Australian state's infections 'relatively flat'

The coronavirus infection rate in Australia's hard-hit Victoria state has been “relatively flat” in the past week, a state health official said. That is relatively flat over the last week,” Sutton said. Melbourne University epidemiologist Tony Blakely said mandatory mask-wearing had started curbing the coronavirus spread.

The coronavirus infection rate in Australia's hard-hit Victoria state has been “relatively flat” in the past week, a state health official said. Victoria registered 450 new cases and 11 deaths on Friday.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton described the latest tally as “reasonable,” noting that numbers would fluctuate due to laboratory processes. “The trend overall is that we're kind of sitting at 400 to 500 cases a day. That is relatively flat over the last week,” Sutton said.

Melbourne University epidemiologist Tony Blakely said mandatory mask-wearing had started curbing the coronavirus spread. The infection rate began to plateau at the end of July, a week after Melbourne residents risked fines if they left home without a mask, Blakely said.

Tougher lockdown restrictions came into force in Melbourne on Thursday for the next six weeks..