Victoria's coronavirus caseload has fallen below 50 for the first time in more than a month, yet the pandemic has led to the cancellation of another signature event, the Royal Melbourne Show.
Three new Victorian cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 1354. A woman in her 80s became the 18th person in the state to die of the virus.
Efforts to flatten the curve continue to pay dividends, with the number of active coronavirus cases in Victoria at its lowest since the grand prix cancellation in the middle of March.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 49 active coronavirus cases in Victoria. Eighteen people are in hospital, including nine in intensive care, and a total of 1287 people have recovered.
Premier Daniel Andrews' promise to conduct 100,000 tests in two weeks appeared to be getting off to a slow start, with about 7000 tests since his announcement on Monday.
Among those tested for the virus on Wednesday was CFMEU boss John Setka, who joined construction workers to be swabbed at a construction site in Southbank.
Nationally, there were 19 new cases, bringing the total to 6746. The total number of deaths was 89.
More than half-a-million tests have been completed across Australia, with testing to be expanded after 10 million kits were secured with the help of billionaire Andrew Forrest's philanthropic organisation.
CFMEU Victorian Secretary John Setka is one of the first people in the construction industry to receive a coronavirus test at a mobile health bus.Credit:Simon Schluter
"This will multiply our tests between now and the end of the year by almost 20 fold," Health Minister Greg Hunt said.
"This is a critical part of the building blocks for Australians to return to their ordinary life."
While the nation had "well and truly flattened that curve", Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said a second wave of COVID-19 was always possible for Australia.
Professor Kelly said the government would not hesitate to respond with quickly reintroducing social distancing measures if a second wave were to occur.
"A second wave is always possible and that's why those three precedents have been set by the Prime Minister before we lift those social distancing and socialisation rules," he said. "The second wave I'm sure will be a topic for quite some time."
Organisers of the Royal Melbourne Show on Wednesday confirmed the event would be cancelled for just the third time in its 165-year history.
Due to take place in September, the show has only been called off during World War I and World War II.
Tom Cowie is a journalist at The Age covering general news.
Craig Butt joined The Age in 2011 and specialises in data-driven journalism.
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2020-04-29 08:21:44Z
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