Update, 11am: A 17-year-old from Melbourne's western suburbs shared her experience with COVID-19 on Wednesday to urge eligible people to take up the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Broadmeadows resident Saela spent nearly a month in hospital, with 15 of those days in intensive care and was the youngest patient to be on a ventilator in Victoria.
She was not eligible for a vaccine at the time she contracted the virus and was in a coma for nine days.
She pleaded for her peers to consider getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
"There are a lot of people my age who think they're invincible and don't need the vaccine... but COVID almost killed me," she said.
"I don't want anyone my age to have to lie in a hospital bed and tell their family: I'm sorry I did not get vaccinated in time.
"I don't know what the lasting effects will have on me... I will have this scar on my neck for the rest of my life from the tracheostomy.
"If you can get the vaccine, please consider it."
I don't want anyone my age to have to lie in a hospital bed and tell their family: I'm sorry I did not get vaccinated in time.
- Saela, 17
Her mother Michelle said of the time: "Last week, she was in school and next week she was in a coma".
Her entire family became infected, too, with her father at one point coughing up blood. Michelle recalled seeing her family members, who ultimately recovered, getting taken away by ambulances one after the other.
Her parents were the only people in her family who were fully vaccinated.
There are currently 705 Victorians in hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 146 are in intensive care units and 92 require a ventilator to breathe.
Victorian Chief Health Officer Professor Sutton said 91 per cent of the cases currently in hospital are not fully vaccinated.
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Professor Sutton said about eight per cent of today's cases were in "reasonably stable" regional Victoria.
"But we have seen more cases [in the regions], including some increased cases in Baw Baw, Greater Geelong, Greater Shepparton and Mildura," Professor Sutton said.
"We've also seen a handful of cases in Swan Hill, very likely linked to Mildura, so we're asking everyone in Swan Hill, be alert to symptoms and get tested. "There's very good testing going on in Mildura, picking up the cases - which is fantastic."
Victoria has reached the 60 per cent double dose vaccination milestone.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley announced Mitchell Shire will leave lockdown at midnight tonight.
Earlier, 9am: Victoria has recorded 1571 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours to midnight and 13 deaths.
The 13 lives lost is the highest single daily total of this outbreak for the state.
There are now 19,861 active COVID-19 cases across the state.
One case was recorded overseas during the reporting period.
The cases were found from 79,200 tests, which was one of the highest days of testing seen across the state.
Elective surgery is on hold across Victoria as the public health system braces itself for an influx of COVID-19 patients.
The government has earmarked $255 million for a new hospital surge support allowance for healthcare workers treating infected patients.
The allowance of up to $60 per shift for the next four months begins from this week.
The government will also spend another $2.5 million to recruit up to 1000 international healthcare workers, and expects 60 per cent of those recruits will be Australians already working overseas.
Victoria recorded 1466 infections on Tuesday.
Four men and four women died, bringing the toll from the current outbreak to 101.
- with AAP
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