UPDATE: 6.50pm: Victoria's senior government ministers are meeting to discuss the state's worsening coronavirus situation amid the growing likelihood of tougher restrictions and lockdown being reimposed in the regions.
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It comes amid a new outbreak in the regional Victorian city of Shepparton, with 12 cases confirmed on Friday.
UPDATE, 4.45pm: There are now 12 positive cases of COVID-19 in Shepparton.
Earlier today there was a new case of COVID-19 in Shepparton reported, being a male in his 30s.
His immediate family members have been tested for COVID-19, said Goulburn Valley Health chief Matt Sharp.
"This man's extended family from a separate household have been tested for COVID-19 today as well," he said in a statement online.
"There are now an additional 11 people that have tested positive for COVID-19 today bringing the total of the outbreak in Shepparton to 12 at this time.
"All people that have tested positive are family members from two separate households and are now isolating."
Contact tracing is underway and will continue as a primary focus. Anyone identified as a close contact will be contacted directly by the tracing team.
UPDATE, 4pm: A further six cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the regional Victorian town of Shepparton, taking the total for the outbreak to seven.
Thousands of people in the town and surrounding areas have been forced into isolation, and several school campuses have closed, after a man in his 30s tested positive on Friday morning.
The new cases have been detected after the Premier Daniel Andrews refused to rule out a wider lockdown for regional Victoria.
The first case detected in the town is in isolation at home and his family has also been tested, with the results expected later on Friday.
AAP understands the latest cases are also family members, but they do not live in the same house as the first case.
The state's COVID response chief Jeroen Weimar said the man has two children at St Mel's Primary in Shepparton, which has been closed for deep cleaning.
More than 2000 students from all four campuses of Greater Shepparton Secondary College have also been identified as Tier 1 close contacts.
Students and their families have been told to remain at home until they receive further orders from the health department, and not to leave even to get tested.
The Shepparton Tutoring Centre on Wyndham St has also been listed as a tier one exposure site.
A Bendigo machinery hire business has closed up shop after a positive COVID-19 person visited last week.
Delecca's Bendigo general manager Leigh Delecca confirmed that staff had been notified the business was now listed as an exposure site on Friday afternoon.
"We got notification from the Department of Health on Friday and were told someone from Shepparton had visited last week and had since tested positive," she said.
Three cases of COVID-19, who were isolating during their infectious period, have been identified in Little River, The Geelong Advertiser reported this afternoon.
See all the exposure sites here.
Goulburn Valley Health says contact tracing is underway in the town and people will be notified of any exposure sites, while two new drive-through testing sites are being set up.
At a media conference on Friday, Mr Andrews urged people to follow health directions.
"I know that the people of the Goulburn Valley will absolutely step up and get tested just like they did last year," he told reporters on Friday.
COVID-19 has been detected in wastewater samples in the area since August 10.
During the state's deadly second wave in 2020 a Melbourne truck driver spread the virus to Shepparton, infecting three people.
Regional Victorians spared lockdown as COVID-19 infections escalate
Earlier, 12.30pm: Regional Victorians have been spared further lockdowns for now, but Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews warns the outbreak is "right on the edge of this getting away from us."
On Friday Victoria recorded 55 new local cases, of which only 25 were in isolation while infectious.
49 are linked the current outbreak and are currently classified as mystery cases.
However Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he wouldn't rule out a regional lockdown after a Shepparton resident tested positive for COVID-19 today and is isolating at home.
The premier urged Victorians to abide by the current restrictions this weekend following numerous breaches.
"This is very, very serious," Premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday.
"There are too many of them (cases) out there and there are too many that have been out in the community for too long.
"We are right on the edge of this getting away from us. This Delta variant is so infectious that it will find evert breach of every rule, and it will potentially spread because of that."
Nearly 50,000 Victorians were tested and 28,601 vaccinations administered in the last 24 hours.
Premier Andrews urged everyone to push through the fatigue and stick to the rules.
"We all know people wo have in recent times potentially not done everything they should have done.
"We are tired, we are fatigued... but we don't have the luxury to behave that way. Unless of course we're prepared to do what Sydney's doing now.
"Ultimately it all comes down to individual choices."
On Thursday the state recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases since last year's deadly second wave after dozens of day 13 tests were returned from isolating close contacts.
About 3000 primary close contacts left isolation on Wednesday, with 57 new cases reported on Thursday.
IN OTHER NEWS:
COVID Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar said health authorities "still have more work to do to get our arms around" where the virus has spread to, noting the next 14 days of lockdown will be crucial.
"We've got 14 really valuable, really precious, really expensive days that we want to make the most of," Mr Weimar said.
"We're determined to get to the bottom of every case."
WARRNAMBOOL COVID NEWS:
Of today's 55 locally acquired cases, 49 are linked but only 25 were in isolation.
Cases today:
- 14 - Linked to Al Taqwa College day-13 testing
- 3 - Glenroy Eest Primary School
- 4 - Newport football club household contact
- 2 - Newport gym
- 4 - Pizza Central Malvern
- 6 - St Kilda cluster
- 1 - 510 Lygon Street
- 2 - Altona North
- 1 - Doncaster East
- 13 - Broadmeadows multicultural centre
- 1 - Domestic cabin crew member who lives in Tullamarine
- 1 - Pakenham
- 1 - Point Cook
- 1 - Port Melbourne
- 1 - Brunswick
- 1 - Additional Shepparton; a male in his 30s
Contact tracers are testing the Shepparton man's family members and close contacts.
Three testing sites will be set up in Shepparton today.
"We urge anyone in Shepparton to please come and get tested as it remains under lower restrictions," Mr Weimar said.
The age profile for this outbreak is much younger than Victoria has ever seen, Acting Chief Health Officer Ben Cowie said.
There are 89 active cases in children aged up to nine years old, meaning 26 per cent of the active outbreak is in children under 10.
There are 72 active cases in young people aged between 10 and 19, and 120 cases are those aged between 20-39.
There are more than 520 exposure sites in Victoria, with a number of new sites added in Ashburton, Altona North and Newport on Thursday evening.
Melbourne is just over two weeks into its sixth lockdown, which has been extended until September 2.
It comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Thursday Australians aged between 16 and 39 will be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine from August 30. He urged people in that age range not to attempt to book their vaccinations just yet.
New figures released this week shone more light on Warrnambool's vaccine rollout.
The region has taken the lead in the COVID-19 vaccine uptake, recording the highest number of first doses in Victoria.
Latest federal health data shows 57.9 per cent of the Warrnambool and south-west population aged over 15 have received their first jab, surpassing the entirety of Melbourne, Geelong and Bendigo.
In the past week the south-west saw the second fastest uptake of first doses, with 3.4 per cent of residents rolling up their sleeve, just behind west Melbourne (3.7 per cent).
See all the exposure sites here.
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