A man in his 30s is among 12 people who have died from coronavirus in Australia's state of Victoria in the past 24 hours as authorities recorded 466 new infections.
A man walks past a sign on a truck in Melbourne, as the city enforces strict lockdown restrictions. Photo: AFP
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said six of the deaths were linked to aged care facilities.
Two men in their 70s, two men and three women in their 80s, and four women in their 90s have also died with the virus.
Andrews said the man in his 30s was not a healthcare worker, but could not provide more information about the case.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said authorities were seeing "some stabilisation" in the numbers of new cases found, with an average of 400 to 500 cases a day through the past week.
"If we hadn't stabilised these numbers, we would have seen thousands of cases per day, and there are estimates that we've averted 20,000 or more cases by virtue of the stage 3 restrictions [in July] - but that hasn't been enough," he said.
"[The measures] have been able to stabilise the numbers, but we can't have 500 cases every single day and the associated morbidity, hospitalisation, intensive care requirements and debts that are associated with that number every day."
People out in public are being questioned by police, soldiers and Protective Services officers enforcing Melbourne's strict lockdown. Photo: AFP
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'Stage 4 will make a difference'
Professor Sutton said the difference the latest restrictions have made to workplaces and foot traffic in Melbourne will help drive numbers down.
"Stage 4 restrictions will make a difference, but we won't see them for another week or more".
"We can drive numbers down, and we will drive numbers down."
The Victoria Premier said there were now 7,808 active cases of coronavirus in the state.
That figure includes 998 healthcare workers - an increase of 140 since yesterday.
There are now 636 Victorians in hospital with the virus, including 44 people receiving intensive care. Of those 44, 29 are on ventilators.
Timeline of latest restrictions
The Victorian government locked down ten postcodes on 1 July and nine apartment towers on 3 July, after signs the virus was re-emerging.
Stage 3 restrictions were extended to all of Melbourne on 8 July, and then increased to Stage 4 on 2 August.
The rest of the state of Victoria was put under Stage 3 restrictions on 6 August.
Everyone was required to wear a mask outside the home in Melbourne from 19 July, and the rest of the state from 2 August.
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre
-ABC