UPDATED, 2.40pm
South West Healthcare's COVID coordinator Sue Anderton said the current outbreak now spanned across eight households.
Chief executive officer Craig Fraser added one of the five COVID-positive people that had been re-directed out of the region is in hospital.
"I think there's one in hospital and three or four in quarantine," he said.
"That'll alter as time goes on. Once again as a health service, our focus is on the wellbeing of those with COVID. We will be transferring them to Melbourne or to Barwon, whichever is the best hospital at the time, if in doubt.
"So it's not necessarily anything to be too concerned about but if in doubt we will try and get those people to a hospital sooner rather than later."
Mr Fraser said elective surgeries had been paused since last week and a decision on its return would be made in the next day or two.
"I don't have a time-frame, it's a wait and see," he said.
"We've suspended this week and last week and we'll make a decision in the next day or two. It's two-fold - we want to make sure we want to reduce the flow in the hospital and also we want to make sure we have the staff to respond should we see another spike."
UPDATED, 12.10pm
Health authorities say COVID-positive people are being asked to contact their secondary close contacts themselves.
It comes as Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said yesterday Tier 2 exposure sites would no longer be listed on the website.
EARLIER:
Two new COVID cases have been recorded in the south-west overnight, including one in Warrnambool and one in Moyne Shire.
In a statement, South West Healthcare said the new cases were in two separate households and were both linked to the current outbreak.
Both COVID-positive individuals are isolating at home.
Today's two new infections takes the number of active cases across the Warrnambool and Moyne Shire LGAs to 20. Three are in Moyne and 17 are in Warrnambool. All are isolating.
There have been 26 cases recorded in the two LGAs in total.
According to South West Healthcare:
- Three people have been transferred to hotel quarantine
- One person has been transferred to a metropolitan health service
- One person is not currently residing in our region
- One person has been cleared of COVID-19
The city's hospital said no additional exposure sites had been listed, but residents should continue to not visit anyone in their homes or allow guests.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Movement should continue to be limited and residents should remember to wear their masks, adhere to social distancing rules and remember hand hygiene.
About 262 tests were completed yesterday in Warrnambool and other sites and are expected to be returned throughout today.
About 91 per cent of all tests results between October 1 and October 4 have been returned.
For those wanting to get tested, the South Warrnambool Football Oval Site is open today from 7am till 4pm.
The COVID testing clinic at Merri Street is open from 8am - 4pm but is only available via appointment and is particularly targeting people with mobility issues or disabilities, parents with children and aged persons to ensure wait times are limited. To make an appointment call 5563 1666 option five.
The Leura Oval at Camperdown is open from 3.30pm-4.30pm.
The Deakin University Testing Site is closed today.
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