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Victoria has recorded 827 new coronavirus cases and 19 deaths, as South Australia opens its border to Victoria for the first time in months.
The figures bring Victoria’s total number of active COVID-19 cases to 9420.
Patients wait for a COVID-19 jab at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
There are 303 people in hospital with the virus in the state, and 44 in intensive care. Twenty-three are on a ventilator.
Another 53 people in ICU have been cleared of the virus.
Tuesday’s COVID-19 deaths are the most the state has recorded since October 27 this year.
On Monday, 48,427 COVID-19 test results were processed across Victoria.
Another 5464 people rolled up their sleeves to receive a vaccine at a state-run hub, bringing the vaccination rate to 89 per cent of the population over the age of 12 fully vaccinated.
A total of 4.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been doled out at Victoria’s state-run hubs.
The 90 per cent vaccination milestone is running a few days later than expected for Victoria, with the impending target prompting nearly all COVID-19 restrictions to fade into history in the state last Thursday.
It also comes as South Australia opens its border to fully vaccinated people from Victoria, NSW, and the ACT for the first time in several months.
To enter the state, visitors must apply for an entry permit.
Unvaccinated travellers cannot enter South Australia without either a medical exemption, or an approved exemption for a select travel reason – for example, a funeral or end-of-life visit.
Meanwhile, the deadline is approaching for authorised workers across Victoria to be fully vaccinated.
In order to keep attending their workplaces, they have to show proof of a second dose by this Friday, unless they have a valid medical exemption. Authorised workers had to have a first dose by October 15.
The double-dose deadline has already passed for the state’s residential aged care and construction workers.
Meanwhile, research by Infrastructure Victoria published on Tuesday found the shift to working from home during the pandemic was set to stay. It showed Victorians were likely to live further away from their workplaces and commute to the office less often.
Infrastructure Victoria calculated one-third of workers would work from home two or three days a week by 2036, with Victoria’s population more spread out around Melbourne and regional cities, including Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong.
With Cara Waters
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