Covid-19 cases have risen steeply in Casey and Greater Dandenong as Victoria recorded 374 new infections on 21 July.
Casey recorded 27 new cases – its active cases now stand at 103.
In Greater Dandneong, there were seven further cases, with 44 active in the council area.
Three women with coronavirus aged in their 80s, 90s and 100s died overnight. So far, 42 Victorians have succumbed to the virus.
Statewide, there are 3147 active cases of Covid-19, including 169 health care workers and 174 hospital patients. Thirty-six patients are in intensive care.
On 20 July, the cluster linked to Australian Pharmaceutical Industries in Dandenong South grew to five.
Fifteen cases have been linked to the Woolworths Distribution Centre in Mulgrave
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said there had been a “levelling” in the “roller-coaster of numbers”.
He said the reintroduction of ‘stay-at-home’ restrictions had curtailed Covid-19’s spread from rising to thousands a day.
“I’m not satisfied with (374 new daily cases) but it’s better than 3000.”
Mandatory mask-wearing was like enforcing a “speed limit” – a “small constraint on our liberty” designed to protect “you and others around you”.
