By Luke Voogt
Geelong and Surf Coast COVID-19 cases have remained on 64 as the Victoria total climbed by nine to 1523.
Greater Geelong and the Surf Coast currently have no active cases, despite a new case reported on Saturday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The department recorded the additional coronavirus case before midnight on Saturday, declaring on Sunday Geelong had one active case.
The case was the first confirmed in the city for more than a fortnight.
But the department revised the number of active cases for Geelong to zero in following days, despite the total remaining on 64.
The department declined to comment on specific local case numbers.
“Data is continually analysed and clarified, so published numbers are always subject to change,” a spokesperson said.
“These changes in numbers can be for many reasons, including duplications and wrong postcodes recorded.”
The state total of 1523 includes 806 males and 717 females, with cases ranging from infants to people in their 90s.
Of the nine new cases, three were detected among returned travellers in mandatory hotel quarantine, five through outbreak investigation, and one through testing by a doctor.
Two of the new cases have been linked to the McDonald’s outbreak in Fawkner, taking the total in that cluster to eight.
The department has tested more than 90 McDonald’s employees as a precaution and has contacted close contacts of confirmed cases to direct them to quarantine for 14 days.
McDonald’s closed the restaurant and undertook a deep clean, the department said.
Three of the new cases were linked to the outbreak at Cedar Meats, bringing the total number in that cluster to 90.
Eighteen Victorians, aged from their 50s to 90s, have died after contracting coronavirus.
Currently nine people are in hospital, including six patients in intensive care, and 1385 people have recovered.
In Victoria 164 confirmed cases may have been acquired through community transmission with more than 289,000 Victorians tested so far, according to the department.
Of the 1523 cases, 1259 occurred in metropolitan Melbourne and 226 in regional Victoria. Several cases remain under investigation.
The figures come after Premier Daniel Andrews announced an easing of stage 3 restrictions this week.
The changes allow people to invite up to five guests at a time to their homes and gather in groups of up to 10 outdoors.
Victoria Police issued just a single fine yesterday while conducting 569 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state.
