Covid creeps up

By Brendan Rees

Covid-19 infections have crept back up in Casey City with two new additional cases confirmed in 24 hours, according to the state’s latest health data.

The 17 June figures showed the city’s active cases climbed to six – with the total tally sitting at 76.

In nearby council areas, Greater Dandenong recorded three active cases while Cardinia had four and Frankston zero.

It comes as Victoria’s cases rose by 21 to 1762. Of them, 1671 have recovered.

There have been 190 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria that have been acquired through unknown transmission.

Currently five people are in hospital, including two patients in intensive care.

One of the new cases identified through community testing has been detected in a resident of Rosstown Community aged care facility in Carnegie. The facility has been placed into lockdown while contact tracing, testing, cleaning and other necessary public health actions are being undertaken.

Another of the new cases identified through community testing has been detected in a contractor at Stamford Plaza Hotel, a hotel with returned overseas travellers in quarantine. The investigation into this case is ongoing and all public health actions are being taken, including contact tracing and deep cleaning.

An additional case detected through community testing has been linked to a staff member at Sunbury Animal Hospital

Another of the new cases has been identified through investigation of the outbreak previously linked to Monash Health. This outbreak has now been confirmed to be a primarily family-based outbreak in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs. The total number of cases linked to this outbreak is now seven.

One case listed as under investigation in yesterday’s media release has now been linked to a worker at Inspira Early Learning Centre in Gladstone Park.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton downplayed any suggestion of a second wave of the virus, saying “we have made some great progress in slowing the spread of coronavirus”.