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Australia today announced a record daily spike of 25 coronavirus deaths, all in Victoria, where Melbourne is entering its third week of curfew.
The 25 new deaths exceed the previous high of 21 last Wednesday, bringing Australia’s total from 396 to 421.
Australia’s chief medical officer today warned it was ‘entirely possible’ the record could be broken again as the outbreak continued in Victoria.
However, the state recorded just 282 new cases out of nearly 16,000 test results in the past 24 hours, down from the peak of over 600 in late July and early August.
Australia suffered a record 25 deaths today, all in Victoria, bringing the country’s total from 396 to 421
This graph shows daily cases in Australia, with Victoria accounting for the vast majority of new cases today, but the numbers dropping from their peak in late July and early August.
Melbourne has been under the tightest Stage 4 restrictions since August 2, with a curfew in effect from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Even outside of these hours, people can only leave their homes for limited reasons, including exercise and shopping for essentials.
Outside of central Melbourne there is no curfew, but people are still expected to stay home as much as possible.
The border between Victoria and New South Wales has been closed since July 8, while only essential travelers are allowed to enter Victoria from South Australia.
Speaking today, Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth said strict restrictions were needed to ‘bring the community outbreak under control’.
He warned that although cases have fallen from their peak, the lag between infection and death means deaths may continue to rise.
“One of the things about this miserable virus is that it seems to make people deteriorate around seven to fourteen days,” he said.
“ And that’s an indicator that your critical illness will peak about one to two weeks after your number in the community has peaked.
‘So it is entirely possible that we are seeing more deaths from Covid-19 in Victoria and that this daily number could exceed 25.
“ I think we just have to keep in mind, of course, that when we talk about these numbers there are family and friends everyday who mourn the loss of a loved one to Covid. -19 and this is precisely why we must continue the restrictions of step 4, bring the community epidemic under control
And of course, the number of severely affected Australians and Australians who die from Covid-19 will follow. [the trend in cases] and go in the right direction.
A resident of Hambleton House care home is moved in a patient transport vehicle by healthcare workers in Melbourne today
Of the 25 new deaths in Victoria, 22 are “linked to known outbreaks in senior care facilities,” according to the state government.
Seven of the latest victims are people aged 90, while 10 others are people aged 80 to 89.
After crushing its first wave of the disease, Australia saw its daily case totals drop to single digits in May and June, before reaching record levels in July and August.
While the numbers are still low compared to most developed countries, the second wave imposed further drastic restrictions and shattered hopes of creating a “travel bubble” with New Zealand.
Victoria alone recorded nearly 700 new cases on August 4, but the daily numbers have again steadily declined since then.
State Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said he feels “ cautious optimism ” that the strict lockdown in Melbourne is starting to flatten the curve.
“I am and always have been very cautious, but there is at least cautious optimism on my part and real hope that this strategy is working and that we are seeing the numbers go down now,” he said.
There are 657 people currently hospitalized in Victoria after being infected with coronavirus, of which 44 are in intensive care.
Victoria has recorded 17,028 cases and 334 deaths in total, which is almost 80% of the 421 deaths in Australia.
New South Wales – which includes Sydney – has seen 52 deaths, including 13 in Tasmania and only a handful elsewhere.
A report in New South Wales found authorities made ‘inexcusable’ mistakes in allowing sick passengers to leave the Ruby Princess (pictured)
Meanwhile, the Premier of New South Wales today apologized for failing to prevent an outbreak linked to a cruise ship in March.
A public inquiry found that NSW authorities made ‘inexcusable’ errors in allowing 2,700 passengers to leave the Ruby Princess on March 19, when around 120 of them felt bad.
The investigation found that 914 infections could be attributed to the Ruby Princess, mostly among passengers. The epidemic has resulted in 28 deaths.
“The lessons were not learned early enough and once again I apologize wholeheartedly on behalf of all those individuals and agencies who made these mistakes,” Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
Berejiklian especially apologized to the 62 people who contracted the virus from a passenger.
“ I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a loved one or to be yourself someone who continues to suffer and suffer trauma as a result, ” she said.
The Berejiklian government-commissioned investigation found that NSW health officials had failed to ensure sick passengers were isolated in their cabins.
They also failed to get rapid test results for sick passengers before they disembark.
New South Wales reported seven new cases on Monday, while South Australia added one, bringing the total for the country to 290 due to Victoria’s 282.
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