Concern over ‘transmission with very fleeting contact’ as aged care worker vaccine blitz announced
Anyone who visited six shopping areas linked to COVID-19 cases is being urged to come forward for testing, even if they aren’t showing symptoms of the virus.
It comes after Victoria recorded nine new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 yesterday.
Six of the cases were reported at yesterday’s COVID-19 press conference.
Two of the three cases revealed this morning are primary close contacts who were in quarantine during their infectious period.
The third is still under investigation. The case is not a known contact or directly linked to an exposure site, but was in close proximity Stratton Finance in Port Melbourne.
“This is an individual … who appears to have caught the virus through very peripheral, very tangential contact with one of the Stratton Finance employees,” COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar said.
“We are concerned about evidence about four or five instances we’ve now seen where we have seen transmission … with very fleeting contact.”
The state government is now urging people who have visited six shopping areas linked to COVID-19 cases to get tested, even if they’re asymptomatic.
If you’ve been to the following places in the past two weeks, the government is urging to you to get tested:
- Craigieburn Central
- Bay Street, Port Melbourne
- Clarendon Street, South Melbourne
- Pacific Epping
- Epping North Shopping Centre
- Broadway, Reservoir
For five days, beginning tomorrow, aged care and disability workers will receive priority vaccination at some vaccination hubs.
Workers may attend selected vaccination hubs from June 2 to 5, between 9am and 4pm, with proof of their employment, and enter a priority queue.
The vaccination hubs offering priority jabs to aged care and disability workers:
- Royal Exhibition Building
- Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
- Sandown Racecourse
- Melbourne Showgrounds
- Former Ford Factory – Geelong
- Bendigo Community Clinic
- Ballarat Mercure Hotel and Convention Centre
- Shepparton Showgrounds – McIntosh Centre
- Traralgon Racecourse
- Wodonga Vaccination Hub
There are now 54 active cases in Victoria’s community outbreak.
No new cases have been recorded in aged care.
All staff and residents at BlueCross Sunshine, apart from the worker who also worked at Arcare Maidstone, and a resident aged in her 90s who tested positive yesterday, have returned negative tests.
Press PLAY below to listen to some of today’s COVID-19 press conference
Reported yesterday: 9 new local cases and 2 new cases acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
– 20,484 vaccine doses were administered
– 42,699 test results were receivedMore later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco #COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/NwsnE1Hgth
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) May 31, 2021
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