Australia’s Victoria state reported five new local Covid-19 cases today amid a strict lockdown, as people rushed to vaccination centres, causing long queues and technological glitches.
The infections bring the latest cluster to 35, but the number of exposure sites visited by the infected people has expanded to more than 150, putting thousands at risk.
Victoria went into the week-long lockdown on Thursday night, the state’s fourth in the pandemic, forcing residents to remain at home.
“We are taking this outbreak day by day,” Victoria’s commander of its Covid-19 response, Jeroen Weimar, told a news briefing.
The outbreak was caused by a traveller who left hotel quarantine in South Australia state after testing negative but later tested positive in Melbourne.
People lined up for several hours at vaccination centres across Melbourne, trying to book a shot or get one on a walk-in basis.
