A SECOND COVID-19 case has been confirmed in Bendigo, one of 72 new cases diagnosed in Victoria yesterday.
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It is the second active case confirmed this week, after a new case was reported on Sunday.
This was the first new case in nearly three months.
Read more: Melbourne cases rise with lockdown looming
It comes as the state government locked down several postcodes in Melbourne's north and west, following a spike in COVID-19 cases.
The two Bendigo cases are the only ones active in central Victoria.
Case numbers in the Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander, Central Goldfields, Loddon and Gannawarra remain stable.
It is unclear how the additional Bendigo case was diagnosed.
The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed nine of Victoria's new cases were linked to outbreaks, 19 were identified through routine testing, and 42 were under investigation. Three new cases have been detected in returned travellers in quarantine.
A total of 301 cases in Victoria have been acquired through unknown transmission. Three hundred and seventy cases are active in Victoria.
Fifteen people with the coronavirus are in hospital, including two patients in intensive care.
OTHER NEWS:
Victoria's chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton warned it was critical to practice good hygiene in and out of the home, no matter where you lived.
He urged people to wash their hands regularly, cough and sneeze into a tissue or their elbow, and avoid touching their face.
"Stay 1.5 metres away from anyone you don't live with and avoid crowds, especially indoors. If you can keep working from home - you must keep working from home," Professor Sutton said.
"We have made some great progress in slowing the spread of coronavirus, but we are still seeing new cases in the community.
"Don't take this disease lightly. if you feel unwell with any symptoms of coronavirus, 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."
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