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Victoria has recorded 1036 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths on Sunday, with the state officially passing the 80 per cent fully vaccinated milestone yesterday.
There were 702 people hospitalised with the virus, with 128 people in an intensive care unit and 80 people on a ventilator.
Melbourne music fans enjoying Play on Victoria on Saturday night.Credit:Chris Hopkins
More than 56,700 tests were completed across Saturday, with 22,369 jabs given at state-run vaccination centres yesterday. There are now 22,013 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria.
The Department of Health confirmed on Twitter on Sunday morning the state had reached 80 per cent of the eligible population double-dosed, thanking “each and every” Victorian for playing their part.
The milestone arrived on one of Victoria’s first weekends out of lockdown, with 4000 people crowding the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday night for ‘Play On Victoria’ – the first major outdoor concert in Melbourne for 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victoria’s latest tier-1 COVID-19 exposures include an open-air museum in the state’s east and a coffee shop in central Victoria.
The Old Gippstown heritage park in Moe and the Coffee Club Bendigo have both been listed as exposure sites on October 24, requiring patrons to get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days.
Western Australia is requiring travellers entering the state from Victoria be fully vaccinated from next Friday, owing to the state’s ‘extreme’ risk profile.
The WA government announced late on Saturday that children under 12 and those who are medically ineligible or those otherwise legitimately unable to receive the jab are exempt from the new mandate.
The change in entry requirements comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged Australian support for a global bid to vaccinate 70 per cent of the world’s population, with signs he could extend domestic production of the AstraZeneca vaccine to boost exports to countries in need.
He said Victoria would “do our part” in supporting the G20’s commitment to vaccinate 70 per cent of the world’s population by mid-2022.
“We all agree there’s no higher priority than vaccinating people all over the world with safe and effective vaccines,” Mr Morrison told the G20 summit in Rome on Saturday.
With David Crowe, James Massola and Chris Barrett
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