1400 cases for weekend
GREATER Geelong reported more than 1400 new Covid-19 cases over the weekend as local private testing facilities reopened.
State data revealed there were 733 new coronavirus cases in the city on Saturday and 730 on Sunday.
Colac Otway and Surf Coast Shires recorded 106 and 153 new infections over the weekend.
The Borough of Queenscliffe added 10 new cases to its tally, while 86 were recorded in Golden Plains Shire.
Barwon Health confirmed it had 52 patients in Geelong hospital due to Covid-19, with five in ICU.
Private pop-up testing facilities in Torquay, Newtown, Belmont and Newcomb will also reopen after a lengthy closure over the New Year break.
Torquay pop-up testing will resume from Monday, and 4cyte Pathology-run clinics at Newcomb and Belmont reopened on Sunday.
More than 400,000 rapid tests were distributed at state PCR testing sites last week.
The Victorian government received its delivery of three million rapid tests, with distribution expected to start on Monday.
Essential services and workers in sensitive settings including health, emergency services, disability and aged care services will be prioritised in the rollout.
“Victorians will soon be able to reliably obtain a free RAT,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
“As more tests progressively arrive, we’ll continue to roll them out to those who need them.
“As we continue to test, there’s nothing more important than getting your third dose – it will not only give you better protection against Covid-19, but also significantly slow transmission.”
More than 1100 people are battling Covid-19 in Victorian hospitals.
The state reported 23 deaths and 25,226 new coronavirus cases, a drop on previous days.
But Victorian Covid response commander Jeroen Weimar said the state was a “long way” from any substantial downward trend, urging people to book their booster shots.
“You can get your third dose today, you can get it tomorrow, we are open, those clinics are open seven days a week,” Mr Weimar said.
“It’s important because, sadly, yesterday we passed the 1000 barrier of the number of people with coronavirus in Victorian hospitals.
“There are now 1054 people in hospital with Covid – it’s the highest number we have seen during the entire pandemic to date.”
For a full list of testing facilities: barwonhealth. org.au/coronavirus/whereto-get-tested