commissioner for Australia to the UK, sought to allay fears by sharing a footage of four million COVID-19 vaccines being loaded onto a Qantas plane at Heathrow.
Around seven million people of Melbourne and adjoining areas have been put through six consecutive lockdowns now – lasting for almost three months. However, there has been no respite in the number of cases as the pandemic rages on.