Hotspot goes without virus

Sydney – Australia’s second-largest state, Victoria, once the country’s Covid-19 hotspot, said yesterday it has gone 28 days without detecting any new infections, a benchmark widely cited as eliminating the virus from the community.

The state also has zero active cases after the last Covid-19 patient was discharged from hospital this week, a far cry from August when Victoria recorded more than 700 cases in one day and active infections totalled nearly 8 000.

The spread of the virus was only contained after a lockdown lasting over 100 days.