Victorians Asked To Lodge Positive RATs As Covid Cases Escalate

Victoria reported a rise in cases with 21,728 new infections on Friday and six more Covid-related deaths. 

It’s the second consecutive day the state has reported over 20,000 cases.

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

There are currently 69,680 active coronavirus cases, with 644 people in hospital, while 58 of those are in ICU and 24 are on ventilators.

Another 48 people are in intensive care with Covid, but the health Department have confirmed their infections are no longer considered active.

The rapid surge in cases and hospitalisations is exponentially increasing up from 5,919 infections and 428 Covid hospitalisations this time last week. 

Today's new cases were detected from 68,202 PCR swabs collected on Thursday, while 20,726 vaccine doses were administered at state-run hubs.

Currently, more than 93 per cent of Victorians aged over 12 are now fully vaccinated, while 13 per cent have received their third dose.

It comes as new density rules have kicked in overnight for indoor venues, with a rule of one person per 2sq m, excluding cinemas and theatres.

Meanwhile, Victorians will be able to lodge a positive result from a rapid antigen test (RAT) on the state's health department website from today.

Moving forward, a positive RAT result will be recorded along with PCR test results, in a bid to gain greater clarity on community transmission.

More to come.

For Australians looking for intelligent and unbiased news coverage, join renowned journalist Natarsha Belling on Your Morning Agenda for breaking national and international stories as well as the top business and finance stories - every weekday from 6:30am on Listnr