COVID-19, Australia: Epidemiology Report 21: Fortnightly reporting period ending 19 July 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2020.44.64Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2, novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19, acute respiratory disease, epidemiology, AustraliaAbstract
Over the past fortnightly reporting period (6 to 19 July):
• The number of new cases reported nationally increased from 897 in the previous fortnight (22 June to 5 July) to 3,791 (6 to 19 July).
• The large increase in cases is due to multiple epidemiologically-linked outbreaks across a range of settings and locations in Victoria (94%; 3,575 cases), with very few cases reported by other jurisdictions (216) in this reporting period.
• Of the 3,575 cases reported in Victoria, all except one were reported as locally acquired. The majority of these cases were linked to several outbreaks.
• Of the 216 cases reported from other jurisdictions, approximately 55% (119 cases) were locally acquired.
• A total of 37 deaths were reported, all from Victoria.
• On average, 271 cases were reported each day over the reporting period, an increase from 54 cases per day over the previous reporting period.
• Testing rates have increased across all jurisdictions, predominantly in Victoria, with the nationwide cumulative positivity rate remaining very low at less than 0.5%.
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