While the state recorded 10,053 new COVID-19 infections and another eight deaths yesterday, officials are expressing concerns of numbers yet to come.

However, Bendigo Senior Secondary College principal Dale Pearce said schools had predicted this surge could happen.

"We're going to see some transmission through schools," he said.

"We don't know for sure and we've had to wait until school goes back before we can tell how much of an impact our COVIDSafe measures will make.

MORE NEWS: Echuca Police concerned with multiple reports of needle spiking across town

"But we're happy to be back in classrooms."

Health Minister Martin Foley said the state "seems to be coming off the peak" of its Omicron COVID-19 outbreak.

However, he warned Victorians to "tread carefully" as case numbers would rise with students and teaching staff heading back to school.

"With a million kids moving around and coming back to school, with significant numbers of tests under way, we're likely to see a whole heap of cases that we're unaware of being identified," he told reporters on Monday.

"So we're likely to see case numbers go up."

The state government is "strongly" recommending primary and secondary students and staff to undergo twice-weekly rapid antigen tests at home before school, with those at specialist schools asked to test five days a week.

Six million RATs were delivered to schools by Monday, enough for a fortnight, with 14 million tests to arrive over the first four weeks of the term.

Bendigo Health encouraged families and students to utilise these tests and avoid its emergency department if possible.

"They were provided for this purpose, so let's use them," Bendigo Health chair Bob Cameron said.

He said case numbers were expected to "bump" upwards in the coming weeks.

"The numbers will settle down, but in the interim more kids will have it after being in the school setting, people will have to care for them and will get it from children or have to isolate," Mr Cameron said.

"It will put pressure on businesses with their staffing.

"And it will put pressure on the hospital with our staffing of nurses, doctors and support personnel at a time when more people will want to reach out to us.

"So we remind people to keep away from the hospital emergency department unless urgent immediate intervention is needed."

READ MORE:

Additionally, 51,000 air purifiers have been delivered to government and low-fee independent schools, after the rollout faced supply chain issues.

Three-hundred shade sales are being constructed to help more classes learn outdoors.

Education Minister James Merlino said 346 additional teachers and 28 principals had been employed on short-term contracts to help reduce disruption caused by COVID-19-related absences.

However, he warned schools were in for a bumpy first few weeks.

"There will be challenges and there will be bumps over this first few weeks and that's why this surveillance testing program is just so important," he said.

Mr Merlino encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated "as quickly as possible".

Meanwhile, opposition leader Matthew Guy has called for the government to "guarantee" the school year will not be interrupted.

"I hope today is the first day back for the whole year. I just don't want to see anymore lockdowns or school closures and the government need to give us that as a guarantee," he said.

Chief health officer Brett Sutton told the Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee he couldn't see closures happening.

"I don't see anything in the distant future that should threaten the reopening of schools," he said.

with AAP

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: