Victoria’s Deputy Premier has detailed a “window of opportunity” the state’s children have to guard against Covid this winter.
James Merlino made the announcement while opening Port Melbourne Secondary College on Monday morning.
He said getting kids across the state double-dosed as quickly as possible was paramount for keeping a sense of normality in schools after two years ofxjmtzyw disruptions.
“I’d like to see (vaccinations) taken up as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I’ve spoken a number of times about the really critical window of opportunity that we have in the southern hemisphere. If we get our kids double-dosed before we head into winter, that is going to be critically important, so I was really encouraged about the last couple of days.”
Mr Merlino also ruled out widespread remote learning, saying the state is now beyond that phase of the pandemic.
“Remote learning, that is an absolute last resort for a particular school who are having significant challenges with staffing for example,” he said.
“Those students who are at home, whether they’re isolating or whether it’s in relation to a very short period for that school, teaching and learning materials will be provided.
“But in terms of statewide remote learning, broad remote learning, we are beyond that.
“It’s all about getting our students back to face-to-face learning in front of their teachers and with their peers and friends … we want this year to be as low on disruption as we can possibly make it.”
The state recorded 10,053 new cases and eight Covid deaths in the past 24 hours.
There are now 873 infected people in Victorian hospitals, with 102 in intensive care and 33 on ventilators.
Victoria’s pre-Omicron peak for Covid hospitalisations was 851 in October when the state was battling a surge in Delta infections.
However, the figure is dwarfed by the 2779 people in NSW who are in hospital with Covid.
More than 93 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and the state has 76,335 active cases.
A total of 20,859 PCR tests were taken on Wednesday and 16,298 vaccines were administered at state hubs.
It comes after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews criticised anti-vaxxers, labelling them “wrong”, while hinting it will only be a matter of time before a third-jab mandate is implemented.
Only 31 per cent of Victorians have received a booster shot despite hundreds of thousands of appointments now being available and 2.1 million people now eligible.
Mr Andrews said movement around third dose mandates would likely happen in the next week or so.
“I think it’s only a matter of time before the relevant federal agencies confirm that it is three doses to be protected,” he said.
“There’s already been some mandating done for third doses and there will be more.
“Those who are not vaccinated have made the wrong choice. They’ve made a choice that puts so many other people at risk. I could not be more clear about that.”
