1.30pm
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VICTORIAN chief health officer Brett Sutton said Victoria has likely hit the peak of its coronavirus outbreak "for now", but warned cases would climb as the state opened up.
"For now we've hit the peak," he told reporters at a press conference on Friday.
"I think as we open up, we'll get an increase in cases and that will bring a few more people into hospital and a few more people into ICU.
"We're on a somewhat stable trend at the moment, but it could pick up again.
"I think the modelling is reassuring and as much as it says it doesn't get to 300-400 mark that would be enormously challenging for our ICU and hospital systems.
"If we can keep it below 200 (in ICU) even as we open up that would be terrific.
"That's really substantial. It's more than a third of our normal ICU capacity to be able to deal with the numbers we're dealing with now.
"I would hope that hospitalisation can stay below 1000 as we've maintained up to this point in time."
Victoria is set to hit the 80 per cent vaccination target on Saturday, with eased restrictions being introduced from 6pm on Friday.
Assistant treasurer Danny Pearson said the state had reached 78.5 per cent of people aged 16 and older with their second dose.
"We expect that we're going to hit the 80 per cent double dose milestone tomorrow," he said.
"Either way, the eased restrictions will be coming in at 6pm tonight to ensure Victorians can make the most of this great long weekend."
Professor Sutton said it was "immaterial".
"We're opening up tonight, that's a great thing and we're not going to stop at 80 per cent double dose coverage, we'll go by one per cent each day until we get to 85 and beyond."
10.55am
Bendigo Senior Secondary College has announced the opening of a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on site in early November.
"We are very pleased to announce that Bendigo Senior Secondary College will be hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Ulumbarra Theatre on Friday, November 5 and Monday, November 8," a spokesperson said.
"This service will be available to all staff, students and their family members."
The school reminded the community:
- Bookings are available for all people aged 12 and over.
- If making bookings for multiple family members, different email addresses must be used (use the email address for the person receiving the booking).
- You are able to receive your first or second shot, providing it has been at least three weeks since your first dose.
- Only Pfizer vaccinations will be available, so if you have already had your first shot of another vaccine, you will need to go back to your original provider.
- Please bring your Medicare card or number (a photo of this is sufficient) and photo ID if you have these documents, noting that you can receive the vaccine even if you don't have these.
- Please complete the consent form ahead of time and bring a printed version, if able to: Consent form (copies available from General Office if needed) or we will provide copies to be completed upon arrival. Students are able to provide their own consent if deemed to be a Mature Minor (consistent will all health regulations).
- You need to book your appointment/s using this booking system. Each person will need to be observed for 15 minutes after their vaccination, so please allow sufficient time for this.
- Given some people experience adverse reactions in the 24 hours after the vaccination, Year 12 students with VCAA exams are strongly encouraged to choose an appointment time that makes it less likely they will be negatively affected on an exam day.
- Please access the Ulumbarra Theatre via the front steps. You will need to register your attendance by using the QR code upon arrival.
- You must NOT attend if you are feeling unwell or if have been to an exposure site and have been instructed to isolate.
- If you need any assistance with this process, please call 5443 1222 or email vaccinations@bssc.edu.au.
Bookings are strictly limited so book by using this link: https://www.bookitlive.net/book/bendigosscollege.
Earlier
Bendigo South East College has closed down after a COVID-19 exposure recently.
The school took to social media to confirm a positive case attended the school during their infectious period.
"A positive case was onsite during their infectious period," the post said.
"The College is closed for Friday, October 29 for contact tracing.
"Potential primary close contacts will be contacted by the school leadership team."
Earlier this week, Interchange Loddon-Mallee Region confirmed a positive case attended their Outside School Hours Care program at Kalianna School Bendigo.
"The staff member notified us immediately upon testing positive for COVID-19 and has been isolating. We are in regular contact and wish them a speedy recovery," a spokesperson said.
The possible time of exposure was October 15 between 3pm and 5:15pm.
"We have not yet received advice from the Department of Health regarding the tier rating for this location," they said.
"We will treat it as a tier 1 exposure site for October 15 in the absence of this guidance.
Other stories:
"October 11 and 12 are no longer considered exposure dates as they fall outside the 48-hour infectious period, as advised by the Department of Health's website.
"Anyone who attended on these days should still monitor for symptoms and get tested if they become unwell.
The OSHC service at Kalianna School will be closed until Monday, November 1.
"At this stage, we don't expect our other disability and children's support services to be heavily impacted.
"In a small number of cases, we may need to replace a rostered worker with someone else or reschedule. We will contact you if we need to make changes to your sessions.
"We understand this news is concerning for many of you, but we want to assure you we're doing everything to ensure the health and safety of our whole community."
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Alex Gretgrix
Journalist based in Bendigo, Victoria, covering health and a few local shires at the Bendigo Advertiser. Contact via alex.gretgrix@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Journalist based in Bendigo, Victoria, covering health and a few local shires at the Bendigo Advertiser. Contact via alex.gretgrix@austcommunitymedia.com.au
