THE NUMBER of positive cases in the Mildura LGA has tripled in the last week, but the area had a drop in new cases Tuesday.
Meanwhile, kids from Sunraysia aged five to 11 received their initial COVID vaccine dose Monday, but for many the date with the jab remained at least a week away.
Mildura local government area (LGA) had a drop in new positive cases after it recorded 32 Tuesday, following a bump on Monday which had the area record 154 new infections.
In good news, the total number of active cases reduced by 70 in the last 24 hours, and now sits at 610.
However, the outbreak in positive cases didn’t let up in Robinvale, which reported 48 cases following 45 it recorded Monday. The Swan Hill LGA had 154 new cases and has 243 total active cases.
Across the state there were 37,994 cases, of which 18,503 were recorded via rapid antigen tests.
There have now been 68 deaths in Victoria to COVID since the start of the year, following 13 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The State Government introduced new pandemic orders, effective 11.59pm Wednesday, including a third dose vaccine mandate for certain industries.
Workers in healthcare, aged care and disability workers, along with workers in emergency services and food distribution (excluding front-facing supermarket and retail), will who were eligible for a booster vaccine before January 12, will have until February 12 to receive their third dose.
For workers who were not eligible for a third dose on or before January 12, their deadlines will vary. Aged care workers will have until 1 March, while Healthcare workers March 29. All other eligible workers have until March 12.
Currently, 17 per cent of eligible Victorians aged 18 and over have received a vaccine booster.
Under the new orders, singing and dancing at indoor venues across the state must be stopped, though hospitality venues will be able to operate within current density limits.
NSW, which recorded 25,870 cases until 8pm Monday, recently banned singing and dancing in indoor venues until January 27.
According to NSW Health, Wentworth LGA recorded 76 positive cases in the four-week period up until 8pm Monday.
Monday marked the first day kids could receive paediatric vaccines across Sunraysia.
There were 10 kids aged five to 11 who received COVID vaccines this morning at Silverline Health Care.
Practice manager Tania McKinnon said there had been a message of positivity in the vaccination room.
“The kids were being told a message by parents that vaccination was important and would help keep them safe from virus,” Ms McKinnon said.
She said there had been a couple of kids who had felt nervous, but most took the process in their stride.
Silverline Health Care were administering about 30 vaccines per day and Ms McKinnon told Sunraysia Daily they still had bookings available for Tuesday onward.
But vaccination availability for kids aged 5-11 remained hard to find elsewhere in Sunraysia.
Sunraysia Community Health Services (SCHS), which is operating the state-run vaccine clinic, shifted its operation from Kairivu Barracks Army Drill Hall to its Thirteenth Street facility.
SCHS will commence its paediatric vaccines on January 17, with the booking system to open Tuesday morning online and by phone at 1800 769 398.
Several medical clinics and pharmacies said they were also scheduled to begin administering vaccines January 17, including Lime Medical Clinic and Sunraysia Medical Centre, with the latter’s Monday-only vaccination clinic in Red Cliffs booked out until January 31.
Mallee District Aboriginal Services said its vaccination clinic would open on January 18 and, as with booster vaccines, would only be available to clients from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
Meanwhile, Irymple Medical Centre, which has begun administering vaccines, said it was booked out until January 28, while Merbein Family Medical Practice had no vaccine availability for kids aged 5-11 before February 7.
The state-wide booking system for paediatric vaccines has experienced issues, and with the current outbreak expected to peak in the coming weeks, the Victorian Government has not yet released an update on whether there will be any changes to the return to school, scheduled for January 28.
The Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Sunday that the state would push back the start of the school year, which was scheduled to being January 24, by two weeks to February 7 to avoid the peak of the current wave of COVID cases.
