South-west sees spike in COVID-19 infections in school-aged children

The infections in schools are impacting staff and families, who bring the virus home and pass it onto parents, siblings or grandparents, South West Healthcare COVID-19 coordinator Sue Anderton said.

Just over half of the age five to 11 cohort - 64 per cent - have received just one vaccine dose in Warrnambool. That's 3059 children.

Those figures drop lower in Moyne (59.3 per cent), Corangamite (55.9 per cent) and Glenelg (52.3 per cent).

There are currently 355 active infections in Warrnambool, 150 in Moyne, 214 in Glenelg and 137 in Corangamite.

On Friday Victoria recorded 10,722 new cases and three deaths. There are 416 people in hospital, and 14 in intensive care.

READ MORE: COVID-19 pandemic hits child development

SWH reported an increase in testing numbers over March, with a noticeable uptick following the long weekend.

There were around 374 people tested in the past week and 1065 for the month. SWH distributed 2196 rapid antigen tests over the past month.

The Warrnambool Base Hospital admitted up to two COVID-19 patients a week over the past four weeks.

Meanwhile, booster vaccination uptake has slowed in the region.

According to the latest federal vaccination data, 75.8 per cent of Warrnambool's population aged 16 and over have received more than two doses. Around 28,700 people have received at least two doses.

Those figures drop lower in Moyne (72.7 per cent), Corangamite (72.6 per cent) and Glenelg (70.2 per cent).

55.6 per cent of Warrnambool's Indigenous population has received more than two doses.

To increase booster uptake, SWH is planning a number of outreach clinics across Warrnambool, Moyne, Corangamite and Glenelg in the coming weeks.

In March, a further 1024 people received their booster shot at SWH's clinic.

Ms Anderton said it was highly recommended to get your third or fourth dose as soon as possible to have protection over winter, as well as a flu shot.

"It will be incredibly important to be up to date with your vaccine and flu shots this winter in order to stay well and to keep schools and businesses open," she said.

You can get your fourth dose, if you are eligible, four months after your third dose, or four months after your last COVID-19 infection.

Like many industries, SWH continues to be impacted by staff shortages due to COVID-19, a spokeswoman said.

"The impacts we experience are reflective of the community numbers in our region," she said.

"We are always looking for new and dynamic staff to join us to fill a number of advertised roles as per our normal recruitment and retention."

The Reff number in Warrnambool is 1.06. The number indicates on average how many people are being infected by each positive case.

Latest results from wastewater testing this week revealed strong levels of coronavirus in Wannon Water's catchments in Warrnambool, Allansford and Koroit, and very strong levels in Portland.

Meanwhile, data updated April 1 shows Mercy Place Aged Care Warrnambool was among the state's aged care facilities with 20 or more confirmed cases during the pandemic.

The table shows the Warrnambool aged care home had 21 cases, comprising of 11 staff and 10 residents, and recorded one COVID-19 related death. There are no active cases currently listed at the home.

Changes to health advice means if you've recovered from COVID-19 you aren't required to test or isolate if you are re-exposed to a case within eight weeks of the end of your isolation period, up from the previous 30-day period.

On Friday Australia's expert health panel said the seven-day isolation rule for COVID-19 household contacts should not yet be scrapped as infections continued to surge.

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