MELBOURNE, KOMPAS.com — On Thursday, Australia’s Victoria Covid-19 cases reached 317 new infections in a day prompting government officials to add hospital beds.
Victoria state reported a daily record of 428 new Covid-19 cases on July 17 amid increased testing in the Melbourne area.
The local government has sought to monitor the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.
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On Friday, the majority of new Covid-19 cases and three Covid-19 deaths were in Melbourne.
There is a nationwide total of 116 Covid-19 deaths reported so far in Australia as of July 17.
As Victoria's Covid-19 cases surge, the government has responded by reducing non-urgent surgeries.
The move is expected to allow hospitals to increase their hospital bed capacity for Covid-19 patients, according to Australia’s Health Minister Jenny Mikakos.
Melbourne and neighboring semi-rural Mitchell Shire have been locked down since last week and authorities hope the restrictions will soon bring a plateauing of infections.
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