Modelling shows today 'should be the peak', Sutton says
By Marissa Calligeros
We've just recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day in Victoria, but Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has revealed that the government's modelling showed today should be the peak of the state's second wave.
"Modelling, with our effective reproduction number that I have seen most recently, suggests that today should be the peak," Professor Sutton said.
"Now, I'm not going to sit back and say today is the peak. We have to see what happens in coming days."
The "reproduction number" is the number of people an infected person spreads the disease to.
"Driving that effective reproduction number down below one is the thing that will start to see numbers drop. As numbers drop, outbreaks drop," Professor Sutton said.
He is most concerned about cases rising in aged care homes, even as community transmission decreases.
"At the moment, I'm more concerned that we'll probably see a rise in numbers because the outbreaks are really volatile in aged care settings. The numbers can increase very significantly in a very short period of time even as community transmission might be coming down."
He said gaining control of a second wave "can take longer".
"That certainly seems to be the case internationally. But you get to the other side and we will get to the other side," he said.