23 Nov 2021

Nineteen Covid-19 deaths announced as Victoria closes in on 90% vaccination rate

1:11 pm on 23 November 2021

Victoria has recorded 827 new Covid-19 cases and 19 deaths as it sits just below its 90 percent vaccination threshold.

An ambulance is cleaned at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne on October 9, 2021, as Victoria state recorded 1965 new Covid cases, its highest daily infection number since the start of the pandemic, putting more pressure on the state's struggling health system.

An ambulance and health workers at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne. (file pic) Photo: AFP

The cases were recorded from 48,427 test results processed on Monday, taking the state's total active cases to 9420.

The latest cases have taken the seven-day average for daily infections to 1082.

The death toll from the current Delta outbreak is now 479.

Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton pointed out that 17 of the 19 people who died were unvaccinated. "Entirely preventable," he said on Twitter.

The death toll was the second-highest daily number recorded in the current outbreak - on a previous day 25 deaths were recorded.

However, not all the deaths were recorded in 24 hours, the ABC is reporting, with some taking several days to be classified as being due to the coronavirus.

According to Victorian health department figures, more than 89 percent of the population aged 12 and older is now fully vaccinated.

While fully vaccinated Victorians are now able to get back into the office for work, new research suggests the work-from-home model is here to stay.

Infrastructure Victoria modelling predicts about a third of the state's office staff will be spending two or three weekdays at home by 2036.

In New South Wales there were 173 new cases and two deaths. The state has reached a fully vaccinated rate of 91.9 percent for those aged 16 and over.

- ABC

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