COVID-19 figures: Victorian death toll rises to 26 as intensive care cases surge

Victoria has recorded 270 fresh coronavirus cases overnight and the number of people in intensive care has grown by nine.

The new cases bring the number of active COVID-19 cases in Victoria to 1803.

Sadly, Victoria’s coronavirus death toll has grown to 26.

A man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s have both died with COVID-19 in hospital.

Of today’s new cases:

• 28 have been connected to known outbreaks
• 242 are under investigation

There are 85 people in hospital. Of those, 26 are in intensive care, nine more than yesterday.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has warned “we haven’t turned the corner yet”.

A total of 1,170,352 tests have been conducted in Victoria since the beginning of the outbreak.

Another 1000 defence force personnel are being sent to Victoria to help manage the COVID-19 outbreak.

ADF personnel will be paired with paramedics on the road to “support the inevitable number of paramedics who will finish up having to quarantine … because of exposure”.

They will also take over the running of more testing sites, do catering for those in locked down public housing and help with logistics.

Press PLAY below for some of today’s figure announcement + Neil Mitchell’s analysis.

POSITIVE TESTS IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS:
June 30 – 64
July 1 – 73
July 2 – 77
July 3 – 66
July 4 – 108
July 5 – 74
July 6 – 127
July 7 – 191
July 8 – 134
July 9 – 165
July 10 – 288
July 11 – 216
July 12 – 273
July 13 – 177
TODAY – 270