Surge in Australia's Victoria Covid-19 Cases Prompts Addition of Hospital Beds

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.

Read also: Indonesians Believe Coronavirus Is a Lie: Covid-19 Task Force Head

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.

Read also: Jakarta Covid-19 Restrictions Extended for Another Two Weeks