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VICTORIA'S chief health officer says while zero new COVID-19 cases is "encouraging" it is still "early days".
There were no new coronavirus cases recorded in the state both in the community and in hotel quarantine on Saturday.
It came after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to coronavirus on Wednesday. Genomics testing confirmed 26-year-old man has the UK variant of the virus.
Health Minister Martin Foley said the man's 17 household and social primary close contacts have tested negative for COVID-19.
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Another 767 workplace close contacts and 362 contacts from the exposure sites were also being tested for the virus and isolating.
About 60 per cent of those people have returned negative test results, Mr Foley said.
Chief health officer Brett Sutton said while Saturday's numbers were positive, there was still work to be done.
"A zero day is a great day any day, but in particular with this strain first identified in the UK," Professor Sutton said.
"Having no positive results out of those exposure sites and numerous primary close contacts is very encouraging.
"But as I said yesterday, it is early days. Some of these exposures occurred right at the end of January and in the first few days of February so it's only been a few days.
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"So we do need to see that full 14 days of the incubation period play out before we can be absolutely happy that we're in safe territory."
Police Minister Lisa Neville said authorities were still investigating how the hotel quarantine worker contracted COVID-19.
"What this has shown us is that we do have some new challenges being posed by this new mutant, this newly, very infectious UK strain, and other strains," Ms Neville said.
"Aerosol is being investigated in relation to this."
Ms Neville said a number of changes have also been made to the hotel quarantine system.
"As at Thursday evening, all our staff are in face shields and the surgical masks," she said "This was the advice from the infection prevention control experts.
"Secondly, we have also started a ventilation review. We don't think at this stage this is about ventilation, but we're not leaving any stone unturned."
Earlier
ZERO new cases of COVID-19 have been linked to community transmission in Victoria.
There have also been no new overseas acquired cases of coronavirus reported in the 24 hours to Saturday.
The total number of active cases in Victoria sits at 22.
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Health authorities had 23,227 COVID-19 tests reported to them in the past 24 hours.
Victorian authorities were working to establish how the highly infectious virus strain was transmitted to the worker, who is a 26-year-old man from Noble Park.
All 17 of the man's household and social primary close contacts have tested negative for COVID-19.
Premier Daniel Andrews thanked Victorians for the part they were playing in keeping the community safe, but said it was not over yet.
Mr Andrews reiterated calls for people to get tested for COVID-19 at the earliest sign of symptoms.
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