20/06/2020
What's new?
Developments in the outbreak
- As of 20 June 2020, the total number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Victoria is 1,817, an increase of 25 since yesterday’s report.
- Of the 25 new cases 14 cases linked to known outbreaks, one detected in hotel quarantine, 6 identified through routine testing, and 4 remains under investigation.
- 200 cases have been acquired in Victoria where the source of infection is unknown.
- Six people are in hospital, including three patients in intensive care. 19 people have died. 1,686 people have recovered.
- Of the total 1,817 cases, there have been 1,517 in metropolitan Melbourne and 239 in regional Victoria. Several cases remain under investigation.
- More than 645,400 test results have been received by the department since 1 January 2020.
- Based on current data, the Victorian Government has announced a tightening of restrictions from Sunday 21 June at 11:59 PM.
- Further details on the latest cases can be found in today's coronavirus (COVID-19) media release.
- Up-to-date epidemiological data is available.
Current advice to clinicians
- Practitioners are encouraged to test any patients who meet the clinical criteria below:
Fever OR chills in the absence of an alternative diagnosis that explains the clinical presentation*
OR
Acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose or anosmia)
Note: In addition, testing is recommended for people with new onset of other clinical symptoms consistent with COVID-19** AND who are close contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19; who have returned from overseas in the past 14 days; or who are healthcare or aged care workers.
*Clinical discretion applies including consideration of the potential for co-infection (e.g. concurrent infection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza)
**headache, myalgia, stuffy nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea.
- If referring your patients for COVID-19 testing, a list of testing locations can be found on the getting tested for coronavirus page.
- Any coronavirus test reported by a laboratory as having detected SARS-CoV-2 on PCR will be treated as positive for the purposes of public health actions, regardless of repeat testing of the sample. It is not appropriate to advise a patient that a test is a false positive without prior consultation with the department. Current processing time for COVID-19 tests is one to three days.
- An updated communique for Point of Care Testing has been released which includes an information on rapid, serological-based point of care tests. You can read the Point of Care Testing communique (Word).
- As the prevalence of COVID-19 remains low, practitioners are encouraged to consider testing for other infectious diseases as warranted by the patient’s clinical presentation and history, including travel history. Test for influenza in patients presenting with compatible respiratory symptoms and request a stool culture in patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection control training is available for healthcare workers in all settings from the Australian Department of Health. The online training covers the fundamentals of infection prevention and control for coronavirus (COVID-19). More information and registration for the training is available on the Australian Department of Health website.
- The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care also has e-learning modules on the principles of infection prevention and control in Australian healthcare settings. More information is available on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care website.
Key messages for the community
- Maintain physical distance from others and avoid crowds, wash your hands regularly and cough and sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, stay home and get tested if you’re unwell.
- It remains important that if you can work from home, you must keep working from home.
- More information on how to stay safe can be viewed at Coronavirus (COVID-19) page.
More information
Clinical information
Latest coronavirus information for Victorian health services and general practice
Consumer information
Victoria's current restrictions
Latest coronavirus information from the World Health Organization
Latest travel advice from Smartraveller
Contacts
Medical practitioners needing clinical information or to notify confirmed cases can contact the Department of Health and Human Services Communicable Diseases Section on 1300 651 160 (24 hours).
Subscribe now!
Keep informed of emergencies affecting the health sector and critical public health issues impacting your work.
Subscribe now to information including Chief Health Officer updates and emergency advice from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Follow the Chief Health Officer on Twitter