Epidemiologist doesn’t think there’s ‘any virus out there circulating’ in Victoria

With Victoria is one day away from officially eradicating COVID-19, an epidemiologist has shared a very positive outlook.

The state has today recorded a 27th consecutive day without a new coronavirus case.

The official definition for eradication is 28 days without a case.

Professorial Fellow in Epidemiology at the University of Melbourne, Tony Blakely, says he thinks there’s a “90 per cent plus probability” the virus is gone.

“I don’t think there’s any virus out there circulating in Victoria and we’re heading for eradication,” he told Ross and Russel.

“It’s quite an extraordinary achievement.”

Professor Blakely said he’s confident that the state now has the ability to quash any future outbreaks that occur before a vaccine for the virus is found.

“It will get in, occasionally, through a quarantine breach or something like that … but the good news is that we’ve leant so much from the past six months,” he said.

“Our surveillance, contact tracing and testing should … be enough to stamp it out.”

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