Covid 19 coronavirus: Victoria concerned about the ‘incursion’ of the NSW virus: Deputy Chief of the Health Office

As Victoria records 15 days with no new cases, authorities are concerned about a Covid “incursion” from a particular state.

One of Covid’s biggest concerns in Victoria is people from New South Wales bringing the virus, Deputy Health Director Allen Cheng said on Saturday.

Victoria now has three active cases statewide, compared to 23 active cases in New South Wales, nine active cases in Queensland and 53 in New Zealand.

Professor Cheng said Victoria’s case numbers were “as good as can be” after the state recorded zero new cases and zero new deaths for the 15th consecutive day on Saturday.

“What still worries us are two things,” he said.

“One is that there may still be the possibility of hidden transmission chains – obviously that possibility is diminishing as time goes on.

“And then obviously the potential incursion of cases from abroad, from New Zealand or New South Wales.”

NSW will open its border with Victoria from Monday, November 23.

There were also no new deaths from Covid-19 on Saturday, making it the 15th “double donation day” for the state.

In the 24 hours through Saturday morning, 14,614 Victorians were tested for the coronavirus.

Cheng also said on Saturday that 515 unknown historical cases had been reclassified after the Department of Health and Human Services implemented a new data mining algorithm.

There were around 4,200 historical cases of Covid with an unknown source, meaning that DHHS does not know how the person contracted the virus.

The reclassified cases are mostly from July and August.

The algorithm analyzed information such as workplaces, residential addresses and outbreak locations to find links that were not discovered manually, Cheng said.

“It is important to correct the registry so that we can analyze the data correctly to make sure we have insights for next time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Melbourne residents flocked out of the city on Friday night, as the city celebrated its first chance at a weekend getaway in months.

The “ring of steel” that prohibits travel more than 25 kilometers from the house and Melbourne residents from going to the Victoria region was lifted on Monday.

The next step in Victoria’s “Roadmap to Recovery” is scheduled for next Sunday, November 22.

Prime Minister Daniel Andrews announced Monday that the following changes to the restrictions would take effect at 11:59 p.m. on that Sunday:

• Up to 10 people will be allowed inside a house at a time
• Up to 50 people can meet outdoors
• Indoor physical recreation, including gyms, can have up to 100 people with classes of up to 20
• Indoor community sport can be performed with up to 100 people and outdoors with up to 500 people
• Weddings and funerals allowed with up to 100 people unless in a private residence
• Hospitality venues can hold 100 people indoors and 200 outdoors.