11/07/2020
What's new?
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As of 11 July 2020, the total number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Victoria is 3,560, with 216 new cases since yesterday’s report.
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The overall total has increased by 181, with 35 cases reclassified, largely due to duplication. Of the new cases, 30 are linked to outbreaks and 186 remain under investigation. No case has been detected in a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.
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535 cases have been acquired in Victoria where the source of infection is unknown.
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49 people are in hospital, including 15 patients in intensive care. 23 people have died, an increase of one since yesterday’s report. 2,286 people have recovered.
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Of the total cases, 3,176 are from metropolitan Melbourne and 279 are from regional Victoria.
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More than 1,095,000 test results have been received by the department since 1 January 2020.
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Further details can be found in today’s coronavirus (COVID-19) media release.
- Up-to-date epidemiological data is available on our website.
- An update to the Case and Contact Management Guidelines (v23 10 July 2020) has been made and can be found on the website.
Stay at Home Directions
- The Victorian Government has announced Stay at Home Directions for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire from 11:59pm on Wednesday 8 July until 11.59pm on Wednesday 19 August.
- The area returning to Stage 3 ‘Stay at Home’ restrictions is comprised of 31 metropolitan Melbourne local government areas (LGA) and the Mitchell Shire LGA.
- For six weeks, people who live in these areas are only allowed to go out for four reasons: shopping for food and supplies, health care and caregiving, outdoor exercise, and study or work – if unable to work or study from home.
Current advice to clinicians
- Practitioners should 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, anosmia or loss of smell or loss of taste)
Note: In addition, testing is recommended for people with new onset of other clinical symptoms consistent with coronavirus (COVID-19)** AND who are close contacts of a confirmed case of coronavirus (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 coronavirus (COVID-19) testing, a list of testing locations can be found on the getting tested for coronavirus page.
- Any coronavirus (COVID-19) 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. Current processing time for coronavirus (COVID-19) tests is one to three days.
- Practitioners are encouraged to also 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.
Key messages for the community
- If you feel unwell with any symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, you should stay home and get tested. If you have any fever, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, and loss of sense of smell or taste – stay home, don’t go in to work and don’t visit friends and family. Get tested and stay at home until you get the result. Go to the DHHS testing map for locations
- Nasopharyngeal swabs collected by trained healthcare workers remains the gold standard test. Victoria commenced limited saliva testing in hotspots as part of department-led enhanced surveillance activities.
- If you live in metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire and are aged 18 years or older, it is recommended that you wear a face mask when you leave home if it is going to be difficult for you to maintain 1.5 metres of distance between yourself and other people. Face masks are not a substitute for physical distancing. Go to the DHHS website to find out more information about how to wear a face mask correctly.
More information
Clinical information
Latest coronavirus information for Victorian health services and general practice
Consumer information
Translated resources in over 50 languages
Victoria's current restrictions
COVID-19 suburban testing blitz - hotspots
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).
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