By Luke Voogt
Just one of 63 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Geelong has yet to reach the 14-day recovery threshold, according to the latest data.
Confirmed greater Geelong coronavirus cases have remained on 63 since midnight on April 21, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The last Geelong case prior to that was diagnosed on April 13. Barwon Health was unable to confirm the exact number of recovered cases in Geelong as not all had been reported through the organisation.
“The number of active cases in the G21 region is likely to be very low, and no more than one or two cases,” Barwon Health communications director Kate Bibby said.
“In addition, there may be asymptomatic cases in the community that we do not know about.”
The Geelong community had done an “excellent job” practicing social distancing and good hygiene, which had helped reduce new cases, Ms Bibby said.
“We do ask that people continue to remain vigilant and do not become complacent with these precautions, in order to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.”
The figures come as Barwon Health expanded local testing to include all its healthcare workers and vulnerable people, even those without symptoms.
Those eligible for the surveillance screening program include the homeless, people with disabilities, Aboriginal people and home-based clients with chronic conditions, chief executive officer Frances Diver announced.
“The reason we’re doing that is so we can detect the presence of COVID-19 in the community,” she said.
Victorian coronavirus cases yesterday rose by seven to 1361, including 704 males and 657 females.
Eighteen Victorians, aged from their 50s to 90s, have died after contracting coronavirus.
In Victoria, 140 confirmed cases may have been acquired through community transmission with more than 115,100 tests conducted to date, according to DHHS.
Currently, 18 people are in hospital, including nine patients in intensive care, and 1291 people have recovered.
Of the 1361 cases, 1105 occurred in metropolitan Melbourne and 217 in regional Victoria. Several cases remain under investigation.
Meanwhile police fined 43 people yesterday for breaching COVID-19 restrictions while conducting 656 spot checks at Victorian homes, businesses and non-essential services.
Under the current State of Emergency Victorians are only permitted to leave home for food and supplies, medical care and care giving, exercise, and work or education.
Police can issue on-the-spot fines, including up to $1652 for individuals and up to $9913 for businesses.
