UPDATE 3.40pm: Colac's Australian Lamb Company has recorded two new coronavirus cases with a total of 80 cases now connected to the meat processor's outbreak.
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The Colac-Otway Shire has 91 active cases bringing the area's total to 101.
Glenelg Shire has 13 active cases, while Warrnambool, Moyne and Southern Grampians shires each have one.
Victoria has recorded its highly daily total with 725 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday. The total number of Victoria's cases now sits at 13,035.
Regional Victoria's total number of cases now sits at 771, an increase of 43 overnight.
There are 538 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including 42 in intensive care.
A total of 5,424 people have recovered from the virus.
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Non-urgent surgeries begin to wind back
UPDATE 2.45pm: Public hospitals will begin winding back all non-urgent surgery.
The Victorian Government has paused all Category 3 and non-urgent Category 2 elective surgery in regional Victoria.
Already booked Category 3 and non-urgent Category 2 surgery may still take place depending on hospital's discretion.
Category 1 and urgent Category 2 surgeries will continue to take place which includes emergency care and IVF activity will also be exempt from these restrictions.
Portland positive cases speak out
UPDATE 12.20pm: A Portland mother and son, who are positive to coronavirus, have taken to social media to make sure their close contacts get tested.
Melissa Kennett said her 24-year-old son Kane only left home to pick her up from Portland hospital after she collapsed from dehydration on Monday.
She said she felt ill early Monday afternoon and on hospital staff instructions Kane drove to pick her up later in the afternoon.
"We have been desperately trying to do the right thing," she said.
Ms Kennett said the Australian Defence Force had been ringing each day to check she and her son were following strict quarantine guidelines.
Highest numbers since the beginning of the pandemic
UPDATE 12.15pm: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed 725 positive coronavirus cases have been recorded across the state in the past 24 hours.
This is the highest number of positive cases recorded in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.
The state also recorded the highest number of deaths with 15 deaths overnight bringing the total to 162.
Dan Tehan announces childcare sector support
UPDATE, 11.30am: Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has announced a package to encourage all Victorian childcare services to waive a gap fee for enrolled children as families are required to stay at home.
Under the federal government's support families would receive an extra 30 days of "allowable absences" at no further cost to them.
"For those parents who can't send their children to care there will be no cost to them, they will be able to keep their child enrolled," Mr Tehan announced from his Hamilton office on Wednesday.
"We want parents to keep their children enrolled."
But he said the federal government could not make providers waive the fee with that decision "up to the provider themselves".
He said childcare providers would receive an extra five per cent top-up payment and by using multiple support streams centres' revenue would remain between 80 and 85 per cent based on a pre-COVID fortnight period.
Moyne Health Services yet to confirm case
Wednesday August 5, 10.07am: SOUTH-WEST health leaders are yet to determine if a coronavirus case linked to the Moyne Shire is actually residing in the local government area.
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The Department of Health and Human Services listed one active coronavirus case in Moyne Shire on Monday.
Moyne Health Services chief executive officer Jackie Kelly said the case was linked to a cluster at the Australian Lamb Company abattoir in Colac.
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