State Vaccination Clinics Open 60,000 Appointment Vacancies For "Booster Blitz"

Victoria has recorded 16,016 new Covid infections and 20 more Covid deaths as hospitalisation rate begins to drop.

There are now 1,029 people in hospital with the virus which has dropped from 1,096 yesterday.

There are currently 120 people in the intensive care unit, 13 of these people are on ventilators.

This brings the total number of active cases in Victoria to 217,505.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The National Briefing - keeping you in the loop with the nation’s breaking news as it hits.

Despite the state recording 16,016, health officials believe the true number of cases to be much higher.

The latest cases were detected by 7,584 rapid antigen tests and 8,432 PCR tests.

While hospitalisations have dropped over the past recording period and the state appears to have passed its peak, health officials predict that hospitalisations and Covid deaths will continue to rise over the coming months.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned that although the Omicron variant is less intense than the Delta variant, “it is still killing people”.

“… It's still putting people in hospital, including those who have two doses,” he said.

In a bid to prevent further deaths, health officials are pushing eligible Victorians to get their booster shots during the “booster blitz” being hosted at multiple clinics across the state this weekend.

To support the influx of people, vaccination clinics have extended their opening hours and made room for an extra 60,000 appointments statewide.

The push follows the state government’s decision to shorten the wait between the second vaccination and the booster shot to three months.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with Your Morning Agenda - supported by a network of local journalists from all major Australian cities, ensuing timely and first hand insights on local stories:

Download LiSTNR and enjoy a new world of audio. All your favourite shows and stations in one library.