BENDIGO'S latest COVID-19 cases came about through community transmission, appearing unrelated to existing outbreaks.
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Bendigo Health chair Bob Cameron confirmed recent cases diagnosed in central Victoria had been contracted through community transmission.
These include several cases in school staff, students, or family members, and an aged care worker at Royal Freemasons Kangaroo Flat.
A case at Don KR Castlemaine last week sparked a cluster of at least 10 connected cases.
It comes after Victoria recorded more than 700 new cases.
Two people are being treated for COVID-19 in the Bendigo hospital.
Bendigo Health chief executive Peter Faulkner said he was very concerned by increasing community transmission.
He said the situation - with cases in the hospital - was "of grave concern" for the community.
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Mr Faulkner said Bendigo Health had been unable to make a link between an outbreak at Don KR last week, and new COVID-19 cases in the area over the last week.
He said there appeared to be a number of different sources of the virus in the community.
Mr Faulkner said Bendigo was seeing workplace transmission and family transmission in the Don KR outbreak.
But he said there were other cases unrelated to that cluster.
Mr Faulkner said Bendigo Health's contact tracers could also not identify any link with people travelling in and out of Melbourne.
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Both Mr Cameron and Mr Faulkner said warned those tested to self-isolate while they waited for results, saying many diagnosed with COVID-19 had been out in the community after their test.
Mr Cameron urged the community to take the COVID-19 threat seriously.
"We know from the cases that we're seeing, and in discussions with those people, they have been out and about, they have been all around the place," Mr Cameron said.
"People have to take it very very seriously that everywhere they go they they can possibly get the disease, and they have to do what they can to prevent it."
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