Victoria has recorded 24 new infections which also includes four mystery cases. There has not been a day in the last week or so when the state has all its new infections accounted for. That has authorities worried.
The health authorities believe a homeless, Covid-positive casual sex worker may be the missing link between
Six of the cases have been in the community while infectious, which is driving everyone to the edge, which will inevitably add to the number of exposure sites in Victoria.
According to The Herald Sun sources within the Health Department say that one of the new infections, a woman with no known address, had been involved in occasional sex work.
Authorities are now investigating if the woman had been in contact with other mystery cases linked to the St Kilda cluster.
It is also not yet known how the woman acquired the virus.
The state government authorities are now jittery about hospitals across Melbourne with the virus now reaching the homeless. Staff working in the Emergency departments in Hospitals have been warned to be alert.
Also read: Lockdown 6.0 extended until September 2
St Kilda may be easily labelled as Melbourne’s latest Covid crisis area with at least five mystery cases linked by nothing more than geography. Premier Daniel Andrews is urging all Victorians, particularly in those affected areas to go and get tested and not ignore any symptoms. Premier is concerned the testing numbers are “too low”.
This one's for anyone who's ever said "oh, it's not COVID, it's just a cough".
Apologies in advance for the slow-mo. pic.twitter.com/OyBX7qnSPO
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) August 18, 2021
“These cases aren’t linked by age. They’re not linked by faith. They aren’t all in the same book club. They’re not all on the same footy club. The only thing they share is geographic proximity” Herald Sun quoted Kate Matson, Department of Health deputy secretary.
Two other mystery cases include people from Dandenong and Middle Park working in an unrelated employment in St Kilda. That has authorities worried as they have not been able to identify the links and say “these cases got the virus from somewhere. The virus is circulating in those geographic areas.”
Authorities want more and more testing done in the Port Philip and Glen Eira area to fully cover the St Kilda’s covid area.
Victoria has reached a milestone of two million vaccines on Monday 16 August, with 48.1 per cent of the state having received a first dose. National average of those having taken first dose is 48.7 per cent.
26.7 per cent of Victorians are fully vaccinated. Nationally 26.9 per cent Australians are fully vaccinated, a significantly low figure when looked at 70 or 80 per cent required for lockdowns to be completely pushed to the back of our political leaders’ psyche.