A record 21 people have died of COVID-19 in Victoria, as the state reports another 410 new cases.
Premier Daniel Andrews said 16 out of those 21 deaths can be linked to aged care outbreaks.
Those who have lost their lives include two women and one male in their 70s, six women and five men in their 80s, five men and one woman in their 90s, and one woman in her 100s.
Of the 662 Victorians in hospital, 43 of them are in intensive care and 25 are on ventilators.
The new infections over the past 24 hours mean Victoria has surpassed 400 cases for the first time since Saturday.
The figures released by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday morning represent the deadliest day for both Australia and the coronavirus-embattled state.
The record number of deaths takes the state death toll to 267 and 352 nationally.
Police officers pull a car over for a licence and permit check in Melbourne on Tuesday. 21 people have died of coronavirus in Victoria over the past 24 hours, a state and national record
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said 16 of the 21 deaths can be linked to aged care outbreaks
Victoria has surpassed 400 cases for the first time since Saturday, when 466 cases were confirmed
A body is removed from St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner in Melbourne’s north on July 31
A woman wearing a mask on Friday in a rare sighting of life in the CBD during the COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne
The ages and genders of those who have succumbed to the virus will be detailed later on Wednesday.
Victorian authorities had warned deaths would continue to rise given the number of people in hospital with the virus.
As of Tuesday, 650 people were in hospital and 43 of those in intensive care.
The case numbers come after Australia’s Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said he was optimistic a COVID-19 vaccine would be produced in the coming months amid promising clinical trials.
‘I don’t have a crystal ball on that one, but certainly these types of developments usually take years,’ he said on Tuesday.
‘It’s not going to be years.
A very quiet Bourke Street is seen on Tuesday in Melbourne’s CBD. Under stage 4 lockdown restrictions the city’s residents are only allowed to leave home to give or receive care, shopping for food and essential items, daily exercise and work
‘I think we won’t be talking about that a year or two from now – it will be earlier than that.’
Small scale trials are underway across the world, with two research teams in Australia already at stage three of development, which involves testing on humans.
The trials are being led by scientists in Adelaide and at the University of Queensland.
A police officer pulls a car over for a permit check in Melbourne on Tuesday. Victoria over the past 24 hours has surpassed 400 cases for the first time since Saturday
But it’s the Oxford vaccine under development in the United Kingdom which is among Professor Kelly’s ‘top six’ when it comes to the global race.
While the normal development time frame such vaccines could be four years, the growing global death toll has prompted authorities to fast-track measures.
But potential delays could result in an ‘involved’ process to manufacture and distribute the millions of doses required in Australia.
Hope is growing about the development of a potential vaccine for Australian residents as COVID-19 restrictions continue to impact daily life across the country, particularly for those in New South Wales and Victoria (pictured: a passenger from Melbourne is greeted by NSW police officers at Sydney airport)
‘None of them are ready to be rolled out in large numbers to protect us, there is certainly more science to be done in terms of making sure they are safe and they are effective,’ Prof Kelly said.
‘But the early trials are very hopeful.’
Professor Kelly dismissed concerns around putting people’s safety at risk by fast-tracking human trials.
Authorities believe a vaccine is on its way to Australian shores far sooner than the typical four year phase for similar style treatments (pictured: a man wears full protective gear at Sydney International airport ahead of hotel quarantine in Sydney)
‘We have our regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration and they’re very linked into other similar regulators around the world. Their role is to exactly guard against that,’ he said.
‘These things are going very fast and we want them to go fast, this is the way we will be able to return to some sort of normality in the world and here in Australia.
‘We are very optimistic about vaccine development.’