By Jessica Micallef
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Hume has plummeted by more than 275 in the past week.
As of Sunday, there were 284 active cases of the virus – 1503 individuals have contracted COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Hume continues to have the third-highest number of active cases across Victoria, behind Brimbank (354) and Wyndham (406).
An outbreak at Japara Goonawarra Aged Care in Sunbury has been linked to 107 cases.
In the Macedon Ranges, 15 cases remain active, with the region recording 56 confirmed cases of the deadly virus.
As numbers begin to stabilise across the state, Premier Daniel Andrews is urging Victorians not to become complacent when it comes to getting tested for the virus.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, in the seven days from August 11 to August 17, there was a drop of about 30,000 tests, or about 17 per cent from the previous seven-day period.
Mr Andrews said while it was encouraging that daily cases were beginning to stabilise, he said the drop in testing rates were “concerning”.
“The reduction could be explained by stronger restrictions on movement … [and] while it is good news that people are staying home and following the restrictions, you are allowed to leave your home to get tested,” he said.
“The greatest weapon we have in the fight against this pandemic is to keep getting testing.
“We cannot stop this virus if we don’t know it’s there, which is why we need to all play our part in fighting this thing by getting tested.”
Mr Andrews said with flu cases down 75 per cent compared to the same time last year, it was far more likely that flu-like symptoms could be coronavirus.
“My message to Victorians could not be clearer – if you have symptoms at all, go and get tested,” he said. “We simply can’t afford to be complacent when it comes to this deadly virus.”
As of Sunday, Victoria had 4012 active coronavirus cases and had recorded 18,231 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic. More than 415 people have lost their lives to coronavirus in the state.
